ConverTable Units™ 2.4.1 Read Me
©1999-2003 Synergy Creations™

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This product is shareware.  You may distribute the unregistered version far and wide, but not the registered version or registration codes. (Contact us first if you wish to include the unregistered version on a magazine CD, shareware collection, etc.)  If you like it, you can register to unlock all the built-in conversions and features!  Registration is $15 for a single user/one Macintosh license.  To register on the web, visit http://www.synergycreations.com

Also, when you register, you will gain access to a special part of our website with instructions for making your own plug-in conversion sets.  If you like, you can send us your own plug-in files and we'll post them on the registered users site for other users of ConverTable Units to use.

For other registration methods (fax, postal mail) see the "Registration" section later in this Read Me document.

Not only does registering get you more features, it also shows your support for the Macintosh platform and small software developers like Synergy Creations.

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This Read Me file is for ConverTable Units 2.4/2.4.1 on Mac OS 8, 9, or X.

System Requirements

ConverTable Units 2.4
• Mac OS 8.1 or later or Mac OS 9, PowerPC*

ConverTable Units X 2.4.1
• MacOS X 10.1.5 or newer

*Version 2.0 is still available on our website and will work with even old 68K Macintoshes and System 7.5.

Why?

How would you write a program to convert units?  It's certainly been done before--it's been done many times.  The common way to write this sort of program is simple, effective, and nothing at all like how PEOPLE normally perform unit conversions....

Generally, a unit conversion program is written like this: for each "class" of conversion--"length" for instance--you pick a base unit.  Let's pick meter for the base unit.  Then, you define all of your other units in terms of a meter.  Feet, inches, kilometers, etc.  Then, to convert centimeters to inches, the computer would change centimeters to meters, and then meters to inches.  Say what?  Well, it works for the computer.  The trouble is, that isn't how a human would do it.  A human would likely have a list of "common, reasonable conversions" in the back of a textbook--things like 1 inch = 2.54 cm, 12 inches = 1 foot, 100 cm = 1 meter.  Using these, a human would say, "Aha! I can change centimeters straight to inches."  There is nothing *wrong* with the "base unit" method of unit conversion, it's just that it's NOT how unit conversions are generally done in the real world away from a computer.

There is a second way to write software like this: an exhaustive list of all possible conversions.  This is tough (or at least time-consuming) because if you had 50 length units, you would need 2500 conversion factors!  (The base unit method means you only need 50 conversion factors, by the way.)

Unlike other unit conversion tools, Synergy Creations' ConverTable Units does not use a "base unit" or an internal list of all possible conversions.  

Instead, ConverTable Units "knows" a short list of conversions.  Instead of knowing all units in terms of a base unit, or all possible conversions, it knows a short list of "reasonable conversions," similar to what is often found in the back of a textbook.  From this list of conversions (not individual units), it finds multistage conversions.  For instance, if you want to convert inches to yards, ConverTable Units may not know that 36 inches = 1 yard.  Instead, it knows that 12 inches = 1 foot, and 3 feet = 1 yard.  When it finds a "path" from your starting unit to the end unit, it displays this path and performs the conversion.

The advantage?  You get to see how the program "thinks" about the problem which, not coincidentally, is the same way a human would likely think about the problem.  Alas, you can't always have your Macintosh with you every time you need to do a unit conversion--ConverTable Units teaches you how unit conversions are done, so you don't need your Macintosh!  Of course, it's probably faster to use ConverTable Units.... :-)

Further, the logic used by ConverTable Units will work for units not included in ConverTable units--so the skills you gain will be useful no matter what units you're trying to convert!

Setup

After you've downloaded and decompressed the file from the internet (which you probably did to get to this read me file!) or if you obtained the program already decompressed from a CD, running ConverTable Units is as simple as double-clicking on the "ConverTable Units™" icon.

You can put the ConverTable Units folder wherever you want on your hard drive.  The standard location for software is the "Applications" folder in Mac OS X or Mac OS 8, or the "Applications (Mac OS 9)" folder in Mac OS 9, but you are not required to use these folders for ConverTable Units.

