field is empty; this will automatically enter "Ans" in front of whichever operation you entered. For
instance, say you enter "1+2" and press equal. The answer, "3" will appear. To multiply that
answer by 4, just press "*". "Ans*" will appear in the expression field; now you can press "4"
and you're ready to go. To start an expression with a negative number, use the "+/-" button (tap
the 2nd button to get to the "+/-" button), since pressing "-" will add "Ans-" to the expression
field.

Plugin functions are another advanced concept in SynCalc. SynCalc automatically scans for
plugins and loads them each time you run SynCalc. A SynCalc plugin is a PalmOS shared library
whose name begins with "SSsc," which is SynCalc's creator code. Knowing this will help you
identify SynCalc's plugins from other files on your PalmOS organizer.

A list of plugin functions is located on the right half of the display. The trigger above the
function list allows you to specify which plugin's functions are listed. "All" is also a choice. The
current plugin view is saved, and will be the same next time you run SynCalc. To use a function,
simply tap on its name. One of two things will then happen:

* For regular functions, the name of the function will be inserted at the cursor, along with
parentheses, and the cursor will be placed between the (). Ex: tapping sin will add sin() to the
expression and place the cursor between the (). You must enter the number for that function to act
on inside the parentheses. Some functions take more than one parameter; separate these parameters
with a ',' (US systems), or a ';' (non-US systems). Ex: pow(2,3) (US) or pow(2;3) (non-US).

* For popup functions, tapping the name of the function will automatically run the plugin
function, which will pop up a form for that function. There aren't very many pop-up functions in
comparison to regular functions.

Real-time Input and Output Mechanism

SynCalc has the ability to query the user for real-time input via the in() function, and write
text to the console via the out() function. These functionsare explained fully in the section on
Shortcuts (section 2.6). The in() function returns the number entered. The out() function
ALWAYS RETURNS 0.

The in() function takes only one parameter, and is used as the 'Name' of the input request.

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The in() and out() functions give SynCalc the unique ability to combine
numeric and textual information in an easy-to-read and easy-to-use manner.

The out() command is the way SynCalc creates text output. All of the output generated by the out()
command appears in the console window, accessible via the "Calc->View Console" menu choice
or by tapping the small console icon on the main view. The out() function is most often used by
shortcuts to produce easily-readable text.

The syntax of the out() command is as follows:

out(formatString, exp 1, exp 2, ..)
ex: out(\n '1+2' is %n and \t '2*2' is %n, 1+2, 2*2)

where formatString is the output text containing 2 occurrences of '%n', with each %n being
replaced by the solution to the respective expression. In addition, '\t'and '\n' are tab, and new line,
respectively, to allow nice formatting.

The letter after the % specifies output style:
n = normal
f = fixed
s = scientific
h = hexadecimal

Example:
out(a: %n\nAns: %f, a, Ans)

will add this to the console:
a: [value of variable a, normal]
Ans: [value of answer, fixed]

Notes about the Console Form

The text of the console can be selected and copied for export to other applications via the "Copy
All" menu choice.

The console can be cleared with the "Clear Console" menu choice.

The 'Auto-activate console' checkbox determines
automatically when text is added to the console.

whether

or

not

the

console

will

pop

up

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2.4. Advanced Text Editing

One particularly useful feature is SynCalc's matching parentheses highlighting. When a ')'
is entered, the matching parenthesis is briefly highlighted. If there is no match, your PalmOS
device will beep.

SynCalc has several ways of selecting text in a field. Like other PalmOS applications, you
may select text by dragging the pen over the area you wish to select. We've added two more ways
to make this easier, and you'll thank us for them. The first one is the double-tap. Double-tapping
the pen on any part of the expression will select the entire word, number, or operator. The other is
triple-tapping, which selects the contents of the most logical set of parentheses. If there are no
parentheses, the entire expression is selected. For example, if your expression is "3+((24*3+99)-
100/2)" and you triple tap on the 100, "(24*3+99)-100/2" will be highlighted.

In addition, you may rearrange text by dragging the selection to another location in the
expression field (main form only). To scroll up or down while dragging, hold the pen over the top
or bottom edge of the field.

Unless otherwise noted, all of the above editing features are available throughout SynCalc, with
the exception of the 'Export Database Name' form.

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