PinPoint for Windows On-line Help: Contents
Contents

Welcome to PinPoint v1.00 Help, click on a button to go to:

Main Overview

Quick Start

The Form

Answer Sheets

Analysis Worksheets

Graphs, Charts and Tables

Graphics Presentation

Page Editors and Tools

Using PinPoint On-line Help

For Help on Help, Press F1


"Main" Overview
Main Overview

Welcome to PinPoint, an information collection and analysis package designed to allow you to extract and present meaningful facts and conclusions about information.

In some ways, PinPoint may be described as a database - it allows you to store information and recall that information for inspection in the way that databases have done before. However, PinPoint goes beyond simple storage and retrieval of information. Simple storage and retrieval doesnt tell you much about the information you hold. Whilst possible, it is difficult to ascertain facts such as how many people in the database fall into certain age ranges, how many days were there more than 5 hours sunshine in each month of the year, this year as against last year, how popular are your products? PinPoint is designed to answer questions such as these, and far more complex ones, and to present the results in interesting ways.

PinPoint can be used on its own to design a questionnaire or data collection sheet, enter collected information and analyse the information. Or it can complement any existing database applications you possess. Information can be imported from another application, such as a fully relational database, and then analyses performed.

What does PinPoint do?

Within PinPoint the information you need can be quickly and precisely collected and compiled into a database. Your information can then be rapidly ordered and analysed in many different ways to indicate correlations, patterns and trends, and from these analyses hypotheses can be framed and quickly tested and statistics derived.

Results can be summarised in report form or graphically in graph, chart and table format, and your final analyses presented (making use of PinPoint's fully-fledged Windows WYSIWYG attributes) on screen or in print.

In PinPoint you work in familiar settings, using easily understood terms and procedures written in plain English. There is no arcane language to learn, and no programming is required in order to obtain results which can be both useful and applicable to your business, profession or project.

Navigating through PinPoint

There are four main areas in which you will work on a PinPoint 'project'. These are

Form Design and Editing.

Form Filling.

Information Analysis.

Production and Presentation of Graphs, Charts and Tables.

Form Design and Editing

Every new PinPoint project begins with the design of its 'form', or data collection sheet. PinPoint makes form design easy. The questions to which you need answers are written in plain English on an electronic piece of paper.

You have no need to be an 'expert' form designer, nor do you need to understand complex datafile structures to produce a well presented and workable form.

Once designed a form may be printed for use as a 'questionnaire' or for other data collection. There is a form at the core of every PinPoint project.

Form Filling

A completed or 'filled in' copy of a form is known in PinPoint as an 'answer sheet'. During answer sheet compilation a copy of the form is always displayed on screen. Answers can be entered directly onto the screen by your respondents, or else answer data can be 'copied in' from a collection of completed paper forms.

Because PinPoint's forms can contain many question 'formats' together with free-form text notes and built-in data entry checks, precise information can entered quickly and accurately.

Information Analysis

A completed set of answer sheets is known as a 'stack'. When a stack of answer sheets has been compiled the sheets are placed into a 'worksheet' for analysis.

PinPoint's worksheets provide the tools for displaying completed answer sheets in tabular form; sorting and selecting the sheets; performing statistical analyses; creating reports; and the production of graphs, charts and tables.

You can add new answer sheets to a stack, and edit or 'update' a project's form and any existing answer sheet(s) at any time.

Production and Presentation of Graphs, Charts and Tables

Whilst many interesting patterns may emerge from the 'raw' information displayed in worksheet format, other interpretations may only become apparent when the data is further tabulated or presented graphically in some way.

PinPoint incorporates a powerful cross-tab generator and provides a wide choice of chart types and graphing options with which to present information for maximum clarity and impact.

All the same WYSIWYG drawing tools and controls as are used in form design are available to you in the Presentation Editor.

The Project

PinPoint stores all project information - the form, the completed answer sheets, the worksheet and all its attributes and any associated graphical presentations - in a single ".ppf" project file.

Copying a project from one machine to another, therefore, is just a matter of copying a single project file into an existing PinPoint installation.

More Help

You will find a more detailed description of each of PinPoint's work areas in the section Overviews. Click the Help window "Back" button to return to the Main Contents page.


Quick Start

If you have come to this page having started PinPoint for the first time you will now be looking at:

The PinPoint workplace.

A row of menu titles.

A bar of buttons showing tools available for writing and drawing.

And an open document window entitled "Form - Untitled00".

Congratulations. You have entered PinPoint's Form Editor and you are about to design your first PinPoint 'project' form.

What to do Next?

PinPoint is easy to learn and to use, so very often the best way to find out how something works will be to experiment.

You probably want to do that NOW, but to make a productive start you should click this icon [image] and quickly read the Main Overview page which will appear.

This will only take a few moments and will give you a good basic 'feel' for the structure of PinPoint and your route into the creation of a new PinPoint project.

