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1989-12-12
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QubeCalc
Abridged User's Manual
(C) Copyright FormalSoft 1986-90
All Rights Reserved
FormalSoft
P.O. Box 1913
Sandy, Utah 84091-1913
(801) 565-0971
DISCLAIMER
This software will perform as described when used properly. By
using this software you acknowledge that this software may not
suit your particular needs or be completely trouble free. If
this software does not perform as described, our liability to you
is limited to replacing the software or refunding the purchase
price (if registered).
In no event will FormalSoft be liable to you for any damages,
including any lost profits, lost savings or other incidental or
consequential damages arising out of the use of or inability to
use these programs, even if FormalSoft has been advised of the
possibility of such damages.
QubeCalc is NOT a public domain program. It is Shareware, which
basically means it is a commercial program with a "try before you
buy" option. QubeCalc is copyrighted by FormalSoft, and
FormalSoft retains all rights pertaining to QubeCalc. FormalSoft
grants a restricted permission to users to make and distribute
copies of QubeCalc.
If you continue to regularly use QubeCalc, you are expected to
register with FormalSoft using the form provided on the next
page.
If QubeCalc is used for business purposes, or for gain, then a
copy of QubeCalc must be purchased for each computer it is to be
used on.
You are granted permission to copy and distribute QubeCalc for
evaluation by others on the following conditions:
- You may NOT charge anything for QubeCalc itself. You may
charge a cost based fee (not to exceed $10) to cover disks and
handling.
- You may NOT copy the printed documentation in any manner or
form.
- You may NOT bundle QubeCalc with any other product without
prior written permission from FormalSoft.
- You may NOT distribute versions of QubeCalc which have been
modified in any way.
- You must include ALL of the files which are distributed with
QubeCalc. These files must be ARCHIVED together if you place them
on an electronic bulletin board.
FormalSoft provides quantity discounts for QubeCalc. The
discount schedule is:
QUANTITY DISCOUNT
-----------------------
1-2 0%
3-5 15%
6-9 20%
10-24 25%
25-49 30%
50-99 35%
100-249 40%
250-499 45%
500+ 50%
2
QubeCalc Registration Form
--------------------------
QubeCalc is distributed as Shareware and is completely supported
by user registrations. You may register your copy of QubeCalc by
filling out the form below and mailing it along with $74.95
($69.95 + $5 s/h) to:
FormalSoft
QubeCalc Registration
P.O. Box 1913
Sandy, Ut. 84091-1913
We can also accept VISA/MC/AMEX at (801) 565-0971.
You will receive the latest version of QubeCalc, the complete
printed manual, and will be placed on our update list to receive
automatic notification of QubeCalc updates and new software
releases from FormalSoft.
Name:__________________________________________________________
Address:_______________________________________________________
City, State, Zip:______________________________________________
Number of copies:___________ Amount enclosed * :_______________
* UT residents add 6 1/4% sales tax
Where did you find out about QubeCalc or get your copy from?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
FormalSoft is currently working on new features to make QubeCalc
even more powerful. If there are any features you would like to
see added to QubeCalc, please let us know.
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
3
OTHER PRODUCTS FROM FORMALSOFT
------------------------------
ProQube ProQube is FormalSoft's commercial 3D spreadsheet.
ProQube is similar to QubeCalc in that it has
multiple pages and the ability to rotate the 3D
worksheet. In addition, ProQube has: 512 rows,
columns, and pages, presentation graphics, an
integrated programming language, macro recorder,
file manager, mouse support, cell protection, file
encryption, the ability to directly import and
export 1-2-3, dBase, DIF, and ASCII files (without
a translation program), 104 @functions (including
lookup tables), EGA 43 row support, expanded
memory support, and much more!
Requirements: 640K, MSDOS 2.0+, and a hard disk.
ProQube is available directly from FormalSoft for
$99, or you can find it at your local dealer.
InstaCalc InstaCalc is a memory resident spreadsheet which
can be popped up through your word processor to
cut and paste data between the spreadsheet and
word processor. It includes all of the same
features as QubeCalc except for the 3D
capabilities.
InstaCalc is available as Shareware (registration
price is $49.95 + $5 s/h).
4
CONTENTS
WHAT CAN I DO WITH QUBECALC? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
GETTING STARTED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
MAKING A BACKUP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
FLOPPY DISK BASED SYSTEM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
HARD DISK BASED SYSTEM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
HOW TO RUN QUBECALC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
THE SETUP PROGRAM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
WHERE TO GO FOR HELP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
THE DISPLAY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
THE WORKQUBE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
MOVING AROUND IN THE WORKQUBE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
ENTERING DATA INTO THE WORKQUBE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
NUMBERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
TEXT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
FORMULAS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
THE COMMAND MENUS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
SPECIAL FUNCTION KEYS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
MATHEMATICAL FUNCTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
TRIGONOMETRY FUNCTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
STATISTICAL FUNCTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
FINANCIAL FUNCTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
DATE AND TIME FUNCTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
LOGICAL FUNCTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
SPECIAL FUNCTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
TEXT FUNCTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
CELL DISPLAY FORMATS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
CELL WIDTHS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
ABSOLUTE AND RELATIVE CELL REFERENCES . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
DEFINING A 3D BLOCK OF CELLS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
CELL COMMANDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
CELL FORMAT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
CELL WIDTH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
CELL ERASE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
5
CELL JUSTIFY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
CELL COPY (REPLICATE) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
BLOCK COMMANDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
BLOCK FORMAT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
BLOCK WIDTH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
BLOCK ERASE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
BLOCK JUSTIFY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
BLOCK COPY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
BLOCK DATAFILL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
BLOCK NAME . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
BLOCK LINK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
BLOCK SORT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
WORKQUBE COMMANDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
WORKQUBE FORMAT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
WORKQUBE WIDTH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
WORKQUBE ERASE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
WORKQUBE JUSTIFY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
WORKQUBE PERSPECTIVE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
WORKQUBE AUTOCALC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
WORKQUBE ORDER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
WORKQUBE COLOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
WORKQUBE TITLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
INSERTING ROWS, COLUMNS, OR PAGES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
DELETING ROWS, COLUMNS, OR PAGES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
SAVING AND LOADING DATA FILES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
PRINTING YOUR DATA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
GRAPHING YOUR DATA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
DEFINING AND USING MACROS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
EXITING FROM QUBECALC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
THE LOTUS IMPORT PROGRAM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
IMPORTING DIF AND DBASE FILES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
EXPORTING DIF, DBASE, AND LOTUS FILES . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
6
WHAT CAN I DO WITH QUBECALC?
Welcome to the world of QubeCalc. QubeCalc is a TRUE three
dimensional spreadsheet (as opposed to some two dimensional
spreadsheets which let you link cells of multiple spreadsheets
together). It gives you the ability to look at your data in more
ways than you ever imagined possible.
You can enter data into the QubeCalc WorkQube just as you would
with any other spreadsheet. You could treat the WorkQube as if
it were 64 separate spreadsheets which are linked together, but
it is much more flexible than just that.
Regular spreadsheets allow you to enter data in a row and column
format. For example, you might have a spreadsheet which displays
the number of sales listed by month and salesman as shown below:
1983
Jan 83 Feb 83 Mar 83 Apr 83
Bill 12 13 14 13
Sam 11 15 12 11
Joe 10 10 13 11
Harry 12 15 13 12
With regular spreadsheets you would need to create a separate
sheet for each year's data... and consolidating these
spreadsheets into a total overview spreadsheet would require
major rehashing or re-entering of the spreadsheet data.
With QubeCalc you can enter each year's data into its own page in
the WorkQube (1983 in one page, 1984 in the next page, and so
on)... and one of the WorkQube's pages can be easily used to link
each year's data together as a total overview spreadsheet.
But the real power of QubeCalc is its ability to rotate the
WorkQube to allow you to look at your data from many different
perspectives. The perspective can be changed so that what were
once pages are now columns, and your data is now displayed as the
number of sales during a given month each year as shown below:
Feb 82 Feb 83 Feb 84 Feb 85
Bill 10 13 12 11
Sam 11 15 10 12
Joe 12 10 14 10
Harry 12 15 13 12
And successive pages now list sales in March, then April, then
May, and so on.
Try doing that with a regular spreadsheet!!!!
7
QubeCalc is extremely powerful, yet it is easy to learn and use.
It provides many functions and features found only in very
expensive spreadsheet programs, as well as features which can't
be found elsewhere at any price!!
- You can turn rows into columns, columns into pages, and so on,
allowing you to look at your data in any perspective you desire.
- You can import and export Lotus 1-2-3, dBASE II, dBASE III, and
DIF files.
- Interactive context sensitive help screens make learning and
using QubeCalc a snap.
- A full assortment of predefined functions is provided for you
to use in your computations (Math, Trig, Statistics, Finance,
Date, Time, Logical, Special, and Text catagories).
- You can link to a block of cells in another spreadsheet.
- You can sort your data by rows or columns.
- You can create graphs from your data.
- You can lock title rows and columns on the screen.
- A powerful Macro capability allows you to create your own
little "programs" within a spreadsheet.
- You can confine the automatic recalculation to any block of
cells. This can really speed things up in a large spreadsheet.
- And much, much more!!!
8
GETTING STARTED
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
QubeCalc is designed to run on an IBM PC, PC/XT, or a true IBM
compatible running MS-DOS or PC-DOS (version 2.0 or higher).
QubeCalc requires at least 256K of RAM to run, and the full 640K
can be accessed if it is available (the more memory, the bigger
the spreadsheets you can have).
If you want to take advantage of QubeCalc's graphics
capabilities, you must have an IBM color graphics adapter or
equivalent.
QubeCalc uses an overlay structure. This means that the QubeCalc
program actually consists of 3 different files; QUBECALC.COM,
QUBECALC.000, and QUBECALC.001.