Use

(1) Choose a category of conversions from the "Convert:" popup menu (unless your desired category is already selected).  You can also use the "Convert" menu at the top of the screen.  When you register, more categories will be accessible.  See the "Available Units" file, which should be in the ConverTable Units folder, for a list of all available units.

(2) Enter an initial value in the leftmost text field. (Below "Convert:")

(3) Select the units of the value you just entered with the popup menu just to the right of your entry.

(4) Select your desired units for the answer/final value with the popup menu below the "Useful Info..." button.

(5) The answer appears in the field just to the right of the word "equals"

(6) If you want, you can hide or show the tutor by clicking the words "hide tutor" or "show tutor" below the initial entry field.  Try it!

To enter a fraction, click the small fraction icon (it looks like "1/2") to the left of the intial value field, or choose "Fraction Entry" from the "Special" menu.  Note that your entry fraction is immediately converted to a decimal, and the result is not reported as a fraction.

You can also control the popup menus on the main window with the keyboard:

Shift+Up Arrow = move up categories
Shift+Down Arrow = move down categories
Control+Up Arrow = move up entry units
Control+Down Arrow = move down entry units
Option+Up Arrow = move up result units
Option+Down Arrow = move down result units

The popup menu being controlled is outlined when the appropriate modifier key (shift, control, option) is being pressed.  Note that the TAB key can be used to move between the entry, result, and tutor result fields.

The tutor shows how a conversion is being carried out as a series of fraction multiplications.  (Well, in most cases--temperature conversions can also involve addition and subtraction operations, for instance.)  The tutor uses unit abbreviations rather than spelling out the names of all the units (the abbreviations appear in parentheses in the popup menus).  Some units may use the entire name of the unit rather than abbreviations, especially if the name is short or there is no common abbreviation for the unit.

There are several buttons in the upper right hand corner of the ConverTable Units main window.  Run the mouse over them and their names will appear in the far upper right.

If you haven't yet registered, the button with monetary symbols on it opens up the "Register" screen.  It disappears when you enter a registration code.

The "Prefs" button opens the preferences screen (described below).

The "Useful Info" button opens a window with four tabs of information that you may find useful in conjunction with unit conversion tasks.  They are lists of physical constants, metric prefixes, the uppercase and lowercase Greek alphabets, and the wavelengths of various colors of visible light.  You can send a constant to the calculator (see below) by clicking on the constant in the list, then clicking the "Send Constant to Calculator" button below the list.

The "Calc" button opens up a standard four-function algebraic (or RPN, if you've adjusted the preferences) calculator, with a few additional trigonometric and other functions.

Many of the keys on the calculator have keyboard equivalents; the numbers correspond to the numbers, naturally.  Other key equivalents are: p is π, e is EXP, f is frac, clear is CE, + is addition, - is subtraction, * is multiplication, /  is division, ^ is power, and = is equals, as is <return> or <enter>.  You can use the <delete> key as well.  There is balloon help on these keys.  Calculator errors include INF (for infinite, or out-of-range) and NAN (for "not a number").  There are different "types" of NAN's, but they all mean that you can't continue with the calculation as is.  Any error is immediately cleared when another key is pressed, there is no need to press CE (clear) to clear the error.  The trigonometric functions yield results in radians (pi radians = 180 degrees).  The "frac" button allows you to enter fractions (which are immediately converted to decimal on the calculator display).

Three buttons at the top of the calculator allow you to: (1) import the entry value from the main ConverTable Units window into the calculator display, (2)  import the result value from the main window into the calculator display, or (3) export the calculator display to the entry value field in the main window.  The three yellow import/export calculator buttons have command-key equivalents: COMMAND-I imports the entry field, COMMAND-R imports the result field, COMMAND-E exports the calculator display to the entry field, and COMMAND-G exports the calculator display to the entry field and closes the calculator window.

The calculator isn't meant to be the greatest calculator imaginable for your Mac; there are other shareware calculators available which offer more advanced features.  But this calculator is built-in to ConverTable Units, and has the direct link buttons to the ConverTable Units conversion window, so you may find it useful.

