Microcassette Recorder User Manual

Audacity

Page 8 of 31

AWI Structure

AWI stands for Audacity WAV Information. It is a text file created whenever an audio file is created. It is

a text file containing a wide variety of information. You don't see it on the handheld as it is hidden, but

you will see it once you transfer the files to your PC. It provides the infrastructure to make Audacity

Professional very "Intelligent". It is used by Audacity itself to keep track of, display, transport information,

and process the WAV files. It is used to pass information to the dictator, to process the files, and by

workflow management systems after the files have left the handheld. We use it to capture the caller ID

information when recording a phone call.

Let's examine a practical use for the AWI file. The dictator wants to record a file and email it to Bob

Jones. Bob is in the contact list of the author's Treo Smartphone. Audacity Professional has a contact

list link feature. The author taps the email field and jumps to the contact list. A selection is make and

Audacity automatically pulls in the email address. This address is stored in the AWI file. After the file is

recorded, the author syncs to his desktop. The LAM desktop application automatically takes the file and

e-mails it off. All of the instructions are included in the AWI file. The author simply hits the Sync button.

The AWI structure made it possible. All of the Audacity Professional productline makes use of the AWI

concept to intelligently pass data between the different applications. This is just one of many, many

uses of the AWI file.

File Transfers to the PC and Beyond

All files, with the appropriate action set, are automatically sent to the PC during a HotSync. The files are

placed in a folder under C:\Program Files\AST\Incoming\ assuming the LAM is installed using the

default folder settings. After the HotSync, the transferred files are color-coded a light blue (on the

handheld) until the proper time for the files to be deleted (default is 3 days). During the first HotSync

after the 3-day period, the files are deleted from the Handheld.

The desktop LAM (Local Audacity Manager) can be set to process the files manually or automatically. It

first creates an archive of the files in a folder under C:\Program Files\AST\Archive\. It then continues to

process the files. If the files are compressed and / or encrypted, the default settings will decompress

and / or decrypt them. The files are automatically e-mailed or FTP'd, if appropriate. After processing, the

files are put into a completed folder under C:\Program Files\AST\Recordings\.

If you examine the file structure on the PC, you will find the files are grouped in pairs. A .WAV file is

accompanied by an .AWI file with the same name. Each time the Handheld or the LAM touches a file, it

adds to the information contained in the AWI file.

The files on the Handheld get deleted after a programmable time period. After that they are deleted from

the Incoming folder. The files in the Archive folder get deleted after a programmable timeframe (the

default is 7 days). The files in the Recordings folder remain as a permanent backup. They must

eventually be archived or deleted manually.