QUBECALC.COM is the main part of the program. QUBECALC.000 and
QUBECALC.001 are overlay files which contain various features and
functions of QubeCalc. When QubeCalc needs to access one of
these features or functions, it reads the code for that feature
in from QUBECALC.000 or QUBECALC.001. The advantage of using an
overlay structure is that the program uses up less memory,
thereby freeing up more RAM to put your spreadsheets in.
If you place the overlay files (QUBECALC.000 and QUBECALC.001) on
a hard disk or in a RAM disk in extended memory, you should not
notice any significant delay when these features are accessed.
If the overlay files are on a floppy disk, you may notice a small
delay when accessing these features. If you have a floppy based
system and cannot tolerate the short delays, you may place the
overlay files in a RAM disk.
QubeCalc needs to know where you place the overlay files. By
default, QubeCalc assumes that the overlay files are in the
directory where you start up QubeCalc. If you place the overlay
files in a RAM disk or in a directory other than where you start
the program, then you must run the setup program to create a
configuration file which tells QubeCalc where you put the
overlays.
The setup program can also be used to tell QubeCalc where you
placed the help file and which directory you want to use as the
startup data directory. It will also let you customize the
screen colors which QubeCalc uses.
MAKING A BACKUP
9
The first thing you should do is make a backup copy of all the
files on the QubeCalc disk. Put this backup away in a safe place
in case you waste your working copy. The files which you should
find on your disk are:
QUBECALC.COM - The QubeCalc program.
QUBECALC.000 - An overlay (part of the program).
QUBECALC.001 - An overlay (part of the program).
REGISTER.DOC - Registration form and other info.
QUBECALC.HLP - The HELP file.
CONVERT.COM - Converts version 1 and 2 files.
GET123.COM - A program to import 1-2-3 files.
IMPORT.COM - Imports DIF, dBASE and ASCII files.
EXPORT.COM - Exports Lotus, DIF, dBASE, and ASCII files.
MANUAL.LZH - The compressed on-disk documentation.
PRINTDOC.EXE - Prints the on disk documentation.
LHARC.EXE - Uncompresses the on-disk documentation.
HARDDISK.BAT - Installs QubeCalc on a hard disk.
SETUP.COM - The setup program.
EXAMPLE.QUB - An example data file.
FLOPPY DISK BASED SYSTEM
Place the QubeCalc disk into the current drive and type QUBECALC
at the DOS prompt. If you do not put the overlay files
(QUBECALC.000 and QUBECALC.001) into a RAM disk, or if you wish
to make use of the Help facility (and don't put the help file
into a RAM disk), you must leave the QubeCalc disk in the drive
(because that is where the help and overlay files will be
located).
HARD DISK BASED SYSTEM
Change to the A: drive. Then place the QubeCalc disk into the A:
drive and type HARDDISK. This program will create a directory
named \QUBECALC on the C: drive and will copy all of the files
from the QubeCalc disk into the new directory. QubeCalc can then
be run by first changing to the \QUBECALC directory and typing
QUBECALC at the DOS prompt.
The best setup is to leave all of the files in the \QUBECALC
directory, and always start up from within that directory. That
way, QubeCalc will always know where all of it's system files are
(overlays, help, etc.).
10
HOW TO RUN QUBECALC
QubeCalc may be run by simply changing to the \QUBECALC directory
and typing:
QUBECALC
followed by a carriage return.
THE SETUP PROGRAM
A setup program is included to let you customize QubeCalc. This
setup program (named SETUP.COM) allows you to set several
parameters and then creates a file named QUBECALC.CFG. When you
run QubeCalc it looks for the QUBECALC.CFG file in the same
directory as the QubeCalc program. If this file is not found or
doesn't exist (because you haven't run SETUP.COM) then QubeCalc
will use its own preset values. This program is run by changing
to the QUBECALC directory and typing SETUP at the DOS prompt.
You may choose your own favorite colors for the QubeCalc screen
(if you have a color monitor). The F1 through F6 function keys
allow you to select the foreground and background colors for the
various parts of the QubeCalc display. The F7 function key
allows you to select the color you wish to use when creating a
graph. Pressing any of these keys simply changes the appropriate
part of the display to the next available color.
You can also set a startup data drive and directory which
QubeCalc will use as the location for data files when it is first
run. Pressing the F8 function key will place you into edit mode
so that you may enter a drive and directory name. Once your
changes have been made, just hit return to exit from edit mode.
If you want QubeCalc to use your default directory as the startup
data directory, then simply leave the startup directory name
blank.
The F9 and F10 function keys allow you to specify which
directories QubeCalc should look in to find its overlay and help
files. For example, if you placed the overlay files into a RAM
disk named D:, then you would need to press the F9 key and enter
D: as the overlay directory.
If you don't specify an overlay or help directory, then QubeCalc
will use the directory you started QubeCalc from as the overlay
and help directory.
11
Once you are happy with the colors you have selected and the
startup directory, just hit Alt-S (hold down the Alt key and
press S) to create the QUBECALC.CFG file. If you decide you
would rather not create a new QUBECALC.CFG file, then the ESC key
will exit without creating the file.
If you don't like your new colors or startup data directory after
all, you can either run SETUP.COM again, or just delete
QUBECALC.CFG and let QubeCalc use its defaults.
NOTE
An increasing number of users are using systems which have a
color card but a monochrome monitor. QubeCalc will work with
such a system, but the setup program must be run first.
QubeCalc detects whether a color card is present. If a color
card is detected, QubeCalc will use its color mode. The colors
used for the cell pointer and axes, however, do not map to
inverse video on a monochrome monitor.
Here is the procedure to take care of this situation:
1. Run SETUP as described above.
2. Set the colors to be:
- WorkQube White on Black
- Cell and Axes Black on Light Gray
- Block Black on Light Gray
WHERE TO GO FOR HELP
If you find yourself in need of help while using QubeCalc it is
only a keystroke away. QubeCalc provides what is known as
interactive context-sensitive HELP screens. Interactive means
that you can easily switch from one HELP screen to another.
Context sensitive means that QubeCalc is keeping track of what
you are doing so that it can provide the proper HELP screen when
you ask for it.
In order to call up a HELP screen all you need to do is hit the
[F1] HELP key. QubeCalc will pop up a HELP screen to assist with
whatever you are currently doing. If the HELP screen provides
the information you need, then you simply hit the ESC key to
return to what you were doing.
12
THE DISPLAY
The QubeCalc screen looks much like the screen of any other
spreadsheet.
It consists of cells laid out in rows and columns. At the top of
each column in the WorkQube is a letter (or 2 letters) of the
alphabet. This letter (or letters) provides a means of telling
columns apart. The first 26 columns are labeled with the letters
A through Z. Since there are 64 columns but only 26 letters, the
remaining columns must use 2 letters to identify them.
To the left of each row in the WorkQube is a number to let you
know which rows you are looking at. The top row in the WorkQube
is row 1 and the bottom is row 64.
The area where a row and a column cross is known as a "cell".
Each cell in the WorkQube is identified by the letter (or
letters) of the column it is in, the number of the row it is in,
and the number of the page it is in. For example, the cell that
is in column BX and row 29 on page 4 is named BX29;4 (the column
letters always come before the row number, and the page number is
separated by a semicolon). Each one of the cells may contain
some text, a number, or a formula.
The QubeCalc screen also provides information such as the number
of bytes available for data, the current directory for data
files, the name of the current file (if any), the current block
for recalculation, and a cell status line. The cell status line
is located in the top lefthand corner of the screen and looks
something like this:
[C]B4;5: NUMBER (9)
Each component of the above line tells you certain information
about the current perspective and cell. The [C] tells you that
you are currently viewing perspective C (see the next section for
more information on perspectives). The B4;5 tells you that the
cell you are currently at is in column B, row 4, and page 5.
The next item "NUMBER" tells you what type of item is in the
current cell (this item can be either BLANK, TEXT, NUMBER,
FORMULA, or ERROR). And finally, the value in the parentheses
(9) tells you what the width of the current cell is set to.
The next to bottom line on the display is an index to the
function keys (F1 through F10) so you don't have to memorize or
look them up all the time.
13
THE WORKQUBE
The QubeCalc spreadsheet (known as the WorkQube) may be most
easily thought of as a large cube containing 262,144 cells.
These cells are arranged into 64 rows, 64 columns, and 64 pages.
Each one of the cells may contain some text, a number, or a
formula.
|-------------------------
| PAGE 64
|--------- FACE C -----------
| PAGE 3
|----------------------------- B
| PAGE 2
|----------------------------| E
| A B C D E F .. | C
| 1 | A
| 2 | F
| 3 PAGE 1 |
| 4 FACE A |
| 5 |
| 6 |
| : |
|----------------------------|
There are six (6) different faces on the WorkQube (just like on a
toy block), which are named A, B, C, D, E, and F. Faces A, B,
and C are shown above. Face D is on the opposite side of the
block from Face A, Face E is opposite Face B, and Face F is
opposite Face C.
QubeCalc provides a familiar spreadsheet window into each of
these 6 faces, which allows you to view, enter, or otherwise
manipulate your data from any of the 6 faces of the WorkQube.
This provides 6 different perspectives of the data stored within
the WorkQube.
14
The easiest way to see the power of QubeCalc is by example.
1. Start up QubeCalc by typing: QUBECALC EXAMPLE
This will run QubeCalc and automatically load the 3D spreadsheet
named EXAMPLE.QUB. This file contains a small 3D spreadsheet.
This small spreadsheet lists the amount of money spent in several
budgets during January, April, July, and October. Each page of
the 3D spreadsheet provides this data for a different year. Play
with the PgUp and PgDn keys to change pages and see this data.