OR you could simply click on the Question tool [image] in the icon button bar (which is known in PinPoint as the Tool Tidy), drag its pointer to draw a rectangular shape in the Form Editor window, type some text, such as "Name", choose the OK button and watch what happens next - you have written a question. Further questions can be written in the same way to design a complete form.

Terminology

If you are unfamiliar with database structures and terminology, don't worry.

In PinPoint you work in familiar settings, using easily understood terms and procedures written in plain English. There is no arcane language to learn, and no programming is required in order to obtain results which can be both informative and useful.

However because PinPoint does incorporate a database 'engine' it may be useful to be able to relate PinPoint's terminology to more widely-used and 'traditional' database terms. So:

When you write a PinPoint question you are defining a Field.

When you enter information into an answer sheet you are creating a Record.

And when you design a project's form you are creating the structure of an Answer Table.

Whatever your previous experience of database applications, you will quickly become comfortable with PinPoint's references to its own Projects, Forms, Answer Sheets and Worksheets.

And Finally ...

Once you have designed and saved a project's form for the first time, PinPoint will thereafter default to an empty desktop on start-up.

To open a previously worked on project, from the File menu, choose Open (ALT, F, O).

To start a new project, from the File menu, choose New (ALT, F, N).


Using PinPoint Help

PinPoint is a powerful application and is very easy to learn and use, although you might find that a browse through Help's 'Main' and 'Area' Overviews could be informative in any event.

But there may come a time when you get stuck (or become 'temporarily unsure of a procedure') and will need to access the Help system in earnest. You can do this in three ways:

Press the F1 key from any PinPoint window

Press the F1 key to go directly to the Overview of the area in which you are currently working.

Select the Help menu from any PinPoint window

Choose a command from this menu to go to

The Main Contents page. From there you can choose to go to any of the Overview pages and from those to detailed descriptions of procedures, menus or tools.

An Overview of the area in PinPoint in which you are currently working.

PinPoint's Help System Index.

Or one or two other topics of immediate relevance.

Press the Help button in many dialogue boxes

Choose the Help button, or press F1, if you need context-specific Help on the dialogue box in question. You will be taken directly to the relevant page in the Help file. Most dialogue box Help pages contain links to other related topics.

Navigating through PinPoint Help

PinPoint Help is a Windows application, so you can use all the standard Windows techniques to move, resize and close the Help window. For more information about all the features included in the Windows Help system, press the F1 key from PinPoint Help's Main Contents page. When you have finished reading the Windows Help instructions, click the Help window "Back" button to return to the Main Contents page.

Using Jumps and Popups

Click on words with a solid or dotted underline to 'jump' to the Help topic they name, or to display a 'pop up' definition of that word or phrase.

Using Help Icons

 This icon appears 'embedded' in text throughout PinPoint's Help system. It indicates a reference to a related topic and is simply a graphical alternative to the usual underlined green text. Click on the arrowhead icon to perform the 'jump'.

The 'Tools' pages and some dialogue box pictures also contain invisible jump 'hotspots'. Move the mouse pointer over a picture and click when the pointer turns into a Hand.


The Form: Overview

Click on a button to bypass this Overview and go to:

How to...

Tools

Form Editor menus

Overview

In any information collection and analysis activity one of the most difficult tasks is deciding upon the data to be collected. Careful consideration of the data or questions to ask will enable you to collect the data required correctly or to elicit the required responses and provide the opportunity for meaningful analysis and conclusions. In no application of computer software is the adage Garbage in - garbage out more pertinent than an application such as this.

With typical applications, one would start out by sketching out one's requirements on paper. With PinPoint this is not necessary since it, itself, provides the pencil and paper.

Every new PinPoint project begins with the design of its 'form', or data collection sheet. PinPoint makes form design easy. The questions to which you need answers are written in plain English on an electronic piece of paper.You have no need to be an 'expert' form designer, nor do you need to understand complex datafile structures to produce a well presented and workable form.

The Form Editor

When you work with a form in PinPoint you work with the Form Editor. The Editor can be thought of as a 'window' onto a form in which you can

Format the page attributes of your form.

Easily set up a multi-page form.

Quickly write and edit questions in plain English.

Place and lay out pictures, graphic elements and 'free-form' text, and link and embed OLE objects, anywhere on your form.

Prepare your form for printing.

Import answer data from other PinPoint projects or other applications.

Edit an existing project's form and update the completed answer sheets in its stack.

'Send' a new form to the sheet editor for completion as the first answer sheet in a new stack.

Tool Tidy buttons 'automate' most of these operations and they, together with PinPoint's powerful WYSIWYG drawing tools and controls, make for fast and precise form design and editing.


Form Editor: Menu titles
Form Editor: Menus

Click on any button to see a list of [image] menu items.

File menu

Edit menu

View menu

Paper menu

Arrange menu

Window menu

Hint: Wherever you are in PinPoint you can see a brief description of any menu title or item by holding down the left mouse button and moving the pointer over your choice.

