You have several options available in working with profiles. You can use the default profile's settings, you can create a brand new profile from scratch, or you can copy the default profile and modify that. I recommend the last option. It's less work and it keeps the default in case you need to start over.

At a minimum, you'll want to turn on the Enable Globally option and perhaps some of the other options as well. I suggest the following options be turned on at this point:

• Allow Alternate Strokes: this option will let TealScript recognize a set of alternate Graffiti strokes, many of which are easier than the standard strokes;

• Maintain Statistics: this is perhaps the most useful of all the options, as it allows you to keep track of what letters you have the most trouble with and allows you to enter those strokes automatically;

• EZ Capitals on alpha/num border: this will enable you to write uppercase letters by writing them across the alphanumeric border. The Disable System auto-shift should be activated if you use this option. There is nothing I hated more than having Graffiti try and determine when I wanted a capital letter.

Your finished profile should look very much like the one pictured in Figure A.

FIGURE A

This is how the profile should look if you use my recommended options.

Since TealScript replaces Graffiti, it also intercepts the upstroke you have set in the system preferences. You will want to reset it using the On Upstroke drop-down menu.

Once you have finished the configuration, you can simply leave the program and use your Palm device normally. I would recommend going through the above steps and then do fine-tuning as problems come up.

Fine-tuning
Once you determine that there are strokes you need to fine-tune, there are several steps to take. The first is to train TealScript to recognize your particular strokes. The Train Profile button will take you to a screen where you'll have to write the old typing test sentence, "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog." Because this contains every letter in the alphabet, it gives TealScript a good indication of how you write.

You can see how your strokes compare to what TealScript expects by using the dual window at the bottom of the screen. One window shows your stroke, and the other window shows what TealScript expects to see. Furthermore, if there are any letters that it doesn't recognize, the program will beep and refuse to move to the next letter until you enter the correct one.

You can also fine-tune particular letters and characters by choosing the Edit Profile button on the main screen. Here you can add new strokes and modify existing ones to fit the way you write. In fact, you can create your own Graffiti strokes for commonly used words and phrases. This beats the built-in Graffiti shortcuts by a long shot. Figure B shows the Edit Profile screen.

FIGURE B

The letter R is having its stroke fine-tuned on the Edit Profile screen.