2. Now, move the cell pointer to cell D7;3 (this is cell D7 on
page 3). This is the value spent on rent for April 1983.
3. We will now use the /WorkQube Perspective command to let us
see how this value compares with April rents in other years.
Since these values are now in different pages, and we want them
to be in adjacent columns, we want to rotate the WorkQube so that
we are looking at our data from Face B. Change to Perspective B
by pressing the slash key /, then W (for WorkQube), then P (for
Perspective), and then B (to change to Face B). You will
instantly see the Rent paid in April of 83, 84, 85, 86, and the
total April payments.
4. You may have noticed that a cell's name changes from face to
face... for example: cell D7;3 in Face A is cell C7;4 in Face B.
This is simply because you are looking at your data from a
different perpective (or angle), and what are columns in one face
might be pages in another face... and cell names change so that
every face provides "lettered" columns and "numbered" rows and
pages. Don't worry about cell references... they also change
from face to face, so that references always point to the same
data, regardless of which face they're in.
5. You may want to play around and look at this data from all 6
perspectives (some perspectives provide more information than
others).
15
MOVING AROUND IN THE WORKQUBE
QubeCalc allows you to move to any of the 262,144 cells in the
WorkQube. You go to a new cell by moving the "cell pointer".
The cell pointer is a highlighted bar on the screen which "points
to" the cell in the WorkQube which is the current cell.
QubeCalc provides several ways of moving the cell pointer around
in the WorkQube. Any of these methods of moving can be used
anytime you need to move the cell pointer to another location,
including when you are defining a 3D block of cells.
The Arrow keys on the cursor pad can be used to move the cell
pointer up, down, left, or right one cell position. If you try
to move the cell pointer beyond the edge of the screen, the
screen will scroll to the next row or column (assuming there is a
row or column to scroll to).
The PgUp key moves the cell pointer up to the next higher page
number. The cell pointer will be moved to the cell with the same
row coordinate and column coordinate (but the next higher page
coordinate) as the cell you moved from.
The PgDn key moves the cell pointer down to the next lower page
number. The cell pointer will be moved to the cell with the same
row coordinate and column coordinate (but the next lower page
coordinate) as the cell you moved from.
The Home key moves the cell pointer to the top left corner of the
current page (the first row and the first column).
The End key moves the cell pointer to the lower right corner of
the current page (the last row and the last column).
The Ctrl Right Arrow and Ctrl Left Arrow keys let you move one
screen's worth of columns to the right or left. These key
sequences are generated by holding down the control key (Ctrl)
and pressing either the left or right arrow.
The Ctrl PgUp and Ctrl PgDn keys let you move up or down one
screen's worth of rows. These key sequences are generated by
holding down the control key (Ctrl) and pressing either the PgUp
or PgDn key.
QubeCalc also provides two additional functions to help you move
to another cell. These two functions are the [F5] GOTO and the
[F6] FIND functions.
16
ENTERING DATA INTO THE WORKQUBE
Each cell in the WorkQube may hold either a number, some text, or
a formula. You may enter any of these items into a cell by
simply typing what you want on the command line. You may enter
up to 70 characters worth of data into each cell. The data will
be entered into the cell when you hit the return key or one of
the movement keys on the cursor pad (arrows, PgUp and PgDn). If
you finish entering the data using the return key, the cell
pointer will remain positioned at the same cell. If you finish
entering the data using one of the movement keys, the data will
be entered into the current cell, and then the cell pointer will
move to another cell in the direction you specified.
NUMBERS
A number can be entered into a QubeCalc cell by simply typing in
the number. The number which you enter will be placed in the
cell which is currently highlighted by the cell pointer.
A number can be anything in the range from -1.0E+37 to +1.0E+37,
and can have up to 11 significant places. A number may be
entered in either standard notation (i.e. 12.345) or in
scientific notation (i.e. 1234.5e-2).
TEXT
Text strings may be entered into a QubeCalc cell by simply typing
in the string. The text which you enter will be placed in the
cell which is currently highlighted by the cell pointer. If the
text contains more characters than the column is wide, it will
spill over into adjacent cells (if the adjacent cells are blank).
If the adjacent cells contain data, then the extra characters in
the text string will be hidden from view (but they will still be
in the cell).
There are four (4) special characters which may begin a text
string and which affect the way the text is displayed. These
characters are:
' causes the text to be left justified in the cell
" causes the text to be right justified in the cell
^ causes the text to be centered in the cell
\ causes the next character to be repeated
If text is entered without one of the above special characters as
the first character, the global (WorkQube) justification
character is placed on the text automatically. When QubeCalc
first starts up the WorkQube justification is set as left '
justified. You can change this by selecting /WorkQube Justify
and making a new choice.
17
Once the text has been entered into a cell, you may change the
justification using either the /Cell Justify or the /Block
Justify commands (or use the [F2] EDIT function key to enter edit
mode and just change the justification character to the one you
want).
FORMULAS
A QubeCalc cell may contain a formula which is made up of numbers
(or text in some cases), references to values in other cells,
predefined functions, and mathematical, logical, and comparison
operators. The formula which you enter will be placed in the
cell which is currently highlighted by the cell pointer.
A formula must begin with an equal sign '=' and may be as complex
as desired. For example...
=-2*@SIN(@IF(C2;3,@PI,@PI/2))/(@AVG($D14;2..F15;4))
The items beginning with an @ symbol in the example above (@SIN,
@IF, etc.) are just a few of QubeCalc's predefined functions.
These functions are described in the section titled PREDEFINED
FUNCTIONS.
The following operators are available to be used in a formula (a
and b can be any number, cell reference, function, or formula):
MATHEMATICAL
a+b Addition
a-b Subtraction
a*b Multiplication
a/b Division
a^b Exponentiation
LOGICAL
a&b And (is true only if a is true AND b is true)
a|b Or (is true is a is true OR b is true)
~b Not (is false if b is true, and is true if b is false)
COMPARISON
a =b is true if a is equal to b
a<>b is true if a is NOT equal to b
a <b is true if a is less than b
a >b is true if a is greater than b
a<=b is true if a is less than or equal to b
a>=b is true is a is greater than or equal to b
18
In addition, the + operator can be used to concatenate 2 strings.
For example:
"This is" + " a test" returns "This is a test"
Operations using these operators will follow the normal order of
precedence (order of precedence means the order that operations
are performed). The order of precedence is:
1. Exponentiation [ ^ ]
2. Negation [ - ]
3. Multiplication and Division [ *, / ]
4. Addition and Subtraction [ +, - ]
5. Comparison [ =, <, >, <=, >=, <> ]
6. Not [ ~ ]
7. And/Or [ &, | ]
where exponentiation is performed before negation and so on. If
you wish to change the order in which operations are performed,
then you may use parentheses in your formulas. Operations which
you place in parentheses will be performed before those outside
the parentheses.
The [F3] BLOCK key allows you to define a cell or block reference
to be placed in a formula (or any other type of line for that
matter) when you are entering data. This can often simplify the
chore of entering cell or block references. The [F4] ABS key,
when used in conjunction with the [F3] BLOCK key, toggles the
cell and block references between absolute and relative. For
more information on these functions see the sections titled
DEFINING A BLOCK OF CELLS and ABSOLUTE AND RELATIVE REFERENCES.
SPECIAL NOTE: When entering cell references (i.e. B3;4), you may
ignore typing in the page number (and the semicolon) if the
reference is to a cell on the same page as the formula. If you
leave the page number off, QubeCalc will automatically add the
current page number to the reference when the formula is entered
into the cell.
19
THE COMMAND MENUS
QubeCalc provides many powerful commands which are available
through the Command Menus. You may call up the Command Menus by
pressing the slash "/" key. This will provide a list of Menu
options across the top of the WorkQube. The first menu that pops
up when you hit the slash key looks like this:
Cell Block WorkQube Insert Delete Print Graph File Quit
The word Cell will be in a highlighted bar. This bar is known as
the Menu Bar. Items from the Menu may be selected in one of two
ways. The first way is to simply type the first letter of the
Menu option desired. The second way is to use the arrow keys to
move the Menu Bar to the desired Menu item and then press the
return key to select the item.
For example, if you wanted to perform an operation on a file, you
could start in one of 2 ways:
1. Hit the / key (which pops up the Main Menu), and then type
the letter "f" (for "File").
or
2. Hit the / key, then hit the right arrow 7 times (or the left
arrow 2 times) to move the Menu Bar on top of the word "File",
and then hit the return key.
Either of these methods will pop up a new menu (the "File" menu).
Items from all future menus may be also be selected by typing the
first letter or using the arrow keys.
If you ever get into a Menu that you don't want to be in, just
hit the escape key (ESC) to get out.
The /Cell command provides options dealing with the contents of a
single cell. For more information on this command and its
options see the section titled CELL COMMANDS.
The /Block selection provides options dealing with the contents
of a block of cells which you define. For more information on
this command and its options see the section titled BLOCK
COMMANDS.
The /WorkQube selection provides options dealing with the
contents of all the cells in the QubeCalc workspace. For more
information on this command and its options see the section
titled WORKQUBE COMMANDS.
20
The /Insert command provides the capability to insert a blank
row, column, or page of cells into the WorkQube. For more
information on this command and its options see the section
titled INSERTING A ROW, COLUMN, OR PAGE.
The /Delete command provides the capability to delete a row,
column, or page of cells from the WorkQube. For more information
on this command and its options see the section titled DELETING A
ROW, COLUMN, OR PAGE.
The /Print command provides the capability and options to print
defined blocks of cells on a printer. For more information on
this command and its options see the section titled PRINTING YOUR
DATA.
The /Graph command provides the capability and options to create
graphs from data within QubeCalc. For more information on this
command and its options see the section titled GRAPHING YOUR
DATA.