A Quick [image] Help message will appear in the status bar window at the bottom left of your screen.


Form Editor: File menu

File menu

New

Open...

Save

Save as...

Import...

Print...

Printer setup...

Exit	Alt + F4

Work history


Form Editor: Edit menu

Edit menu

Undo

Cut	Ctrl + X

Copy	Ctrl + C

Paste	Ctrl + V

Paste Link

Insert object...

Delete	Shift + Del

Select all	Ctrl + A

Clear

Text style...

Links...

Object


Form Editor: View menu

View menu

Horizontal ruler

Vertical ruler

Grid...

Show printable area

Zoom...

Tool tidy

Quick help

Answer Sheets


Form Editor: Arrange menu

Arrange menu

Align

Bring to front	Ctrl + =

Send to back	Ctrl + -

Group	Ctrl + G

Ungroup	Ctrl + U

Snap to grid

Show guidelines


Form Editor: Window menu

Window menu

Tile

Cascade

Arrange Icons

Close All

Work in progress


Answer Sheets: Overview

Click on a button to bypass this Overview and go to:

How to...

Tools

Sheet Editor menus

Overview

A completed or 'filled in' copy of a project's form is known in PinPoint as an 'answer sheet'. A collection of completed sheets is known as a 'stack'.

Answer sheets are completed by entering data or choosing the values from an on-screen copy of the form. Data is entered into sheets

Directly onto the screen.

Or it is copied in from a collection of completed paper forms.

Or it can be imported from other PinPoint projects or other applications. Imported data records can be 'mapped' to your project's form and then appended to the stack as a set of additional answer sheets.

Order of Entry

The order of entry of answers is determined automatically from the location of the answer entry areas on the page, from left to right and down the page.

The Sheet Editor

When you work with answer sheets in PinPoint you work with the Sheet Editor. The Editor can be thought of as a 'window' onto a stack of answer sheets. In it you can add new sheets to a stack, locate specific answer sheets and edit or 'update' existing sheets.

For speed and ease-of-use, the Sheet Editor's Tool Tidy buttons 'automate' many sheet editing and location operations.

The benefits of Good Design

Because the answer sheet 'interface' is based on the familiar concept of a form, the process of completing an answer sheet is easily understood. However some additional thought at the form design stage can help to promote accurate data entry. PinPoint's forms can contain

Many formats of question and answer types, including ordered and multiple choice answers.

Free-form text notes (which can include training notes on data entry, special exemptions, data entry procedures and the like).

Pictures and graphic images.

Built-in checks to ensure that answer data is entered when and where required.

These attributes, used judiciously in combination with the power of PinPoint's sheet editing controls, will ensure that information can be entered and a stack of completed sheets compiled both easily and quickly.

More Help

To see a more detailed description of any of the procedures, tools and menu commands used when working with PinPoint's answer sheets and stacks, click on a button at the top of this page.


Sheet Editor: Menu titles
Sheet Editor: Menus

Click on any button to see a list of [image] menu items.

File menu

Edit menu

View menu

Sheet menu

Window menu

Hint: Wherever you are in PinPoint you can see a brief description of any menu title or item by holding down the left mouse button and moving the pointer over your choice.

A Quick [image] Help message will appear in the status bar at the bottom left of your screen.


Sheet Editor: File menu

File menu

New

Open...

Import...

Print sheet...

Printer setup...

Exit	Alt + F4

Work history


Sheet Editor: Edit menu

Edit menu

Undo

Cut	Ctrl + X

Copy	Ctrl + C

Paste	Ctrl + V

Paste Link

Insert object...

Delete	Shirt + Del

Select all	Ctrl + A

Clear

Bring to front	Ctrl + =

Send to back	Ctrl + -

Links...

Object


Sheet Editor: View menu

View menu

Show printable area

Zoom...

Tool tidy

Quick help

Form

Worksheet


Sheet Editor: Sheet menu

Sheet menu

Save	Ctrl + S

New

Copy

Delete

Next	Ctrl + N

Previous	Ctrl + P

First	Ctrl + F

Last	Ctrl + L

Turn to...

Search...

Analyse sheets


Sheet Editor: Window menu

Window menu

Tile

Cascade

Arrange Icons

Close All

Work in progress


Analysis Worksheets: Overview

The Worksheet for a project is displayed whenever a project folder containing answer sheets is opened.

Click on a button to bypass this Overview and go to:

How to...

Tools

Worksheet menus

Overview

The Worksheet presents the view of all the answer sheets in your project, the answers to each of the questions on each of the sheets are shown in tabular form, with each answer sheet shown on one line as a row of information divided into columns. Each column contains the answer data relating to the question field whose name appears in a title bar at the head of the column.