A help screen can be accessed by picking "ConverTable Units Help" from the "Help" menu.

Converting External Files

ConverTable Units 2.3 and later can convert lists of values in external ASCII text files.  See the file "Converting External Files" in the ConverTable Units folder for more information on this powerful feature.

Preferences

There are several preference settings; access them by clicking the "Prefs" button from the main window, or select "Preferences..." from the "ConverTable Units" menu in Mac OS X, or the "Edit" menu in Mac OS 8 or 9.

"Cross out units in tutor"  If this is checked, units are "crossed out" as they are converted in the tutor display.

"Show tutor at startup"  If this is checked, the tutor is displayed when ConverTable Units is run.

"Show unit abbreviations in popup menus"  If this is checked, the abbreviations which are displayed in the tutor are also displayed on the unit selection popup menus along with the unit names.  Unchecking this reduces visual clutter a bit.

"Use RPN Calculator" If this is checked, the built-in calculator will be RPN (reverse Polish notation).  If unchecked, it will be algebraic.  Most people are more familiar with the more common algebraic calculator.  If the calculator seems odd to you, make sure you haven't toggled this setting!

"Automatically copy result to clipboard"  If this is checked, whenever the result of a conversion changes, that result will be copied to the clipboard.  (Normally, you'd have to select the result and choose "Copy" from the Edit menu.  This saves you that step.)  However, this can be a bit confusing if you're copying data into ConverTable Units from another program.  Basically, if you want to convert a number you're copying into ConverTable Units, and you have this preference turned on, the first thing you must do is paste your copied value into the entry field.  If you change the conversion (category or units) you will cause a calculation, and your clipboard value will be replaced by the new "result"!  So paste in the value you want to convert first if you've checked "Automatically copy result to clipboard".  In other words, set up the conversion BEFORE you copy the value you want to convert to the clipboard.  Don't let this warning worry you too much, this is a very neat feature.  Try it, you'll probably like it!

"Calculator Theme" sets the appearance of the calculator.  "Neon" and "Metal" are intended for Mac OS 8 or 9, while "Graphite" and "Watercolor" are more Mac OS X-style.  Of course, you can pick whichever one you like, no matter which OS you are using!

"Startup Conversion Set"  If the "Remember Last Conversion" radio button is selected, ConverTable Units will simply display the last conversion you setup when you start the software.  Or, you can specify a conversion category to always display at startup with the second radio button ("Always Start With:") and the popup menu.

"Number Format"  Use these options to do the same things as the "Result" menu.  "Auto Format" lets ConverTable Units guess at how to format the result (the answer to the conversion).  If "Auto Format" is unchecked, two other options are available: "Scientific Notation" which will force the answer to be in scientific notation, and "Decimal Places" which lets you force the number of digits after the decimal place to a certain value.  (The "Decimal Places" setting can be used with or without scientific notation.)  Note that your settings here are changed by the settings made while running ConverTable Units; when you re-run it, your most recent number settings will be active.

Plug-Ins

Any Plug-In Conversion sets will appear below a divider line in the "Convert:" popup menu.  Although many plug-ins are included, only three plug-ins work with the unregistered version (Ancient Lengths, Weight on other Worlds, and Density).  After you register, you may wish to add more plug-ins.  Simply place the plug-in conversion files in the "Plug-In Conversions" folder, which is located in the same folder as the ConverTable Units program.  Incidentally, the name of the plug-in file is the name that appears in the pop-up menu.

A short description of the plug-in appears just to the right of the "Convert:" popup menu if a plug-in set is selected.  (Otherwise nothing appears in this area.)  Clicking on the description will often show you a longer description, though this is up to the author of the plug-in.

There are currently two types of plug-ins defined:

Type 1:  Type 1 plug-ins simply add a new category to the pop-up menu of categories containing ONLY their conversions.
Type 2:  Type 2 plug-ins add a new category to the pop-up menu which includes both their conversions, AND the conversions of one of the built-in categories.

When you register, you will receive a web site address which has instructions for making your own plug-ins.

