The Business Master (3rd Edition)

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Hotline Q & A SYMPHONY The following are answers to questions commonly asked by our dealers and test sites about Symphony's capabilities. FILE HANDLING Q. When I do a File Retrieve, the file name extensions are .WRK for both worksheet and document files. Am I doing File Save correctly? A. Yes. Symphony gives the .WRK file name extension to both spreadsheets and documents. As does 1-2-3, Symphony uses .PIC and .PRN file name extensions to indicate graph-image and print files respectively. Q. When accessing a directory through File Retrieve or File Save, Key S or <ENTER> to continue[23;30H!s [23;1H[J the ESC key does not erase the current directory. A. To erase the current directory name, simply press [ESC] twice. This allows you to type in the name of another sub-directory. WORD PROCESSING Q. In a DOC window, there are times when word wrap doesn't seem to work. Why? A. Word wrap is disabled when overstrike INS is turned on, or when justification is set to NONE. Press [INSERT] to turn off overstrike mode or change the justification in the format line. Q. Why are non-left aligned labels considered to be non-text, i.e., why can't they be edited in word processing? A. Centered (^) and right-aligned labels (") use leading spaces. The Symphony program would need to be significantly larger to handle these labels as text. Q. Values entered in a SHEET window cannot be edited in a DOC window. A. True. The worksheet values you entered in SHEET are protected. SPREADSHEET Q. When printing spreadsheets, long labels are truncated at the column width. A. True. When defining an output range, the entire visible portion of the labels must be highlighted. Q. Where are the global options? A. Press [Menu] and select Settings to establish column width, recalculation mode, label prefix, etc. Q. How do I transfer a row to a column without using DIF? A. Use Symphony's new Range Transpose command. Q. Will there be a function for TIME calculation? A. There are several. @TIME returns the serial value of a time of day. @TIMEVALUE returns a serial value of a time entered as a string. There are also @HOUR, @MINUTE, and @SECOND, which will accept a serial value, and return the corresponding time value. Q. I'm using the range name "1st" in my worksheet, but Symphony will not allow me to use @ functions involving that range. A. Correct. For computational purposes, range names cannot begin with a number, but Symphony will accept a range name like "1st" for move, erase, and copy commands. GRAPHING Q. How do I explode the Pie Charts? A. By assigning a B range for the graph settings, and giving a value of 100 to 107 to the section you want exploded. Q. How do I do a log/semi-log scale graph? A. By hitting the daily double at Aqueduct! But seriously...Symphony has built this into its graph capabilities. Select Graph 2nd Settings X-Axis Type Logarithmic. Do the same for the Y-Axis if appropriate. FORMS/DATABASE Q. What is the parse review range? A. This is an area that Symphony uses to store any data that does not match the criteria established by a form definition. An example of such data would be the salutation and login sequence which remains on the screen during a communications session with a mainframe. Q. Has the Data Distribution command been eliminated from Symphony? A. Not at all. It can now be found under Range Distribution. Q. I'm creating a mailing list with Symphony, but it will not accept the part of the formula I've used to reference zip codes. A. Symphony's string handling capabilities are one of its nicest features, but it still sees numbers the same way as 1-2-3 does. To create a formula that involves columns of numbers as well as text, use the @STRING function for any numerical data. COMMUNICATIONS Q. Symphony's Settings Name Phone-and-Login sequence doesn't work with my Hayes Smartmodem 1200. A. Check to be sure that dip-switch number six is set to ON -- the up position. Q. Why does my monitor display two characters for every one I strike? A. Check your COMM Settings Sheet to be sure that Echo is set to OFF. Q. When I dial a remote computer, I hear the phone ring, and I hear the high pitched sound that indicates that I've reached the computer, but I can't connect. A. You're transmitting at different baud rates. Find out the baud rate of the computer you're trying to access and adjust your own baud rate accordingly -- probably downward. The two most common baud rates between computers are 300 and 1200. SYMPHONY COMMAND LANGUAGE Q. Can I turn my screen off while the macro is executing? A. Yes. The new {paneloff} command will surpress the display of the control panel, and the {windowsoff} command will supress the window displays. 