The worksheet is a flexible and efficient environment in which to investigate the information you hold and draw meaningful conclusions. It provides the tools to sort the information into order, quickly modify obviously rogue information, select those sheets matching certain conditions, perform a range of numerical analyses and produce crosstabulations of responses to questions. Graphical presentations of results can be prepared to be printed directly from PinPoint or for inclusion in another application such as a word processor where a complete report is being prepared. Answer sheets and the results of analysis may also be copied to the clipboard for pasting into other applications for further analysis.

The 'Worksheet control panel' displays information on the sorting and selection criteria which have been applied to a stack of sheets, and contains 'shortcut' buttons by which criteria can be quickly applied or removed. For speed and ease of use PinPoint's Tool Tidy buttons 'automate' most worksheet operations.

More Help

To see a more detailed description of any of the procedures, tools and menu commands used when working with PinPoint's analysis worksheets, click on a button at the top of this page.


Analysis worksheets: Menu titles
Analysis Worksheets: Menus

Click on any button to see a list of [image] menu items.

File menu

View menu

Tools menu

Window menu

Hint: Wherever you are in PinPoint you can see a brief description of any menu title or item by holding down the left mouse button and moving the pointer over your choice.

A Quick [image] Help message will appear in the status bar at the bottom left of your screen.


Analysis Worksheets: File menu

File menu

New

Open...

Open presentation...

Save

Save as...

Import...

Print sheets...

Print Worksheet...

Printer setup...

Exit	Alt + F4

Work history


Analysis Worksheets: View menu

View menu

Font

Show Printable Area

Tool tidy

Quick help

Answer Sheets

Put back


Analysis Worksheets: Tools menu

Tools menu

Sort sheets

Add selection condition

Remove selection conditions and sorting

Statistics

Add new column

Copy to Clipboard

Plot graph

Generate cross-tabs

Answer Sheets


Analysis Worksheets: Window menu

Window menu

Tile

Cascade

Arrange Icons

Close All

Work in progress


Graphics Presentation: Overview

Click on a button to bypass this Overview and go directly to:

How to...

Tools

Presentation Editor menus

Overview

The aim of presenting data pictorially is to communicate information clearly and with impact.

PinPoint's cross-tab generator and graphing engine are very powerful and, if properly used, can produce a great variety of detailed 'views' of information which may not be not easily visible from 'raw' worksheet data alone.

Once produced, graphs and tables can be edited quickly and easily, and then further enhanced with text, images, lines, arrows, bitmaps and OLE objects for maximum clarity and relevance.

The Presentation Editor

When you work with graphs, charts and tables in PinPoint you work with the Presentation Editor. The Editor can be thought of as a 'window' onto your electronic page in which you can

Format your presentation page.

Easily set up a multi-page presentation.

Quickly plot, edit and compile graphs and charts and generate tables.

Place pictures, graphics, OLE objects and 'free-form' text anywhere in your presentation.

Prepare your presentation for printing or for export to another PinPoint project or another Windows application.

Save your presentation, with its originating project, for working on again at a later date or for future reference.

The flexibility and power of PinPoint's table generator and graphing engine, in combination with all the same WYSIWYG drawing tools and controls as are available in the form design Area, will very quickly allow you to assemble, test and present clear and intelligible graphical results.

More Help

To see a more detailed description of any of the procedures, tools and menu commands used when working in PinPoint's graphics presentation Area, click on a button at the top of this page.


Presentation Editor: Menu titles
Presentation Editor: Menus

Click on any button to see a list of [image] menu items.

File menu

Edit menu

View menu

Paper menu

Arrange menu

Window menu

Hint: Wherever you are in PinPoint you can see a brief description of any menu title or item by holding down the left mouse button and moving the pointer over your choice.

A Quick [image] Help message will appear in the status bar window at the bottom left of your screen.


Presentation Editor: File menu

File menu

New

Open...

Open presentation...

Delete

Save

Save as...

Print...

Printer setup...

Exit	Alt + F4

Work history


Presentation Editor: Edit menu

Edit menu

Undo

Cut	Ctrl + X

Copy	Ctrl + C

Paste	Ctrl + V

Paste Link

Insert object...

Delete	Shirt + Del

Select all	Ctrl + A

Clear

Text style...

Links...

Object


Presentation Editor: View menu

View menu

Horizontal ruler

Vertical ruler

Grid...

Show printable area

Zoom...

Tool tidy

Quick help


Paper menu

Paper menu

Paper setup...

Add page

Delete last page


Presentation Editor: Arrange menu

Arrange menu

Align

Bring to front	Ctrl + =

Send to back	Ctrl + -

Group	Ctrl + G

Ungroup	Ctrl + U

Snap to grid

Show guidelines


Presentation Editor: Window menu

Window menu

Tile

Cascade

Arrange Icons

Close All

Work in progress


Page Editors and Tools: Overview

Page editor and tool buttons are used extensively throughout PinPoint. Some are unique, others provide a useful shortcut to clicking through menu items.The [image] Tool Tidy's contents will change to reflect the options available to you in each area.