The /File command provides the capability to save and load all or
part of the cells to/from a file. For more information on this
command and its options see the section titled SAVING AND LOADING
DATA FILES.
The /Quit command exits QubeCalc. The WorkQube is not
automatically saved... remember to save first! For more
information on this command and its options see the section
titled EXITING FROM QUBECALC.
21
SPECIAL FUNCTION KEYS
QubeCalc provides several special functions which have been
assigned to the 10 function keys F1, F2, .. F10. These special
functions are listed below, along with the name of the section in
this manual which provides more detailed information about the
function.
[F1] HELP Calls up a context sensitive HELP screen.
See: WHERE TO GO FOR HELP
[F2] EDIT Allows you to edit the contents of a cell.
See: EDITING THE CONTENTS OF A CELL
[F3] BLOCK Allows you to point when editing.
See: DEFINING A BLOCK OF CELLS
[F4] ABS Toggles between absolute/relative.
See: DEFINING A BLOCK OF CELLS
[F5] GOTO Allows you to go to a designated cell.
See: MOVING AROUND IN THE WORKQUBE
[F6] FIND Searches for a string in the WorkQube.
See: MOVING AROUND IN THE WORKQUBE
[F7] STAT Displays the status of the WorkQube.
[F8] MACRO Allows you to define/undefine user macros.
See: DEFINING AND USING MACROS
[F9] CALC Performs a recalculation of the WorkQube.
See: WORKQUBE COMMANDS (AUTOCALC)
[F10] GRAPH Displays the current graph.
See: GRAPHING YOUR DATA
22
PREDEFINED FUNCTIONS
QubeCalc provides a large assortment of predefined functions
which may be used in formulas. These functions generally fall
into eight catagories; Mathematical, Trigonometry, Statistical,
Logical, Financial, Date/Time, Special, and Text.
Most of these functions require one or more arguments. An
argument is a value which the function uses as an input to
provide an output value. An argument may be a number, a text
string, a reference to a value in another cell, or another
formula (in the case of the statistical functions, an argument
may also be a range or block of cells).
The function will return either a numerical or text value and may
be treated exactly like a number or text would be. Functions may
be nested as deeply as desired (just remember that there is a 70
character per cell limit, though). The function names must begin
with an @ and must be CAPITALIZED. If you provide an illegal
argument to a function it will return ERROR as the value.
MATHEMATICAL FUNCTIONS
@ABS(X) returns the absolute value of X.
@EXP(X) returns e to the X power (e = 2.7). The value of the
argument must be less than 85.2 or an overflow will occur and the
@EXP function will return ERROR as the value.
@LN(X) returns the natural log of X. The value of the argument
must be greater than 0 or the @LN function will return ERROR as
the value.
@LOG(X) returns the log base 10 of X. The value of the argument
must be greater than 0 or the @LOG function will return ERROR as
the value.
@INT(X) returns the integer part of X (the part of the argument
which is in front of the decimal point). The sign of the value
returned is the same as that of the argument.
@FRAC(X) returns the fractional part of X (the part of the
argument which is after the decimal point). The sign of the
value returned is the same as that of the argument.
@MOD(X,Y) returns X modulo Y (the remainder when X is divided by
Y). Since dividing by 0 is illegal, Y can not be equal to 0.
23
@RAND returns a random number which is greater than or equal to
zero and is less than one. The value of @RAND will change to a
new random value every time the WorkQube is recalculated. Notice
that @RAND does not require an argument or parentheses.
@ROUND(X,Y) returns X rounded to Y decimal places.
@SQRT(X) returns the square root of X. The argument X must be
either zero or a positive number. If the argument is negative
then @SQRT will return the ERROR value.
@FACT(X) returns X factorial. The argument must be between 0 and
30 (including 0 and 30). If the argument is not an integer value
then the @FACT function will use the value of the argument
rounded to the nearest integer.
@SGN(X) returns the sign of X. If X is negative then @SGN
returns -1. If X is positive then @SGN returns 1. If X is zero
then @SGN returns 0.
@CELL returns the value of the cell pointed to by the cell
pointer. This function is provided mainly to be used with the
/Macro If command as a way for a macro to obtain the value of the
current cell. When the @CELL function is used in a formula in
the WorkQube, its value is updated only when a recalculation
takes place (just like any other function). It is NOT updated
every time the cell pointer is moved.
TRIGONOMETRY FUNCTIONS
@PI returns the value of Pi (3.14159...). Notice that the @PI
function does not require an argument or parentheses.
@COS(X) returns the Cosine of X.
@SIN(X) returns the Sine of X.
@TAN(X) returns the Tangent of X.
@ACOS(X) returns the Arc Cosine of X (the angle whose cosine is
X). The value of X must be in the range -1 to 1 or the @ACOS
function will return ERROR as its value.
@ASIN(X) returns the Arc Sine of X (the angle whose sine is X).
The value of X must be in the range -1 to 1 or the @ASIN function
will return ERROR as its value.
@ATAN(X) returns the Arc Tangent of X (the angle whose tangent is
X).
24
STATISTICAL FUNCTIONS
QubeCalc provides seven statistical functions which will
calculate and return various statistics of a list of values. The
list may consist of numbers, references to values in other cells,
formulas, or a range or block of cells. Blocks of cells are
defined by using the cell names of two opposite corners of the
block separated by two periods (for example: C14;2..D16;3. Each
individual item in the list must be separated by a comma.
EXAMPLE:
1.23
+ the value in the cell A1;1
+ 2*3.14159...
+ the sum of the values in each cell in the block
defined by the cells C14;2 and D16;3
=@SUM(1.23, A1;1, 2*@PI, C14;2..D16;3)
If a cell reference which is used as an argument to a statistical
function is blank it will be treated as having a value of zero.
Any BLANK cells in a BLOCK, however, will be ignored by the
statistical functions.
Any cells which contain TEXT will not be ignored and will be
treated as having a value of zero.
@AVG(list) returns the average of all the items in the list. If
the list contains only a block of all BLANK cells then @AVG will
return ERROR as its value (because blank cells in a block are
ignored and you can't take an average of no values).
@COUNT(list) returns the number of items in the list. A number
or formula is counted as 1 item, a cell reference is counted as
one item (even if it is BLANK), and a block is counted as the
number of non-BLANK cells in the block.
@MAXI(list) returns the maximum value in the list. If the list
contains only a block of all BLANK cells then @MAXI will return
ERROR as its value (because blank cells in a block are ignored
and you can't find a maximum of no values).
@MINI(list) returns the minimum value in the list. If the list
contains only a block of all BLANK cells then @MINI will return
ERROR as its value (because blank cells in a block are ignored
and you can't find a minimum of no values).
25
@STD(list) returns the standard deviation of all the items in the
list. If the list contains only a block of all BLANK cells then
@STD will return ERROR as its value (because blank cells in a
block are ignored and you can't calculate a standard deviation of
no values).
@SUM(list) returns the sum of all the items in the list.
@VAR(list) returns the variance of all the items in the list. If
the list contains only a block of all BLANK cells then @VAR will
return ERROR as its value (because blank cells in a block are
ignored and you can't calculate a variance of no values).
FINANCIAL FUNCTIONS
QubeCalc provides 4 financial functions. In these functions the
number of periods must be greater than zero and the interest rate
must be greater than or equal to -1 (if the interest rate is 10%,
the value of the Interest argument should be 0.1 ).
In the functions where an Interest argument is required, the
Interest rate is per Period. For example, if your periods are in
months, then your interest rate should be the interest rate per
month (not per year).
@FV(Payment, Interest, Periods) returns the future value of an
annuity where Payment dollars are invested per period for the
number of Periods at the given percentage of Interest.
@PV(Payment, Interest, Periods) returns the present value of an
annuity where Payment dollars are received per period for the
number of Periods at the given percentage of Interest.
@PMT(Principal, Interest, Periods) returns the payment per Period
due for borrowing Principal dollars for the number of Periods at
the given percentage of Interest.
@CGR(Present Value, Future Value, Periods) returns the compound
growth rate per period for an annuity growing from the present
value to the future value over the given number of periods.
26
DATE AND TIME FUNCTIONS
QubeCalc represents dates as serial numbers where Jan 1, 1900 =
1, Jan 2, 1900 = 2, and so on. This number represents the number
of days from Dec 31, 1899. Time is represented as a fraction of
a day where midnight = 0.0, noon = 0.5, 6:00PM = 0.75, and so on.
This allows dates and times to be manipulated with ordinary math
operations. For example, you could find out what day, month, and
year 90 days from today is by simply adding 90 to the serial
number which represents today's date.
@NOW returns a number whose integer part is the serial number for
the current date and fraction part represents the current time.
To take advantage of this function you need to set the time and
date when you boot up, or you must have a built in clock. If the
current time and date were 8:05:17 AM on July 4, 1976, then the
@NOW function would return the value 27945.337.
@DATE(Year, Month, Day) returns the serial number for the given
year, month, and day.
@TIME(Hour, Minute, Second) returns the fraction for the given
hour, minute, and second.
@YEAR(X) returns the year for the serial date X.
@MONTH(X) returns the month for the serial date X.
@DAY(X) returns the day for the serial date X.
@HOUR(X) returns the hour for the fraction time X.
@MINUTE(X) returns the minute for the fraction time X.
@SECOND(X) returns the second for the fraction time X.
LOGICAL FUNCTIONS
@TRUE returns the value 1.
@FALSE returns the value 0.
@ISNUM(X) returns TRUE if X is a number.
@ISTEXT(X) returns TRUE if X is text.
@IF(CONDITION, ARG1, ARG2) If the value of CONDITION is true (not
equal to 0) then ARG1 is returned, otherwise ARG2 is returned.
The @IF function can return either text or numerical values (or
both) as ARG1 and ARG2.