1-2-3 Macro Tips Printing Mailing Labels Printing mailing labels with 1-2-3 is simple if you prepare a worksheet on which each address is entered as three or more rows of long labels: James Wildman 100 34th Street Oneonta, IM 03312 Unfortunately this does not allow you to exploit 1-2-3's /d commands (Data Sort and Data Query) to rearrange or extract addresses by last name, city, state, or other criteria. Storing addresses in a 1-2-3 database is much more useful for reorganizing the information later: James Wildman 100 34th Street Oneonta IM 03312 Ted Mayfair RR 1, Box 22 Hickton NN 77330 William Eggleston PO Box 3443 Helmsford FN 29214 Consult the 1-2-3 manual for a discussion on the uses of /ds and /dq commands. Assume that your database has been established correctly, with fields for first name, last name, street address, city, state, and zip code. Unfortunately these addresses look nothing like mailing labels. What comes next? Retyping each row to look like the address in the first example comes to mind, but using the /c (Copy) command might require less effort. By positioning the cell pointer on the first field of a record and issuing the /c command, you can indicate a cell outside the database to be the target for the copy. To move each record using the Copy command, the following keystrokes would be required: /c <return><right arrow><right arrow><right arrow> <right arrow><right arrow><right arrow> <right arrow><return> Since 1-2-3 leaves the cell pointer on the cell copied from, copying the rest of the address requires moving the cell pointer to the next field (the `last name' column), issuing the /c command, and pointing to the cell into which you want that field copied. This method of pointing to a range is inefficient, as previously named ranges may be supplied to the /c command. Using named ranges for operations such as copying take a bit more time to establish initially, but make automating routine tasks much simpler. Start by creating range names for each cell into which you are going to copy each field of an address. Assign range names which represent the information in each area of cells. The cell that will hold the first name in the formatted address might be named `first' or `firstname', the cell that will hold the last name might be named `last' or `lastname', and so on. Use /rnc (Range Name Create) to name the cells in a block outside of your database. Now when you issue the /c command and 1-2-3 prompts for the cell to copy to, instead of pointing, type the range name of the appropriate cell. Using range names is just one way of making 1-2-3 work harder for you. Your work will be done faster if you put all of the previously discussed steps into a macro. Here's a macro named \F which will format an address for you: \F /c~FIRST~{right} /c~LAST~{right} /c~ADDRESS~{right} /c~CITY~{right} /c~STATE~{right} /c~ZIP~ To invoke the macro, put the cell pointer on the first field of a record, hold down the <Alt> key, and press the F key. When the macro has finished, you will have to move the cell pointer to be able to see the finished product. Use the goto <F5> key with the range name NAME. The formatted address will look like this: James Wildman 100 34th Street Oneonta IM 03312 If the first name or the city name of the address are particularly long, they will run into the last name or state name when the address is formatted. Choose the address with the longest first name or city name to format first, then use /wcs (Worksheet Column-width Set) to increase the size of the first column until everything fits. This makes the column wide enough to fit each address formatted subsequently. Printing the Formatted Address Since 1-2-3 normally expects to be printing on eight and a half by eleven inch pages, it automatically spaces down five lines before printing the first line of text (unless you have changed the default settings or have already printed something during this session using different print options). To print a label exactly where you want it, start by typing: /ppoouq (Print Printer Options Other Unformatted Quit) This set of commands instructs 1-2-3 to print without page breaks, heading space, and footing space. Your text will be printed beginning on the line where the print-head of your printer is when you later type g (Go). The Print menu will still be displayed and you will want to type r (Range) and highlight the formatted address. Make sure to cover all three columns and all three rows of the address when marking the range to print. Check that the printing head of your printer is on the paper label on the line where you want the typed address to begin. Finally, type g (Go). 1-2-3 will print the formatted address onto the address label. If you wish to format and print another address label, q (Quit) out of the print menu, position the cell pointer on the first field of a different record, invoke the macro, adjust the printer so the print head is on the next label, and type /ppg (Print Printer Go). Since 1-2-3 remembers all the print settings, when you format a new label into the same cells as the first, you do not have to reset the print options. If you wish to print a number of labels, this procedure becomes tedious and time consuming. The macro should be rewritten so that it automatically formats and prints every address in the address database, or so that it pauses after printing an address, allowing the user to select which address it will print next. Here is a macro which formats an address, prints it on a label, and pauses to select a new address for printing. The cell pointer should be on the first field of a record when the macro is invoked, and the print-head should be at the very top of the address label: \P /ppoouqrALL~q LOOP /rncSTART~~ /c~FIRST~{right} /c~LAST~{right} /c~ADDRESS~{right} /c~CITY~{right} /c~STATE~{right} /c~ZIP~ {goto}START~ /rndSTART~{down} /ppgq {?