Click on any button to see a description of its use and function.

Note that a button which appears dimmed or "greyed" is not available for use - you may need to select another item before using this command.

Hint: Wherever you are in Pinpoint just move the cursor over any button in the Tool Tidy to see a brief description of its function appear in the secondary window at the bottom left of your screen.


Form Editor: Tool Tidy

The Tool Tidy [image] looks like this whenever a Form Editor window is 'active'.

Click on any button to see a description of its use and function.

Note that a button which appears dimmed or "greyed" is not available for use - you may need to select another item before using this command.


Sheet Editor: Tool Tidy

The [image] Tool Tidy looks like this whenever a Sheet Editor window is 'active'.

Click on any button to see a description of its use and function.

Note that a button which appears dimmed or "greyed" is not available for use - you may need to select another item before using this command.

See also:

 Tool Tidy


Analysis Worksheets; Tool Tidy
Analysis worksheets: Tool Tidy

The [image] Tool Tidy looks like this whenever a Worksheet window is 'active'.

Click on any button to see a description of its use and function.

Note that a button which appears dimmed or "greyed" is not available for use - you may need to select another item before using this command.


Graphics Editor: Tool Tidy

The [image] Tool Tidy looks like this whenever a Graphics Editor window is 'active'.

Click on any button to see a description of its use and function.

Note that a button which appears dimmed or "greyed" is not available for use - you may need to select another item before using this command.


The Pen

The Pen is used to write and edit text on PinPoint's 'electronic' pages. Click on the Pen to pick it up.

To set the Pen style, double-click on the Pen to open its [image] style dialogue box. The Pen can write in any font that is available on your currently selected printer in the size, style and colour of your choice. However, to achieve the closest approximation to how the text appears on the screen and how it will appear when printed, you shuold restrict the fonts you use to TrueType fonts or those supplied by some other suitable utility such as ATM.

To write and edit text

Click the Pen to place the edit cursor on the page and type in your text.

To move around the text: Use the ARROW KEYS to move one character or line at a time. Hold down CTRL and use the ARROW KEYS to move a whole word at a time.

To overwrite text: Press INSERT and type the new text which will overwrite the current text. To start inserting text again, rather than overwriting, press INSERT again.

To delete a character: Press DELETE to delete the character in front of the caret, or BACKSPACE to delete the character behind the caret.

To delete a block of text: Hold down SHIFT and use the arrow keys to move backwards or forwards through the text highlighting it, then press CTRL+X or SHIFT+DEL (or from the Edit menu, choose Cut or Delete).

To cut or copy a block of text: Hold down SHIFT and use the arrow keys to move backwards or forwards through the text highlighting it, then press CTRL+X or CTRL+C (or from the Edit menu, choose Cut or Copy).

To paste text on clipboard: With text on the clipboard, press CTRL+V.

Tip

You can also select text to cut or copy by clicking at the start of the block to cut or copy and dragging to the end of the block.

Reformatting Text

When text is written, it continues on a single line until you press ENTER or reach the edge of the paper.

Further text will then be formatted between these left and right margins (the left margin is where you started to write text, the right margin where you pressed ENTER).

Text can be reformatted between different margins by selecting the text object with the [image] Hand tool and then dragging one of the resize handles.

To alter the style of text

To change the style of a single piece of text, double click on the text to open the Pen style dialogue, make the changes required and click the OK button.

To change the style of several pieces of text, select each of the pieces of text with the [image] Hand tool, then choose the command [image] Text Style from the Edit menu.

Question and graph label text

Question and graph label text can be edited in the same way as any other text on the page, as an alternative to use the style dialogue for the whole object. However, please note that, in the case of graph label text, the changes will be lost if any other modifications are made to the graph.

Quick tool selection:  F3


Question/Field Tool
The Question Tool

The Question tool is an essential part of PinPoint. It is used during form design to 'write' and edit questions, and has no equivalent elsewhere. Click on the tool to pick it up.

To write a question

Pick up the Question tool and drag-select the approximate page area that the question is to occupy.

Release the mouse button and the [image] Question/field dialogue box will open.

To edit a question

Pick up the Question tool and double-click on the selected question. The Question/field dialogue box will re-open.

Click [image] here for more detailed information on writing and editing questions and the use of the Question tool.

Quick tool selection:  F2


The Hand

The Hand tool is used to select, move, copy and re-size any element on a page. You will use the Hand often in PinPoint's Editor windows, where it shares some functions with the Pointer tool. Click on the Hand to pick it up.

To select an item

Click on it with the Hand. A PinPoint element is selected when its bounding box 'handles' are visible.

To select multiple items

Press SHIFT and click on each with the Hand  OR  drag with the Hand to mark out an area which surrounds the items to select or in which they overlap.

To move a selected item or selected items

Drag with the Hand. Release the mouse button when the item(s) are in the required position.

