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4.5.1 The Financial Portfolio Example

   Figure 1 in topic 1.1 is discussed in "A New Way of Working" in topic 1.1. 
   We described how it would be in the future using all the different OpenDoc 
   components.  Most of these components were not yet available when we wrote 
   the book and we had to improvise.  The example is shown again in 
   Figure 148. 


 


                                              



 
   Figure 148. An OpenDoc Document Showing a Portfolio 

   Let us explain what you see in Figure 148.  All the data was dragged from 
   a financial page on the Internet.  We have the text explaining the current 
   markets.  The chart in the top right was a chart that was on the home 
   page, but it could have been a chart that you could have created using a 
   spreadsheet or charting program.  In the future we may be able to link the 
   chart back to the home page.  At the moment it is only a static graphic. 

   The spreadsheet, in the lower left, could be a Spreadsheet Part in the 
   document that will give you the same basic functions and features that a 
   non-OpenDoc spreadsheet program has.  As there is no spreadsheet available 
   for OpenDoc, we used another spreadsheet and captured a part of it as a 
   bitmap. 

   At the bottom of the document we have the ticker tape.  The ticker tape 
   could be linked to the stock exchange and give you up to the minute and 
   accurate information from the stock exchange.  We created a text file with 
   stock price data and imported it into the Ticker Tape Part. 

   How did we build this example with the current parts?  The following are 
   the steps we used: 

   1.  Drag the Page Layout template from the OpenDoc Templates folder to, 
       for example, the OpenDoc Shell Plug-Ins folder.  (You can use the 
       Desktop or any folder to drag the Page Layout object.) 

   2.  We renamed the object to Financial Portfolio; you can give it any name 
       you want. 

   3.  Double-click on the object to open it. 

   4.  You will have the Page Layout open and ready as a Root Part.  To make 
       our work easier we clicked on the Grid icon to have the grid on the 
       canvas. 

   5.  Drag the Text Part from the OpenDoc Templates folder to the canvas. 

   6.  Resize the Text Part by clicking on the part to activate it.  Move the 
       mouse to the hashed border until the mouse changes to the mouse 
       pointer with a star at the point.  You can now select the border by 
       clicking once on it.  The border will change to a dashed border with 
       black blocks on the corners.  Select a black block and drag the Text 
       Part until it fills the page horizontally from the left to the right 
       margin and align it with the top margin.  You don't have to worry 
       about the bottom part as it will expand the Text Part as soon as we 
       load the text into the Text Part. 

   7.  You can now either import the text or do the layout of the graphics. 
       We decided to import the text first as it will be easier to decide 
       where the graphics need to go. 

   8.  You can drag a text file onto the Text Part to import the text, load 
       it from a text file, or use cut and paste.  The text part will expand 
       at the bottom to fit in all the text. 

   9.  Drag either a 2D Graphics Part from the OpenDoc Templates folder or an 
       Image Part from the Multimedia Templates Folder.  If you plan to 
       change the graphics we suggest you use the 2D Graphics Part.  You can 
       only import bitmaps (.BMP files) into the 2D Graphics Part. 

   10. Now resize and position the Graphics Part using the same method as you 
       used with the Text Part.  To move the whole Graphics Part you can 
       click with the second mouse button in the part when it is enabled to 
       be resized, and move it to the new position.  If the Graphics Part is 
       within the Text Part, then you can only resize and move it within the 
       boundaries of the Text Part. 

   11. To import a picture, chart or other graphics drag and drop the 
       graphics file or use the cut and paste method.  The chart that we used 
       was a bitmap that we dragged from the financial home page to the 2D 
       Graphics Part. 

   12. Unfortunately, as yet there is no Spreadsheet Part available for 
       OpenDoc.  The spreadsheet that is in Figure 148 is a bitmap of a 
       screen capture from a non-OpenDoc spreadsheet program. 

   13. To include the Ticker Tape Part, drag the Ticker Tape 2 Part from the 
       OpenDoc Templates folder to the bottom of the document. 

   14. Change the size and position of the Ticker Tape Part in the same way 
       you changed the Text and 2D Graphics Parts. 

   15. To change the text that is scrolling across the Ticker Tape, select 
       the Ticker Tape Part, press the second mouse button inside the part to 
       get the pop-up menu and select Open Text File.  Load the text from the 
       new file. 

   16. To save the document you can either close the document or select Save 
       Document from the Document main menu. 


   This concludes the explanation of the first example.  Once you get use to 
   how the parts work in OpenDoc it becomes very easy to use.  You can reuse 
   this document in other documents by dragging it into a Container Part in 
   the other document. 

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