Conversion Stage Limitations

ConverTable Units™ currently handles up to 4-stage conversions.  This means that there can be no more than 3 intermediate units on the "conversion path" (see above) between the initial and final unit.  If you register and make your own plug-ins, you should keep this limitation in mind.  If ConverTable Units cannot find a 4-stage (or shorter) path between two units, it will display "no conversion" in the output display field.  Incidentally, ConverTable Units always uses the first (and shortest) conversion path it finds.

Notes

The "Computer Memory" category bears some explanation.  Before version 1.9, ConverTable Units based these conversions on the assumtion that 1 kilobyte = 1024 bytes.  Historically, this has been true.  More recently, some groups, notably hard drive manufacturers, have begun using 1 kilobyte = 1000 bytes.  This is more consistent with the metric prefix kilo- meaning 1000.   To accomodate this confusion, the "Computer Memory" category contains the units "kilobyte" for 1000 bytes and "kilobyte (binary)" for 1024 bytes.  Another naming system has been proposed to "fix" this confusion (most computer makers, including Apple, seem content with the old definition for memory and file sizes).  The "Computer Memory (New Prefixes)" plug-in, available to registered users, adds this naming system (where 1 "kibibyte" = 1024 bytes = 1 kilobyte-binary).  Note that the smallest units (bit, nibble, and byte) lack this confusion; they are always the same size.

Numerical Range Limitations

The maximum value handled by ConverTable Units™ is somewhere around 1x10^308, or 1e308.  That's a "1" followed by three hundred and eight zeros.  It looks like this:

100000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Whew! If you enter a number larger than this, ConverTable Units shrugs and says, "might as well be infinite" and replaces it with the letters "INF"

You may also get an infinite ("INF") result if you enter a very large number for you first unit--say 1e299, set that unit to a large unit, like light years, and try to convert it into a tiny unit, like nanometers.  Since the result would exceed 1e308, it is displayed as INF.

If you routinely must use numbers larger than 1e308, maybe ConverTable Units isn't for you.  Then again, since ConverTable Units™ can readily take the diameter of the entire observable universe in light years and convert that into ångströms, you might cut us a little slack...  :-)

While we're talking about the very large, the smallest number ConverTable Units can handle is about 1x10^-320.  Trust us that this is a very, very, very small number, and probably not of much importance to most people.

These limitations apply to the built-in calculator as well.

Registration

If you enjoy this software and find it useful, please register to unlock all of the features!  (You'll enjoy it even more!)  Many of the conversion categories are unavailable in the unregistered version; register to make them available!  A registration of ConverTable Units is also good for the current version of ConverTable Units X.

You may register online by going to:

http://www.synergycreations.com/order.html

Online ordering is secure (i.e. your payment data is encrypted before being sent across the internet) unless you specifically choose the unsecured ordering page.  

Or, to register offline or via email, simply run the included "Register" program.  We use the Kagi registration system because it offers a huge variety of payment options for our customers--far more than we could offer by selling directly to you.  In addition to US funds, Kagi accepts credit cards, many foreign currencies, checks, or money orders.

Please be sure that you include a valid email address when you register, because this is how we will send you your registration code!

Synergy Creations' ConverTable Units™ software for Macintosh has the following pricing:

Single user license, $15 per user/station.

A site license costs $800 and covers all locations for your organization within a 16 kilometer radius of your site (10 miles). One big advantage of a site license is that you do not need to keep track of how many people at your site are using the software.  A site license covers an unlimited number of users within the 10 mile radius.  

An academic site license costs $450.  It is the same as a regular site license, but may only be purchased by colleges, schools, or other academic institutions.