To copy a selected item or selected items (drag and drop)

Use this method as a short cut to cut and paste:

Hold down the CTRL key and drag with the Hand  Release the mouse button when the item(s) are in the required position. A copy of the dragged items will then appear. If any questions are copied in this way the [image] Copy question dialogue will appear for each of the copied questions.

To re-size a selected item

Click with the Hand on any bounding box handle and drag the box to the required shape and size.

Quick tool selection:  F6


The Rectangle Tool

The Rectangle tool is used to draw backgrounds and borders on the page.

Double-click on the Rectangle tool to open its style dialogue box. Rectangles may be drawn

Unfilled, or filled in a choice of colours.

With or without borders of variable line [image] weights and colours.

With square or variably-rounded corners.

To draw a rectangle

Click on the Rectangle tool to pick it up. Drag-select the area that the rectangle is to occupy. Release the left mouse button and a rectangle will appear on-screen in the style you have chosen.

To change a rectangle's style

Double click on it with the Rectangle tool. The Rectangle style dialogue box will re-open.

Quick tool selection:  F4


The Pencil

The Pencil is used to draw lines and arrows on PinPoint's 'electronic' pages.

Double-click on the Pencil to open its style dialogue box. Lines may be drawn

As solid, dotted, dashed or dot-dashed in various [image] weights and colours.

With or without arrowheads of varible head lengths and widths.

As arrows with or without outlines of variable line [image] weights and colours.

To draw a line

Click on the Pencil to pick it up. Drag it from the point at which the line is to begin. If you have chosen to draw an arrow, the arrowhead will appear when you release the left mouse button.

To change a line's style

Double click on it with the Pencil. The Line style dialogue box will re-open.

Quick tool selection:  F5


The Pointer

The Pointer is an important and useful tool. Because it can duplicate many of the functions of other dedicated tools you will use it often for speed and convenience. Click on the Pointer to pick it up.

Working with text

Use the Pointer like the Pen tool to position the edit cursor and to select text to cut or to copy. Double-click on a text element with the Pointer to open the Pen style dialogue box.

Working with graphic objects

Use the Pointer like the Hand tool to select, move and re-size graphic elements. Double-click on an element with the Pointer to open that item's style dialogue box or, in the case of an embedded object, to open its source application.

Working with graphs

Double-click on a graph with the Pointer to open the 'Modify graph' or Pie chart "Pie segment style" dialogue boxes. Use the Pointer like the Hand tool to select, move or re-size a whole graph, or to select and move segments of a Pie chart.

Quick tool selection:  F8


The Stack Tool

The Stack tool switches your view of your project to the individual answer sheets.

From a Worksheet window

Click the Stack tool to return to the Sheet Editor window. The first sheet of the current stack will be displayed.

From a Form Editor window

Click the Stack tool to

Save a new form and open a Sheet Editor window onto the first (blank) sheet of a new stack  OR

Save an amended form and open a Sheet Editor window onto the first sheet of an existing stack.

Before saving the form's changes PinPoint will prompt you to confirm, twice, that you wish to [image] update all the answer sheets in the project's stack.

See also:

 Alter form	 Save


Glossary
PinPoint for Windows On-line Help: Index

A

Add new column

Add page

Add selection condition

Align menu

Alter form

Analyse sheets

Answer categories

Answer sheets

Answer types

Arrange Icons

Arrange menu

Arrows

Axis ranges

B

Binning (non numeric data)

Binning (numeric data)

Borders and frames

Bring to front

C

Calculations

Camera tool

Cascade

Choose statistics

Class intervals

Clear

Close All

Copy

Copy sheet

Cross-tabulations

Cut

D

Delete

Delete sheet

Delete last page

Delete presentation

Display statistics

E

Edit menu

Eraser

Exit

Export

F

File menu

First sheet

Font

Forms

G

Generate cross-tabs

Graphs

Graphics Presentation

Grid

Group

Guidelines

H

Hand tool

Horizontal ruler

I

Import

Insert object

L

Layering

Last sheet

Legends

Links

M

Menu options

Merging projects

Moving objects

N

New

New sheet

Next sheet

O

Object

Open

Open presentation

P

Paper menu

Paper setup

Paste

Paste Link

Pen tool

Pencil tool

Plot graph

Pointer tool

Previous sheet

Print

Printer setup

Print sheet

Print sheets

Print Worksheet

Pushdown tool

Put back

Q

Question tool

Quick Help

R

Record

Rectangle tool

Remove selection conditions

Remove sorting

Remove sheet

Resize object

Rulers

S

Save

Save as

Save sheet

Search

Select all sheets

Selecting answer sheets

Send to back

Sheet menu

Show guidelines

Show printable area

Snap to grid

Sort sheets

Stack tool

Statistics

T

Text style

Tile

Tools

Tool tidy

Tools menu

Turn to next sheet

Turn to previous sheet

Turn to sheet

U

Undo

Ungroup

V

Variable class intervals

Vertical ruler

View menu

W

Window menu

Work history

Work in progress

Worksheet configuration

Z

Zoom


The Eraser

The Eraser is the visual accelerator for the Edit menu [image] "Delete" command. Click on the Eraser to pick it up.