} /xgLOOP~ Before you invoke this macro, make sure you have used /rnc (Range Name Create) to name the cells you will be copying into. Also, you might have noticed the range name ALL at the beginning of this macro. This is very important. It is a range of cells that contains exactly the number of lines which can be printed on each paper label, and which surrounds the cells into which you are formatting the address. The above example assumes that you will use tractor fed paper labels which fit nine lines of text from the beginning of one label to the beginning of the next. The range name ALL is assigned to a range covering nine rows of the worksheet with the formatted address embedded as follows: A B C D E 1 2 3 4 James Wildman 5 100 34th Street 6 Oneonta IM 03312 7 8 9 10 11 \P is the range name of the macro. A '\P is entered in the cell to the left of the macro's first cell (Without the single quote the cell would have been filled with p's. See the label prefix section of the 1-2-3 manual for an explanation), then issued the /rnlr command (Range Name Labels Right) to assign this name. Invoke the macro by holding <Alt> and pressing p. Let's look at how the macro works: /ppoouqrALL~q (Print Printer Options Other Unformatted Quit Range ALL <Return> Quit) Sets the print mode to unformatted and instructs 1-2-3 to print the range named ALL when it encounters a /ppg command (Print Printer Go). This at the beginning of the macro to establish print settings for the rest of the session. The macro will be faster if this step is taken only once. LOOP is the range name of the next line of the macro. This range name was created in the same manner as the \P range name described above. This is where the formatting and actual printing begins and the location to which the macro loops after a label is printed. /rncSTART~~ This assigns the range name START to the current cell (the `first name' cell of the address being formatted). It is used by the macro as a place-holder. When the address has been formatted, the cell pointer will be returned to this cell (using {goto}START~), the range name START will be deleted, the pointer will be moved down a cell, and the macro will pause until the <return> is pressed. /c~FIRST~{right} /c~LAST~{right} /c~ADDRESS~{right} /c~CITY~{right} /c~STATE~{right} /c~ZIP~ This is the macro developed earlier which formats the address to be printed. {goto}START~ This moves the cell pointer back to the first field of the address as explained above. /rndSTART~{down} The range name START is deleted because the macro will reuse it. Remember that whenever a range name is used that has already been defined, 1-2-3 offers the old range as the default range to name. You can avoid having to "back up" when reusing a range name by deleting the old range name first. After the range name is deleted, the macro moves the cell pointer down to the next row. This is for convenience. The user will be able to choose this address to print next by hitting <return>, or will be able to select a different address by using the arrow keys. /ppgq The macro is telling 1-2-3 to print (which it does using the range ALL as explained earlier). {?} The macro pauses. The user can stop the macro by pressing [BREAK], or move the cursor to a different first name cell, or print the new current address by pressing <return>. /xgLOOP~ When the user presses <return>, this line causes 1-2-3 to continue reading keystrokes in the cell named LOOP. LOOP is the line of the macro in which the range name START is created. You can see that the macro will repeat its entire routine, pausing again after it has printed the new address. Many 1-2-3 users need the ability to automate a mass-mailing, sending letters to every address in a database. Obviously it is inconvenient to sit at your computer and press <return> after each address is printed. The \P macro will be automatic with only slight modification. These modifications assume that the user will position the cell pointer on the first cell of a database, invoke the macro, and ignore the computer until all labels are printed. The automatic macro will look like this: \P /ppoouqrALL~q LOOP /rncSTART~~ /xi((START)=-1)~/xq /c~FIRST~{right} /c~LAST~{right} /c~ADDRESS~{right} /c~CITY~{right} /c~STATE~{right} /c~ZIP~ {goto}START~ /rndSTART~{down} /ppgq /xgLOOP~ This macro is different in only two ways: It does not contain the {?} command (Pause until <return> is pressed), and it has a line which checks to see if the value of the cell named START is -1: /xi((START)=-1)~/xq This line (added right after the cell named LOOP) says, "If the value of START is -1, quit execution of the macro. Otherwise continue reading keystrokes in the next cell." Before running this macro be sure to make one more change to your worksheet. Go to the row below the last row of your database and enter a -1 in the first name field. If you run the macro without having put a -1 at the end of your database, it will continue to run to the bottom of the worksheet, spewing blank address labels out of your printer until you stop it by pressing the <Ctrl> and <Break> keys. These macros should be useful to anyone who keeps a database of addresses. With changes in the number of fields to be copied, you need only to add another range name for a cell within the range ALL and add another /c~ command to the macro. If your paper labels are larger or smaller than ours you can modify the printout by changing the number of rows included in the range ALL.