27
SPECIAL FUNCTIONS
@CHOOSE(SELECTOR, ARG1, ARG2,..., ARGN) If the value of SELECTOR
is 1 then ARG1 is returned, if SELECTOR is 2 then ARG2 is
returned, and so on. If SELECTOR is greater than the number of
arguments provided, ERROR is returned. If the value of SELECTOR
is not an integer value, then the @CHOOSE function will use the
value of SELECTOR rounded to the nearest integer. The @IF
function can return either text or numerical values (or both) as
ARG1 and ARG2.
NOTE: The @CHOOSE function in Lotus spreadsheets returns ARG1 if
SELECTOR is 0 (not 1 like in QubeCalc). This difference is
important to remember if you import a Lotus file which uses the
@CHOOSE function.
@INDEX("block name",ColOffset,RowOffset,PageOffset) returns the
value of the cell in "block name" which is RowOffset rows,
ColOffset columns, and PageOffset pages from the first cell in
"block name". The top row of the block has a RowOffset of 0, the
left column of the block has a ColOffset of 0, and the first page
of the block has a PageOffset of 0.
The "block name" does not actually have to be a complete range.
It may be a single cell (like "A1;1").
**NOTE** RowOffset, ColOffset, and PageOffset refer to the row,
column, and page offset in FACE A. If you are viewing your data
from a face other than face A, the offset arguments will still be
relative to face A. This is done to keep the @INDEX function
working the same regardless of which face you happen to be
viewing.
TEXT FUNCTIONS
QubeCalc provides the following functions which allow you to
manipulate strings (text). A text string used in a formula must
be enclosed with quotes "like this".
A formula which accepts text arguments may reference cells which
contain text. The referenced text may be either an ordinary text
cell or the results of a text formula.
28
EXAMPLES:
="Hi"+" there"
will return and display "Hi there" (without the quotes)
=A1;2+B3;4
will return and display "Hi there" (without the quotes)
if A1;2 contains "Hi" and B3;4 contains " there"
@UPPER(S) converts S to all upper case.
@LOWER(S) converts S to all lower case.
@LEN(S) returns the number of characters in S.
@VALUE(S) returns the number which S looks like.
@STRING(number,x) returns a string which looks like the number,
with x digits after the decimal.
@FIND(string1,string2,x) finds the first occurance of string1 in
string2 starting at position x. The first character of a string
is position 1, the next character is position 2, and so on.
(Note that this differs from 1-2-3, which calls the first
character position 0, the second character position 1, and so
on). The comparison is case sensitive (Upper and lower case
letters must match exactly). If you don't want case sensitivity,
then simply use the @UPPER function on both of the string
arguments. If a match is not found, then @FIND will return a
value of zero.
@MID(S,start,n) returns n characters from S, starting with
position start.
@LEFT(S,n) returns the n left characters from S
@RIGHT(S,n) returns the n right characters from S
@REPLAC(STRING,START,N,NEWSTRING) removes N characters from
STRING starting at character START, and inserts NEWSTRING into
STRING at this same position. @REPLAC can therefore be used as a
replace, insert, or delete function.
If you set N to zero, then @REPLAC will simply insert NEWSTRING
into STRING at position START.
If you set NEWSTRING to an empty string "", then @REPLAC will
simply delete N characters starting at position START.
29
CELL DISPLAY FORMATS
QubeCalc allows you to choose a number of different ways to
display numeric data (cells which contain numbers or formulas).
Changing the display format of a cell has no affect on the number
or formula in the cell, it just changes how the result is
displayed on the screen (or output to a printer).
When a cell is first filled with data, the cell will take on the
global (WorkQube) format. You can see what this format is by
pressing the [F7] STAT key. The WorkQube format may be changed
by using the /WorkQube Format command.
The format of a cell which already contains data may be changed
using either the /Cell Format command or the /Block Format
command.
If the formatted value contains more characters than the cell is
able to display, then the cell display will be filled with
asterisks (*******). You can fix this in one of two ways.
First, you can select a display format which requires fewer
characters to display (or reduce the number of digits after the
decimal point to be displayed). The second method is to increase
the cell width using the /Cell Width command. Cell widths are
described in more detail in the next section.
The available formats are described below.
Numbers which are in cells with the GENERAL format are displayed
in as general a format as possible. If the number is an integer
value, then it will be displayed without a decimal point or
trailing digits. If the number has a fractional part, then as
many significant digits as possible will be displayed. If the
column is not wide enough to display even the integer part of the
number, then the number will be displayed in scientific notation.
30
Numbers which are in cells with the CURRENCY format are displayed
with a leading dollar sign, and negative values are enclosed
within parentheses. You must specify how many digits you want to
be displayed after the decimal point. You will also be asked
whether you want commas to be used to make large numbers more
readable.
Numbers which are in cells with the FIXED format are displayed
with a specified number of places after the decimal point
displayed. You will also be asked whether you want commas to be
used to make large numbers more readable.
Numbers which are in cells with the PERCENT format are converted
to a percentage value (multiplied by 100) and are displayed with
a trailing percentage sign. You must specify how many digits you
want to be displayed after the decimal point. You will also be
asked whether you want commas to be used to make large numbers
more readable.
Numbers which are in cells with the SCIENTIFIC format are
displayed in scientific notation. This format displays numbers
in the form M.MMME(+or-)XX where M.MMM is the mantissa and XX is
the exponent. Values which are displayed with the scientific
format will contain as many significant digits as can be fit into
the cell width (up to a maximum of 11 significant digits).
Numbers which are in cells with the DATE format are displayed as
a date. QubeCalc represents dates as serial numbers where Jan 1,
1900 = 1, Jan 2, 1900 = 2, and so on. This serial number
represents the number of days from Dec 31, 1899. This format
uses the value in the cell rounded to the nearest integer as the
serial number, and generates a display for the date corresponding
to that number.
Numbers which are in cells with the TIME format are displayed as
a time. QubeCalc represents time as a fraction of a day where
midnight is the start of the day (0.0), noon is half a day (0.5),
6PM is 0.75 of a day and so on. This format uses the fractional
part of the value in the cell, and generates a display for the
time corresponding to that number.
Numbers which are in cells with the HIDDEN format are NOT
displayed. The data is still in the cell and the number (or
formula) contents are still shown on the command line.
31
CELL WIDTHS
QubeCalc assigns a width to each cell in the WorkQube. The width
of a cell is a number which tells how many characters can be
displayed in the cell. This width is used to help determine how
wide the columns should be.
A width is assigned to each individual cell (instead of to
columns like in 2D spreadsheets) because each cell is a member of
3 different columns (depending on which Perspective you are
looking at). Columns are automatically adjusted to be the same
width as the widest non-BLANK cell in the column. If all the
cells in a column are blank, the column width is set to the
global (WorkQube) width. This allows column widths to remain
flexible regardless of which perspective you are viewing.
The width of a cell may be any number in the range 1 to 75. If a
cell is not wide enough to display a formatted value or formula,
the cell display will be filled with asterisks (*****). You may
change cell widths either individually (using the /Cell Width
command) or as a block (using the /Block Width command).
When the WorkQube width setting is changed (using the /WorkQube
Width command) it will affect only those cells which will be
filled in the future and will not affect those cells which
already contain data.
The width of the current cell is always displayed at the end of
the cell status line in the upper left hand corner. It is the
number which is enclosed in parenthesis... i.e. (9).
Special care needs to be taken when copying cells to other
locations. Because a width is assigned to each individual cell
(rather than to a column), if you copy a cell which has a cell
width larger than the column you copy it to, it will increase the
width of the new column.
32
ABSOLUTE AND RELATIVE CELL REFERENCES
Cell references in a formula can be either absolute or relative.
Absolute cell references begin with the character "$" (for
example $A1;1), but relative cell references do not use any
special character (for example A1;1).
The value of a formula is the same regardless of whether cell
references in the formula are relative or absolute. For example,
the formula =@SIN(A1;1) will have the same value as =@SIN($A1;1).
The purpose of relative and absolute references is to let
QubeCalc know what to do when moving formulas around from cell to
cell (for example: when copying, inserting, deleting). You can
have both absolute and relative references in the same equation
if you want.
An ABSOLUTE cell reference in a formula will ALWAYS point to the
exact same cell no matter where the formula is moved to.
A RELATIVE cell reference in a formula ALWAYS points to the cell
which is a certain number of rows and columns away. If the
formula is moved, the new relative cell reference will be
adjusted to point to the cell the same number of rows and columns
away from the new cell.
33
DEFINING A 3D BLOCK OF CELLS
QubeCalc provides many functions and commands which operate on a
2 dimensional range of cells or a 3 dimensional block of cells
(for example, the [F3] BLOCK function and all of the /Block
commands). These commands require you to define a block of cells
to perform the operation on. There are two different ways to
define a block of cells.
1. You may simply type in the block. This block consists of two
cell references separated by two periods (for example
A1;1..Z20;5). The two cell references (in this case A1;1 and
Z20;5) should be the cells at opposite corners of the block to be
defined.
2. You may also define a range or block of cells by highlighting
the desired block and then pressing the return key.
When a block is being defined all the cells in the block (which
are visible) will be highlighted on the screen. On the command
line you will see either a single cell address or a block address
(2 cell addresses separated by 2 periods). A single cell address
means that an "anchor" cell has not been selected. In this case,
moving around with the arrow keys or the PgUp or PgDn key simply
moves the cell pointer to a new cell, but does not highlight (or
define) any other cells. If an anchor cell has been selected
then ALL cells between the anchor cell and the current cell are
defined (and highlighted if visible).
The following keys are useful (or necessary) when defining a
block:
The arrow keys, PgUp, PgDn, Ctrl Left Arrow, Ctrl Right Arrow,
Ctrl PgUp, and Ctrl PgDn allow you to move the cell pointer
around.