Double-click on an item with the Eraser pointer to remove it from your work area without copying it to the Windows Clipboard. Use of the Eraser will not affect the current contents of the Clipboard.

Quick tool selection:  F9

Keyboard shortcut:  Shift + Del


Scissors Tool
The Scissors

The Scissors tool is the visual accelerator for the Edit menu [image] "Cut" command.

Click the Scissors to remove selected items from the page and store them in the Windows Clipboard.

Keyboard shortcut:  Ctrl + X


Paste to Clipboard
Paste

The Paste tool is the visual accelerator for the Edit menu [image] "Paste" command. Click the tool to paste the contents of the Windows Clipboard into your work area.

Keyboard shortcut:  Ctrl + V


Camera Tool
The Camera

The Camera tool is the visual accelerator for the Edit menu [image] "Copy" command. Click the Camera to copy duplicates of selected items onto the Windows Clipboard and leave the original elements intact.

Keyboard shortcut:  Ctrl + C


Turn to Previous Sheet
Previous sheet

This button is the visual accelerator for the Sheet menu [image] "Previous" command.

Click the tool from a Sheet Editor window to turn to and display the previous sheet in the current stack.

Keyboard shortcut:  Ctrl + P


Turn to Next Sheet
Next sheet

This button is the visual accelerator for the Sheet menu [image] "Next" command.

Click the tool from a Sheet Editor window to turn to and display the next sheet in the current stack.

Keyboard shortcut:  Ctrl + N


Tear Off Tool
Tear Off

The Tear Off button is the visual accelerator for the Sheet menu [image] "New" command.

Click the tool from a Sheet Editor window to 'tear off' and display a blank form ready for completion.


Remove and Throw Sheet
Delete sheet

This button is the visual accelerator for the Sheet menu [image] "Delete" command.

Click the tool from a Sheet Editor window to delete the answer sheet currently on display. PinPoint will prompt you to confirm your choice.


Alter Form Tool
Alter form

This button is the visual accelerator for the Sheet menu [image] "Alter form" command.

Click the tool in a Sheet Editor window to return a project's form to the Form Editor for review and amendment.

Note: Before saving changes to an amended form PinPoint will prompt you to confirm, twice, that you wish to [image] update all the answer sheets in the project's stack.


Save This Sheet Tool
Save sheet

This button is the visual accelerator for the Sheet menu [image] "Save" command.

Click the button from a Sheet Editor window to save the answer sheet you are currently completing or editing.

Keyboard shortcut:  Ctrl + S  or  Press RETURN at the last field in the form


Pushdown Tool
Pushdown

The Pushdown tool is the visual accelerator for the Edit and Arrange menus [image] "Send to back" command. Click on the tool to pick it up.

To select an item to push down (i.e. to send to the back) amongst several that are overlapping, click on each in succession with the Pushdown pointer until every element is layered as required.

Quick tool selection:  F7

Keyboard shortcut:  Ctrl + -


Tool Descriptions
Tools

Page editor and tool buttons are used extensively throughout PinPoint. Some are unique, others provide a useful shortcut to clicking through menu items.

The Tool Tidy's position on the page can be changed to suit your style of working from the View Menus.

For an overview of PinPoint's tool and page editor buttons, see [image] Tools Overview.


Quick Help

Quick Help messages appear in PinPoint's status bar - the rectangular box in the bottom left of your screen border.

Help message display is turned on or off from the View menu "Quick Help" menu.


Keyboard Icon
Keyboard shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts - the key combination to press to directly carry out some menu commands - are listed in the column below.


TTidy_child
Cascaded menus

The [image] arrowhead icon indicates the presence of a sub- or cascaded menu which will appear when you choose that menu item.

This menu lets you position the Tool Tidy horizontally or vertically in relation to the top left hand corner of your work area.


Align_child
Cascaded menus

The [image] arrowhead icon indicates the presence of a sub- or cascaded menu which will appear when you choose that menu item.

This menu lets you align selected items to the left, right, top or bottom edges of a 'datum' element's bounding box.


Menu items

Menu items are usually commands. However they can also be characteristics you assign to a sheet or form, a list of open windows or files, or the names of cascading menus which list additional commands.

To choose an item from a selected menu:

Click the item.

Or type the letter that is underlined in the item name.

Or use the UP ARROW and DOWN ARROW keys to reach the item you want to choose, then press ENTER.

Click on any of the  [image]  buttons which appear under each menu title to see a description of its menu item.


Search Tool
Search

The Search tool is the visual accelerator for the Sheet menu [image] "Search..." command.

