For some reason, "P" gives people problems every now and then. The best way I've found to do a "P" is to keep the loop at the top very small, as shown in Figure G.

FIGURE G

To write a "P", keep the loop at the top very small.

As you can see in Figure H, writing the letter "V" is easy if you do it "backwards", starting on the right side of the letter.

FIGURE H

"V" is easy if you do it "backwards", starting on the right side of the letter.

These are just a few of the harder to form characters. For another good page on Graffiti tips, see http://www.antioch.com.sg/edgar/graffiti.html

It may not be your fault
Another reason that your graffiti recognition might not be up to par, especially if you've had your PalmPilot for awhile is that something might be wrong with the unit. Some people have reported that a scratched input area will sometimes lead to a degradation of Graffiti recognition.

Learn your punctuation
After just a few days of using the PalmPilot and Graffiti, everyone should know that a period is Dot Dot. Some folks will even have gotten up the courage to learn how to form a comma, and maybe even an exclamation point! Punctuation marks one of of the few areas of Graffiti that everyone seems to have the most problems remembering. The best advice that I can get you here is that when you want to do a punctuation mark and don't remember it, use one of the Graffiti references (listed below) to look it up, and then do the command. Don't just bring up the on-screen keyboard and enter the punctuation that way! You'll quickly discover that as time goes on, you'll be referring to your reference less and less when it comes to those pesky punctuation marks.

For those really difficult to remember symbols, I'd recommend an application called SymbolHack. When installed, this application will pop up a box when you tap on the keyboard dot (PalmOS 2.x) or activate the keyboard. But, instead of displaying a keyboard it shows a grid of available symbols, giving you the option to tap on one of them to have it inserted into your text. The standard keyboard is still available, and the list of symbols is completely configurable.

Graffiti references
In addition to the card that you receive with your PalmPilot, there are a few other resources available to you when you need to find the right stroke for a particular character. One, new to PalmOS 2.x is the built-in Graffiti Help screen. This screen, accessible from all the built in applications in the Edit menu or by doing either a Command Stroke "G", gives you a list of all the letters, numbers and punctuation marks. If you are running OS 1.x, then you'll want to download and install Bill Kirby's excellent freeware application, Graffiti Help. Shown in Figure I, Graffiti Help is much nicer than the built-in help just mentioned, providing you with a little more information and a slightly easier to use interface.

FIGURE I

Bill Kirby's Graffiti Help is a good Graffiti reference, and the only one available to folks using PalmOS 1.x.