The Return key causes all the cells in the block on the command
line to be defined. If only a single cell reference is displayed
when you press the return key, then that cell will be defined.
Typing a period (.) when defining a block sets the anchor to the
current cell. If an anchor was set before you pressed the period
then it is released before the new one is set.
The ESC key releases the anchor if it is set. If the anchor is
not set and you type the ESC key then you are returned to
whatever you were doing before you started defining the block.
34
CELL COMMANDS
The /Cell option of the main menu provides several commands to
manipulate the contents and status of a single cell. The cell
which is affected is the one which is currently highlighted on
the screen by the cell pointer and is known as the current cell.
The /Cell commands which are available are:
Format Width Erase Justify Copy
CELL FORMAT
The /Cell Format command allows you to set or change the way
numerical data in the current cell is displayed. Numerical data
means either a number or a formula (which yields a number). If
the cell is BLANK then the format will NOT be changed and the
cell will continue to have the WorkQube Format (which can be
changed using the /WorkQube Format command). The available
formats are Currency, Fixed, Percent, Scientific, Date, Time,
General, and Hidden. For more information on formats see the
section titled CELL DISPLAY FORMATS.
CELL WIDTH
The /Cell Width command allows you to change the number of
characters which can be displayed in the current cell. If the
cell is BLANK then the width will NOT be changed and the cell
will continue to have the WorkQube Width (which can be changed
using the /WorkQube Width command). The width of a cell can be
any value in the range 1 to 75. For more information on cell
widths see the section titled CELL WIDTHS.
CELL ERASE
The /Cell Erase command allows you to erase the contents of the
current cell. All the characteristics of the current cell will
return to the global (WorkQube) settings. This includes the
display format, the number of digits after the decimal point, and
the cell width. The cell type will be reset to BLANK and the
memory used by the cell will be deallocated for use by future
data.
CELL JUSTIFY
The /Cell Justify command allows you to change the way text
strings are displayed (justified) in the current cell. Text may
be left justified, right justified, or centered in the cell. If
the cell is BLANK then the justification will NOT be changed and
the cell will continue to have the WorkQube Justification (which
can be changed using the /WorkQube Justify command). For more
information on justification see the section titled ENTERING DATA
INTO THE WORKQUBE (Text).
35
CELL COPY (REPLICATE)
The /Cell Copy command allows you to copy a single cell to a 3
dimensional block of cells. First, move the cell pointer to the
cell to be copied, then select the /Cell Copy command. You will
then be asked to define the block to copy the cell to. You may
use any of the movement keys (including the [F5] GOTO and [F6]
FIND keys) to define the block as described in the section titled
DEFINING A 3D BLOCK OF CELLS.
Once the block has been defined the contents of the original cell
will be copied into each cell in the block. If the original cell
contains a formula with relative cell references, those
references will be adjusted when they are copied to the new cells
(for more information on relative cell references see the section
titled ABSOLUTE AND RELATIVE CELL REFERENCES.
BLOCK COMMANDS
The /Block option of the main menu provides several commands to
manipulate the contents and status of a defined block of cells.
The defined block may consist of a single cell, a 2 dimensional
range of cells, or a 3 dimensional block of cells. The block is
defined as described in the section above called DEFINING A 3D
BLOCK OF CELLS. The /Block commands which are available are:
Format Width Erase Justify Copy DataFill Name Link Sort
BLOCK FORMAT
The /Block Format command allows you to set or change the way
numerical data in each cell in a block is displayed. Numerical
data means either a number or a formula (which yields a number).
All of the cells in the defined block which contain data will be
set to the new format that you choose. Cells in the block which
are BLANK, however, will NOT be changed and the cell will
continue to have the WorkQube Format (which can be changed using
the /WorkQube Format command). The available formats are
Currency, Fixed, Percent, Scientific, Date, Time, General, and
Hidden. For more information on formats see the section titled
CELL DISPLAY FORMATS.
36
BLOCK WIDTH
The /Block Width command allows you to change the number of
characters which can be displayed in each cell in a block. All
of the cells in the defined block which contain data will be set
to the new width that you choose.
Cells in the block which are BLANK, however, will NOT be changed
and the cell will continue to have the WorkQube Width (which can
be changed using the /WorkQube Width command). The width of a
cell can be any value in the range 1 to 75. For more information
on cell widths see the section titled CELL WIDTHS.
BLOCK ERASE
The /Block Erase command allows you to erase the contents of all
the cells in a block. All the characteristics of every cell in
the defined block will return to the global (WorkQube) settings.
This includes the display format, the number of digits after the
decimal point, and the cell width. The cell type of each cell
will be reset to BLANK and the memory used by the cells will be
deallocated for use by future data.
BLOCK JUSTIFY
The /Block Justify command allows you to change the way text
strings are displayed in each cell in a block. Text may be left
justified, right justified, or centered in each cell. All of the
cells which contain TEXT will be set to the new justification
that you choose. Cells in the block which are BLANK, however,
will NOT be changed and the cell will continue to have the
WorkQube Justification (which can be changed using the /WorkQube
Justify command). For more information on justification see the
section titled ENTERING DATA INTO THE WORKQUBE (Text).
BLOCK COPY
The /Block Copy command allows you to copy a 3D block of cells to
the current cell location. First, move the cell pointer to the
cell where you want the block of cells copied to. Then select
the /Block Copy command. You will then be asked to define the
block which is to be copied. You may use any of the movement
keys (including the [F5] GOTO and [F6] FIND keys) to define the
block as described in the section titled DEFINING A 3D BLOCK OF
CELLS.
37
Once the block has been defined the block of cells will be copied
to the new location. The upper, left cell on the lowest page in
the block will be the one which is copied into the current cell.
If any cells in the block contain a formula with relative cell
references, those references will be adjusted during the copy to
the new location (for more information on relative cell
references see the section titled ABSOLUTE AND RELATIVE CELL
REFERENCES.
If the block you define to copy with the /Block Copy command is a
two dimensional range (not multiple pages), then QubeCalc will
ask you how many pages you want to copy it to. This allows you
to create a spreadsheet template on one page, and then copy that
template to as many pages in the WorkQube as you want (or have
memory for).
BLOCK DATAFILL
The /Block DataFill command provides a way to fill a specified
block of cells with a sequence of numbers. You are asked for an
equation which is used to determine the values placed in each of
the cells to be filled. This equation may be any legal formula
containing numbers, operators, cell or block references, or
functions. In addition, the DataFill command provides a variable
named # which is initialized to 0 and is incremented by 1 for
each cell in the block. This variable may be used anywhere
within the equation to provide an endless number of sequences
which may be generated. The cells in the block are filled in the
default WorkQube order (which may be changed using the /WorkQube
Order command).
BLOCK NAME
The /Block Name command allows you to give a name to a cell or
block of cells. This name can then be used anywhere that a cell
or block reference can be used.
For example:
If you assigned the name "COST" to cell C5;1 and "PRICE" to D7;3
then:
1. The formula
=PRICE-COST is identical to =D7;3-C5;1
2. You can go to cell C5;1 by typing COST when using the
[F5]GOTO key.
38
If you assigned the name "PRICES" to the block B3;1..C6;3 then:
1. The formula
=@AVG(PRICES) is identical to =@AVG(B3;1..C6;3)
2. You can go to cell B3;1 by typing PRICES when using [F5]GOTO.
When you use the [F5]GOTO key to go to a block, you will be
placed at the near, upper left cell in the block.
3. You can erase block B3;1..C6;3 (or perform any other block
command) by typing PRICES when you are asked for the block to
use.
You define a block name by selecting the /Block Name command.
BLOCK LINK
The /Block Link command allows you to link multiple spreadsheets
together. You are not limited to linking to a single cell. You
may link to an entire 3 dimensional block within the other
spreadsheet.
If you create a link to a single cell in another spreadsheet
file, then the link cell will take on the same value as the cell
in the other file. If you change the value of the cell in the
other file, the value of the linked cell will change also.
If you create a link to a block of cells in another spreadsheet
file, then the link cell will take on the same value as the cell
in the upper left corner of the block in the other file. The
cells to the right of and below the link cell will take on the
values of the corresponding cells from the block in the other
file.
39
BLOCK SORT
The /Block Sort command allows you to sort a range of cells by
row or column. When you select this command you are presented
with the following menu:
Block Key Options Go
Selecting Block lets you define the range of cells you want
sorted.
Selecting Key lets you select the row or column you want to sort
on.
Selecting Options lets you select whether you want to sort:
- ROWS or COLUMNS
- TEXT or NUMBERS
- in ASCENDING or DESCENDING order
Selecting Go performs the sort using the current range, key, and
options.
The sort is performed "in place". In other words, when the data
has been sorted, the rows (or columns) which are sorted are the
only ones which can change. Blank and unsorted rows (or columns)
are not "filtered up" to the top of the range.
WORKQUBE COMMANDS
The /WorkQube option of the main menu provides several commands
which affect the contents and status of the entire WorkQube. The
/WorkQube commands which are available are:
Format Width Erase Justify
Perspective AutoCalc Order Color Title
WORKQUBE FORMAT
The /WorkQube Format command allows you to set the way numerical
data (number or formula) entered into a cell will be displayed.
Numerical data means either a number or a formula (which yields a
number). This command does NOT affect any of the cells in the
WorkQube which already contain data. It is used to determine
what format should be used for BLANK cells which are filled with
data in the future. The available formats are Currency, Fixed,
Percent, Scientific, Date, Time, General, and Hidden. For more
information on formats see the section titled CELL DISPLAY
FORMATS.
40
WORKQUBE WIDTH
The /WorkQube Width command allows you to set the number of
characters which will be displayed in future cells. This command
does NOT affect any of the cells in the WorkQube which already
contain data. It is used to determine what width should be used
for BLANK cells which are filled with data in the future. The
width of a cell may be any number in the range 1 to 75. For more
information on cell widths see the section titled CELL WIDTHS.