A world-wide license costs $3150 and it covers all locations for your organization (such as a school district, all the campuses of a university, or a company) on the planet earth.  Also covered are locations in low earth orbit, mid earth orbit, and geosynchronous orbit.  However, you'll have to purchase another worldwide license for each of the moon, Mars, and any of the Galilean satellites of Jupiter.... ;-)

Paying for this software is fairly simple.  Register online at http://www.synergycreations.com/order.html or, run the "Register" program that accompanies the software (double click it in the Finder).  Enter your name, your email address, and the number of single user licenses you desire for each program you wish to purchase (or Site or World-Wide licenses). Save or Copy or Print the data from the Register program and send the data and payment to Kagi.  More specifics on the Register program follow:

If paying with credit card, you can email or fax the data to Kagi. Their email address is sales@kagi.com and their fax number is +1 510 652-6589. You can either Copy the data from Register and paste into the body of an email message or you can Save the data to a file and you can attach that file to an email message. There is no need to compress the data file, it's already pretty small. If you have a fax modem, just Print the data to the Kagi fax number. 

Payments sent via email are processed within 3 to 4 days. You will receive an email acknowledgement when it is processed.  Payments sent via fax take up to 10 days and if you provide a correct internet email address you will receive an email acknowledgement. 

If you are paying with cash or check you should print the data using the Register application and send it to the address shown on the form, which is: 

              Kagi
              1442-A Walnut Street PMB #392-QWK
              Berkeley, California 94709-1405
              USA

You can pay with cash from many different countries.  Non-US checks must be in the currency of the originating bank (Japanese Yen if the check is from a Japanese bank, Canadian Dollars from a Canadian bank, and so on).  Unfortunately, "EuroChecks" in USD are apparently only cashable in the country where they are issued, so Kagi cannot accept these.

If you have a purchasing department, you can enter all the data into the Register program and then select Invoice as your payment method. Print three copies of the form and send it to your accounts payable people.  You might want to highlight the line that mentions that they must include a copy of the form with their payment.    Kagi can not invoice your company, you need to act on our behalf and generate the invoice and handle all the paperwork on your end. 

Please do not fax or email payment forms that indicate Cash, Check or Invoice as the payment method. As far as we know, there is still no technology to transfer physical objects via fax or email and without the payment, the form cannot be processed.  (If you know of a technology to transfer physical objects over telephone lines, please let us know!)

Payments send via postal mail take time to reach Kagi and then up to 10 days for processing.  Again, if you include a correct email address, you will hear from Kagi when the form is processed.

Registration Code

When you register, be sure to include your e-mail address, as email is how we send you your registration code to unlock the software.   For ConverTable Units™, Kagi includes the registration code with your payment acknowledgement.  This code works with ConverTable Units and ConverTable Units X.  Generally, credit card transactions are processed the fastest by Kagi.  Checks and cash seem to take longer to get from Kagi to us.

Again, be sure to provide your CORRECT email address, otherwise we have no way to contact you with your registration code! 

Other Synergy Creations Products

Synergy Creations produces "Synergy Creations' Periodic Table for Macintosh," a great tool for chemistry students.  It complements ConverTable Units quite well!

Alchemist's Challenge™ is chemistry quiz software for the Macintosh.

UpTime Log™ is a utility for tracking how long your Macintosh is run between restarts (Mac OS 8 and 9 only).

ConverTable Planets™ is a freeware tool to show how gravity varies among different planets and moons.

Synergy Creations also produces a series of touchscreen-driven early learning/special education software called Yes I Can!™  

For more information, visit:
http://www.synergycreations.com

Bug Reporting

If you find bugs in the software, your best bet is to email Synergy Creations at "problems@synergycreations.com".  Although we can't promise a fix for everything, we do value feedback from users of our software.

Known Issues

If you have two (or more) monitors, it may be possible to place the ConverTable Units main window on a screen, then later disconnect that screen, and when you run ConverTable Units again the main window will not appear (it is in fact on the disconnected screen).  If this happens, you can delete the preferences file (in OS 9--System Folder:Preferences:ConverTable Units™ Preferences, or in OS X--[home folder]:Library:Preferences:ConverTable Units™ Preferences) to reset the window position to a default position.  If you have registered, you will need to re-enter your registration code if you delete the preferences file.

Version History

Note: This list is not complete.  Many small changes and improvements are not listed below.  If you have a specific question about a difference between versions not covered here, please contact us.