WORKQUBE ERASE
The /WorkQube Erase command allows you to erase the contents of
every cell in the WorkQube (clears the WorkQube). This command
will also reset all of the WorkQube settings to their defaults
(print and graph blocks, macro definitions, etc). Because this
command can have a drastic effect if you use it accidently,
QubeCalc will prompt you first to make sure you really want to
erase everything.
WORKQUBE JUSTIFY
The /WorkQube Justify command allows you to set the way text
strings entered into a cell will be displayed. Text may be left
justified, right justified, or centered in each cell. This
command does NOT affect any of the cells in the WorkQube which
already contain data. It is used to determine what justification
should be used for BLANK cells which are filled with TEXT in the
future. For more information on justification see the section
titled ENTERING DATA INTO THE WORKQUBE (Text).
WORKQUBE PERSPECTIVE
QubeCalc allows you to look at (or enter) your data in any of the
six possible perspectives (or faces) of the WorkQube. The six
faces are named A thru F. Face A is the face of the WorkQube
which faces you when you first boot up QubeCalc.
Face A - FRONT of the WorkQube.
Face B - RIGHT SIDE of the WorkQube.
Face C - TOP of the WorkQube.
Face D - BACK SIDE of the WorkQube.
Face E - LEFT SIDE of the WorkQube.
Face F - BOTTOM of the WorkQube.
41
The current face letter is provided in the upper left corner in
front of the current cell name (surrounded by square brackets []
). The current orientation of the WorkQube may be changed using
the /WorkQube Perspective command. This will in effect rotate
your data so that you may view it from another perspective.
For example, suppose you have the following spreadsheets in pages
1 through 3 of face A:
PAGE 1 (FACE A) PAGE 2 (FACE A) PAGE3 (FACE A)
A B A B A B
1 11 21 1 31 41 1 51 61
2 12 22 2 32 42 2 52 62
3 13 23 3 33 43 3 53 63
4 14 24 4 34 44 4 54 64
Every cell in the WorkQube lies directly behind the corresponding
cell on the previous page. For example, cell B3 on page 3 (named
B3;3) lies directly behind cell B3 on page 2 (named B3;2), and
cell B3;2 lies directly behind cell B3;1.
Similarly, each column and row in the WorkQube lies directly
behind the correponding column or row on the previous page.
Now, suppose you wanted to compare the values in column A of page
1 to the values in column A of pages 2 and 3. One way would be
to use the PgUp and PgDn keys to change back and forth between
pages. The /WorkQube Perspective command provides a much better
way to do this however.
Since the column A's are right next to each other (in depth), it
should be possible to display these columns next to each other on
the screen. This is done by rotating the WorkQube (to face B in
this case). When you rotate the WorkQube, what were the "A"
columns in pages 1, 2, and 3 of face A, become columns A, B, and
C in page 1 of face B. And the "B" columns from pages 1, 2, and
3 of face A become columns A, B, and C in page 2 of face B.
PAGE 1 (FACE B) PAGE 2 (FACE B)
A B C A B C
1 11 31 51 1 21 41 61
2 12 32 52 2 22 42 62
3 13 33 53 3 23 43 63
4 14 34 54 4 24 44 64
For more information on rotating the WorkQube, see the section
titled THE WORKQUBE.
42
Sometimes you may find it desirable to transpose your data (swap
rows for columns). Some other spreadsheets allow you to
transpose rows and columns which contain numbers, but can't
transpose equations correctly. QubeCalc provides the ability to
transpose any set of rows and columns correctly. All you need to
do to transpose a set of rows and columns is simply use the
/WorkQube Perspective command and switch your perspective to the
face opposite the one you are currently viewing!!!
WORKQUBE AUTOCALC
QubeCalc normally recalculates the WorkQube automatically after
any cell value is changed. The /WorkQube AutoCalc command allows
you to select how this automatic recalculation feature (AutoCalc)
will operate. The four AutoCalc options are:
WorkQube Off Block Iteration
The WorkQube option causes the entire WorkQube to be recalculated
each time a cell value is changed.
The Off option causes the WorkQube to be recalculated only when
the [F9] CALC key is pressed.
The Block option allows you to define a block of cells which will
be recalculated each time a cell value is changed. The cells in
the defined block are the only cells which are recalculated, so
if formulas in the block you define to be recalculated depend
upon results from formulas outside of the block, you may end up
with some erroneous (wrong) answers.
The Iteration option allows you to set a recalculation interation
count so that QubeCalc will make more than one pass through the
spreadsheet on each recalculation.
The [F9] CALC key recalculates the current AutoCalc block shown
at the bottom of the screen (even if AutoCalc is turned off).
The recalculation status (On/Off) and the recalculation block are
always displayed at the bottom of the QubeCalc screen. If the
entire WorkQube is to be recalculated the block is displayed as
A1;1..BL64;64. The cells are recalculated in the order set by
the /WorkQube Order command.
43
WORKQUBE ORDER
Because QubeCalc is a TRUE 3-D spreadsheet there are six (6)
possible orders in which recalculation, datafilling, etc. may be
performed. The /WorkQube Order command allows you to select any
one of these possible orders, which are:
A) Columns change fastest, then Rows, then Pages
B) Pages change fastest, then Rows, then Columns
C) Rows change fastest, then Pages, then Columns
D) Rows change fastest, then Columns, then Pages
E) Pages change fastest, then Columns, then Rows
F) Columns change fastest, then Pages, then Rows
The default order is D. This is the order that QubeCalc performs
operations in when you first start up. You can find out what the
current order is with the [F7] STAT function key. The WorkQube
order will be followed as above according to the perspective you
are currently looking at. The order is used when performing the
following functions: recalculation, copying blocks of cells,
graphing, and datafilling.
WORKQUBE COLOR
The /WorkQube Color command simply toggles the QubeCalc display
between color and black/white (if you have a color card
installed). Sometimes the contrast of black and white is
preferable to the preset colors.
WORKQUBE TITLE
The /WorkQube Title command allows you to lock (or hold) title
rows and columns on the screen.
The /WorkQube Title command acts as a toggle to turn locking on
and off. If you are in title lock mode, the letter "L" will be
visible on the bottom line of the screen between the memory
indication and the AutoCalc status.
When you turn title locking on, the rows above the cell pointer
and the columns to the left of the cell pointer will be locked
onto the screen. You cannot move the cell pointer into rows and
columns which have been locked on the screen. You also cannot
move the cell pointer into any pages which lie below the page
where you set title locking on. You can lock each of the 6 faces
individually.
44
INSERTING ROWS, COLUMNS, OR PAGES
The /Insert option of the main menu allows you to insert a blank
row, column, or page into the WorkQube.
DELETING ROWS, COLUMNS, OR PAGES
The /Delete option of the main menu allows you to delete a row,
column, or page from the WorkQube.
SAVING AND LOADING DATA FILES
The /File option of the main menu provides several ways of saving
and loading data to and from a disk file. The file name must be
a legal DOS name and must not contain an extension. QubeCalc
automatically assigns a .QUB extension to all QubeCalc data
files, so if you try to add your own extension you will get
either a "File not found" or an "Illegal file name" error.
QubeCalc provides full path support. This means that you can
access files without having to change directories. Simply type
the full path name when you are asked for a file name. If you do
not provide a full path name, the file will be written to (or
read from) the current active directory which is shown on the top
line of the screen.
The /File commands which are available are:
Load Save Combine Extract Directory Files
The /File Save command asks you for a file name to save the
WorkQube to, and then writes the data to disk. In addition to
saving the data in the cells, QubeCalc will also save all the
WorkQube settings, any Macro definitions, all the Print and Graph
settings, and the current Face and cell pointer position.
If the file name you provide is already being used in the current
directory, you will be asked whether you want to Backup the
existing file or else Overwrite it. If you select Backup, the
extension of the existing file's name will be changed from .QUB
to .BAK and the new file will be saved with a .QUB extension.
45
The /File Load command asks you for a file to be read in, clears
the WorkQube, and loads in the specified file. In
addition to loading the data in the cells, QubeCalc will also
load in the WorkQube settings, any Macro definitions, all the
Print and Graph settings, and the current Face and cell pointer
position. Since the /File Load command erases all the data in
memory before it can load in a new file, make sure you do not
have any unsaved data in the WorkQube when you use this command.
If you press the <Enter> key by itself rather than entering a
file name, QubeCalc will display a list of all of the data files
in the current directory. You can use the arrow keys to move the
cursor to the desired file name, press <Enter>, and the file will
be loaded.
The /File Files command displays the files in the current
directory. This command is similar to DOS's dir command.
The file listing command prompts you for a file mask. A file
mask is a string which is used to determine which files to list.
If you enter a single filename as the mask, then only that file
will be shown in the directory listing. You may also use the
wildcard characters * and ? (see your DOS manual for more
information on wildcard characters). The default file mask is
*.*, which provides a listing of all the files in the current
directory. If you only want to look at QubeCalc files then you
can specify the mask as *.QUB.
The /File Files command also lists any subdirectories which match
the mask you provide. Directories will be highlighted on the
display.
Hitting <Esc> after the files have been displayed will return you
to the WorkQube.
46
PRINTING YOUR DATA
The /Print option of the main menu allows you to generate a print
out of your data. When you select the /Print option you will be
presented with a menu offering the choice of printing to the
Printer or to a File. If you select the File option, QubeCalc
will ask you for a file name to use, and will send the same data
to the file as it would normally send to the printer. Sending
data to a print file instead of to the printer will allow you to
read your printed spreadsheet into your word processor and modify
it or merge it into a document. The /Print commands which are
available are:
Block Line Page Options ResetBlock Align Go
The /Print Block command lets you define the block of cells to be
printed. The defined block may consist of a single cell, a 2
dimensional range of cells, or a 3 dimensional block of cells.