2.4.1 - December 2003 (OS X version only)
- fixed certain keys registering twice in the calculator in the OS X version

2.4 - November 2003
- added Pre-Euro Currencies, Electric Charge, Electric Conductance, Magnetic Flux, Illuminance, Luminance, Activity, and Volumetric Flow plug-ins
- added more units to several existing categories and plug-ins (over 400 units now available)
- fixed double Help menu glitch when running in OS X 10.3 Panther

2.3 - June 2003
- added ability to convert values in external text files
- added Linear Weight plug-in (textiles)
- improved Useful Info window
- remembers window states better

2.2 - January 2003
- more units: now over 300!
- most plug-ins are now included in the download, although only 3 sample plug-ins work until registered
- RPN improvements to better match hardware RPNs.
- added "Automatically copy result to clipboard" preference
- Edit > Select All menu item added

2.1.6 - October 2002
- Mac OS X 10.2 performance improvements (yes, more)

2.1.5 - September 2002
- Mac OS X 10.2 performance improvements

2.1.2 - August 2002
- Aqua appearance improvements, including putting "Preferences..." in the correct menu (ConverTable Units X) in Mac OS X
- the Mac OS 8/9 icon now (for the first time!) matches the Mac OS X icon (which is unchanged).  Alas, as is often the case these days, the icon's full glory is best experienced in that liquid wonderland that Apple calls Aqua... ;-)
- other small improvements

2.1.1 - June 2002
- made RPN calculator operation more like standard RPN calculators

2.1 - June 2002
- added RPN calculator option

[Pre-2.1 change history removed to save space.  It is still available via the 2.0 68K download on our website, or just email us with any questions.]

2.0 - April 2002
1.9 - January 2002
1.8 - October 2001
1.7.3 - May 2001
1.7.2 - April 2001
1.7.1 - March 2001
1.7 - February 2001
1.6 - December 2000
1.5 - November 2000
1.0 - November 2000

Copyright, Disclaimers, and Distribution

This software (ConverTable Units™) is ©1999-2003 Synergy Creations.  The compressed archive file containing the the software may be distributed freely as long as the complete compressed archive file is not altered or changed in any way from its original form as provided by Synergy Creations, subject to the conditions below.

Magazines, CD-ROM shareware collections, redistribution companies, and CD-ROM magazines MUST contact Synergy Creations for our consent before including the software in their collections.  Generally, we just want a copy of the CD and/or magazine our software is included with.

All non-profit user groups may distribute the software at no charge, subject to the above provision.

Software License Agreement

This is a legal agreement between you and Synergy Creations™ covering your use of ConverTable Units™ (the "Software").  Read the following agreement before using the Software.  By using the Software, you are agreeing to the terms of this agreement.  If you do not agree to the terms of this agreement, do not use the Software and destroy all copies in your posession.  

Synergy Creations reserves the right to make modifications or improvements to ConverTable Units at any time and without notice.

This software is provided "as is" without any warranty of any kind. By using this software you agree to assume all costs for any damage, real or imagined. Synergy Creations nor anyone else associated with Synergy Creations' ConverTable Units software will not be liable for the use or misuse of this software or any damages caused by that use or misuse, even if Synergy Creations or an agent of Synergy Creations has been advised of the possibility of such damages.  Synergy Creations hereby disclaims all warranties relating to this software, whether expressed or implied, including without limitation any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

Although the property values used in this software have been checked for accuracy, DO NOT use this software as your only source for data or calculations if you are building a nuclear power plant, aircraft carrier, jumbo jet, spacecraft, or any system where failure could result in loss of life or environmental damage, or anything which depends on these values.  Synergy Creations does not and will not guarantee the correctness of any of the data contained in the software, or any calculations performed by the software.

All underlying code and designs/images contained within the ConverTable Units software is ©1999-2003 Synergy Creations, unless otherwise noted.  

Synergy Creations™, the Synergy Creations™ logo, ConverTable Units™, ConverTable Planets™ and Yes I Can!™ are trademarks of Synergy Creations.  All Rights Reserved.

Macintosh and Mac are registered trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc.

All other trademarks are property of their respective holders.  No infringement is intended.

Synergy Creations Website

http://www.synergycreations.com