The block is defined as described in the section titled DEFINING
A 3D BLOCK OF CELLS.
QubeCalc can print up to 240 characters on one line. If you
define the Print block to be wider than 240 characters, then only
the first 240 characters of each line will be printed. QubeCalc
will print as many characters per line as you define in the block
(up to the 240 character maximum), so if your printer can only
print 80 characters on a line and the Print block you define is
100 characters wide, the extra 20 characters per line will still
be sent to your printer (and will either wrap around onto the
next line or will just be ignored by the printer).
The /Print ResetBlock command releases (undefines) the block to
be printed.
The /Print Align command tells QubeCalc that the printer paper is
at the top of the page. You should use this command when you
first get ready to print something. First, adjust the paper in
the printer so that it is at the top of the page, then select
this command.
The /Print Line command advances the printer a single line. You
should use this command instead of just turning the knob on the
printer. This command allows QubeCalc to keep track of which
line it is on. If you manually adjust the printer (by turning
the knob), then you will have to use the /Print Align command to
tell QubeCalc where the top of the page is again.
The /Print Page command advances the printer to the top of the
next page. You should use this command instead of just turning
the knob on the printer. This command allows QubeCalc to keep
track of which line it is on. If you manually adjust the printer
(by turning the knob), then you will have to use the /Print Align
command to tell QubeCalc where the top of the page is again.
47
The /Print Go command begins printing the defined block of cells.
You may print out your data in one of two formats: Contents
(which prints the cell name and contents of each cell, one per
line) or Display (which prints the block of cells as they would
be displayed on the screen).
The Display format is the one you normally want to use. It
displays your data in the formats and positions you have
selected.
The Contents format is useful for debugging a spreadsheet since
it prints out the actual formulas instead of the values of the
formulas.
If no Print block has been defined (using the /Print Block
command) then the /Print Go command will simply be ignored.
The /Print Options command allows you to change the print
margins, page length, and Setup string.
48
GRAPHING YOUR DATA
The /Graph option of the main menu provides you with the ability
to create graphs representing blocks of your data. The order in
which the cells are graphed follows the /WorkQube Order setting.
If you have a GRAPHICS.COM driver which works with your
particular printer, then loading it before you run QubeCalc will
allow you to print your graphs to a printer by simply typing
Shift-PrtSc. The /Graph commands which are available are:
Type X A B C Options ResetBlock View
The /Graph Type command lets you select the type of graph to be
displayed. Your data may be graphed using either Bar graphs or
Line graphs. Line graphs can be plotted using lines, symbols, or
both. If you ask for symbols to be drawn then one symbol will be
placed on the graph for every data value.
QubeCalc can display up to 3 separate sets (or blocks) of data on
the same graph. The /Graph A, B, and C commands let you define
the blocks containing the data to be graphed. The defined block
may consist of a single cell, a 2 dimensional range of cells, or
a 3 dimensional block of cells. The block is defined as
described in the section titled DEFINING A 3D BLOCK OF CELLS.
The /Graph View command displays the defined blocks graphically
using the settings selected with the TYPE and OPTIONS commands.
The graph will remain displayed on your screen until you press a
key. Once a key is pressed QubeCalc will return to the WorkQube
display. QubeCalc will still be in the /Graph menu so that you
may make any adjustments or additions you want.
The /Graph Options command lets you change various display
features of the graph to be drawn.
49
DEFINING AND USING MACROS
QubeCalc allows you to assign multiple keystrokes (and commands)
to a single key. This group of keystrokes (or commands) is known
as a "Macro". Macros provide a way to create shortcuts for long
sequences of keystrokes. They are also useful for automating
repetitive commands.
A macro is created by simply typing the desired keystroke
sequence as text entries into consecutive cells down a column
(you may have to start each cell with a ' character to make it a
text entry). When the macro is run, QubeCalc will read the
keystrokes out of these cells instead of waiting for you to type
them in from the keyboard. If you have more keystrokes for a
macro than will fit in a single cell, you can continue them in
the next cell down in the column.
When creating a macro you may generally just type the desired
keystrokes into the cell. In the case of Function Keys, cursor
movement keys, and a few other special keys it is necessary to
type the name of the key CAPITALIZED and enclosed in square
brackets []. Below is a list of the available special keys.
[UP] Up Arrow [INS] Insert Key
[DOWN] Down Arrow [DEL] Delete Key
[LEFT] Left Arrow [EDIT] Edit Key (F2)
[RIGHT] Right Arrow [BLOCK] Block Key (F3)
[HOME] Home Key [ABS] Abs/Rel Key (F4)
[END] End Key [GOTO] Goto Key (F5)
[PGUP] PgUp Key [FIND] Find Key (F6)
[PGDN] PgDn Key [STAT] Status Key (F7)
[RET] Return Key [CALC] Recalc Key (F9)
[ESC] Escape Key [GRAPH] Graph Key (F10)
[SLEFT] Screen Left [ERASE] Erase Line
[SUP] Screen Up [BEEP] Creates a beep
[SDOWN] Screen Down [BS] BackSpace
[SRGHT] Screen Right
Once the macro has been created in this manner it must be defined
using the [F8] MACRO function key. Defining the macro tells
QubeCalc two things. First, it lets you tell QubeCalc which key
you want to assign your macro to, and second, it lets QubeCalc
know which axis your macro will follow if it is more than one
cell long. Therefore, NOTE that the macro MUST be defined ([F8]
key) IN THE FACE where the macro APPEARS as a column!!
Pressing the [F8] MACRO key will pop up the macro selection
window to ask whether you want to define or undefine a macro.
You will then be asked to select the letter to assign the macro
to (or to undefine). Finally, you will be asked to define the
beginning cell where your macro resides.
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The macro is then run simply by holding down the Alt key and
pressing the macro's letter. You can halt a Macro while it is
running by hitting the ESC key.
In addition to the regular menu commands, there are 4 menu
commands available only during macro execution. These commands
are selected in the same manner as regular menu commands (use the
/ key, choose the Macro [M] option, and one of the 4 suboptions
[I,G,?,Q]). The I,G, and ? suboptions require an additional
argument.
/MGcellname[RET]
The Macro will start reading keystrokes from the specified cell
instead of continuing where it's at. This command is very useful
for creating macros that loop and perform repetitive commands.
/MIequation[RET]
If the equation evaluates true (if it is not equal to zero) the
Macro will continue reading keystrokes from the same cell,
otherwise the Macro will begin reading keystrokes from the next
cell down the column. This command provides you with conditional
control and is useful for controlling loops created with the /mg
command.
/M?prompt[RET]
This command temporarily pauses and allows you to enter a line of
data (a NUMBER, FORMULA, or TEXT). Any text that you enter
between the ? and the [RET] will be displayed on the control line
as a prompt. After you have entered this data (finishing with
the return key) the data will be entered into the current cell
and the macro will resume where it left off.
/MQ
The macro is halted and control is return to you.
NOTE: Macros should be defined in the Face where they will be
used. Some macros will work fine in any face, but macros which
make use of cell addresses (in /MG commands, [GOTO] commands,
etc.) will really screw up if you use them in a face other than
the one they were defined in. (Remember, the cell named B10;4 in
face A is not named B10;4 when it is viewed from other faces!)
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EXITING FROM QUBECALC
The /Quit option of the main menu is used to exit the program.
When you select this command you will be asked whether you really
want to exit or not. This is because your data is not
automatically saved when you exit. If you haven't saved your
data yet you should select NO, save your data using the /File
Save (or Extract) command, and then exit.
THE LOTUS IMPORT PROGRAM
An import program is included to let you import 1-2-3 files into
QubeCalc. This import program (named GET123.COM) can import
multiple 1-2-3 files into a WorkQube. GET123 reads in one page
of data at a time (64 columns by 64 rows) from the 1-2-3 file,
and places the data into Face A of the WorkQube. An output file
is created which is in the .QUB format and which may be loaded
into QubeCalc.
Simply type GET123 at the DOS prompt when you wish to import 1-2-
3 data. GET123 will ask you for the name of the Lotus file you
want to import. You may enter any valid Lotus filename (and
path) including either the .WKS or .WK1 extension. Hitting the
escape key at this time will allow you to exit GET123 without
importing the file.
After you have entered a file name, you must enter the page
number in the WorkQube which you want the Lotus data read into.
This page number must be in the range 1 to 64.
GET123 will then begin to import the 64 column by 64 row range of
cells which begin with cell A1. This range of cells will be
placed into the QubeCalc page which you specified earlier.
You will then be asked whether you want to import any more Lotus
data. If you select YES, then GET123 will once again ask you for
a file name and a page number. If you select NO, then GET123
will create a QubeCalc (.QUB) file containing the data you have
imported so far. The QubeCalc file will have the same name as
the last Lotus file you provided (except that the extension will
be .QUB instead of .WKS or .WK1). If the output file name is
already being used the existing file will be backed up before the
new one is written.
If you import two 1-2-3 files which each have a common range name
defined into the same WorkQube, only the range name from the last
1-2-3 file loaded will be used.
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IMPORTING DIF, DBASE, AND ASCII FILES
QubeCalc also provides the ability to import DIF, dBASE II and
III, and ASCII files. This is done using the program named
IMPORT.COM.
The syntax for the import program is:
IMPORT filetype filename pagenumber
EXPORTING DIF, DBASE, ASCII AND LOTUS FILES
QubeCalc provides the ability to export WorkQube pages to Lotus
1-2-3, DIF, dBASE II and III, and ASCII files. This is done
using the program named EXPORT.COM.
The syntax for the export program is:
EXPORT filetype filename pagenumber
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