Click the tool from a Sheet Editor window to open the "Search" dialogue box and search through a stack for answer sheets matching specified answer data.

Note: Use the Search tool only to locate single answer sheets for review or amendment. "Search" is not designed to function as a substitute for PinPoint's analysis worksheets.


Analyse These Sheets
Analyse sheets

This button is the visual accelerator for the Sheet menu [image] "Analyse sheets" command.

Click the tool from a Sheet Editor window to place the currently-displayed stack of answer sheets into an analysis worksheet.


Select all unsorted
Reset

This button is the visual accelerator for the Tools menu [image] "Remove selection conditions and sorting" command.

Click Reset from a Worksheet window to remove all the selection conditions and sorting previously applied to a stack of answer sheets.


Sort sheets

This button is the visual accelerator for the Tools menu [image] "Sort sheets" command.

Click the tool from a Worksheet window to open the "Sort sheets" dialogue box.

In this you can select a question/field on which to sort displayed answer sheets, in increasing or decreasing order and within or without an existing sort.


Add New Criteria
Add condition

This button is the visual accelerator for the Tools menu [image] "Add selection condition..." command.

Click the tool from a Worksheet window to open the "Select sheets" dialogue box.

Highlight a question field by which to select answer sheet data to display, specify your selection criterion and other options, and choose "OK" to perform the selection.


Display Statistics
Statistics

This button is the visual accelerator for the Tools menu [image] "Statistics..." command.

Click the tool from a Worksheet window to open the "Statistics" dialogue box and perform statistical calculations upon selected answer sheet data.


Add New Column
New column

This button is the visual accelerator for the Tools menu [image] "Add new column..." command.

Click the button from a worksheet window to open the "New Column" dialogue box and add a new column to a worksheet using a calculation.


Plot graph

This button is the visual accelerator for the Tools menu [image] "Plot graph..." command.

Click the button to open the "Plot graph" dialogue box.

From there, dialogue boxes will guide you step-by-step through the production of even the most complex graphical presentation


Create Table
Cross-tab

This button is the visual accelerator for the Tools menu [image] "Generate cross tabs..." command.

Click the button to open the "Cross tabulations" dialogue box. and generate a cross-tabulation from selected answer sheet data.


Zoom 100
Zoom 100%

This button is the visual accelerator for the [image] "Zoom" dialogue box's '100% magnification' option.

Click alternately on this and the "Zoom Fit Window" buttons to quickly check and edit the layout and relative positioning of the elements on your page.


Zoom Fit Window

This button is the visual accelerator for the [image] "Zoom" dialogue box's 'Fit window' option.

Click alternately on this and the "Zoom 100%" buttons to quickly check and edit the layout and relative positioning of the elements on your page.


Layering
A simple but effective example of layering. An opaque rectangle has been copied, filled grey, offset and 'pushed' to the back of the stack. The question field has been placed 'on top' of the other two objects.

See also:

 Bring to front	 Send to back


File Menu
File Menus

From here you can

Open an existing PinPoint project or start a new one.

Save and catalogue your work to disc.

Import data from other project files or applications.

Print forms, selected answer sheets, reports and graphics presentations.

And return to the Windows desktop when you exit PinPoint.


Edit Menu
Edit menus

From here you can

Cut., copy, paste and delete elements to and from the page and the Windows Clipboard.

Edit the style of selected text elements.

Undo editing and clear selections.

And establish links and embed objects using Windows' OLE.


View Menu
View menus

From here you can

Show or hide PinPoint's page rulers and 'magnetic' alignment grid.

Scale your view of the page with 'Zoom' commands.

Show the printable page area for your selected printer driver.

Position the Tool Tidy and select or clear Quick Help messages.

Configure the display of answer sheets in a Worksheet window.

And change your view of the project.


Paper menu

From here you can

Set up the page format and orientation of your form or presentation.

And add and delete pages to and from a form or presentation.


Sheet menu

From here you can

Save, copy, delete and create new answer sheets.

Turn to specific sheets in a stack.

Search for answer sheets by reference number or search value.

Open a Worksheet window to analyse a stack of sheets.

And return to the Form Editor to alter a project's form.


Tools menu

From here you can

Carry out and remove single or multiple sorting of answer sheets

Add or remove answer sheet selection conditions.

Choose and display statistics for numeric answers.

Add a new column to a worksheet using a calculation.

And plot a graph or create a crosstab table from selected answer sheet data.


Window Menu
Window menus

From here you can

Arrange open document windows and icons.

Switch between active document windows.

Focus on a specific window from a work in progress list

And close all document windows and exit to the PinPoint desktop.


Arrange menu
Arrange menus

From here you can

Arrange, layer, group and ungroup sets of elements.

Align elements with each other and with on-screen design guides.

Show or hide PinPoint's alignment guidelines.

And select or clear operation of the 'magnetic' alignment grid.


Selecting answer sheets from a worksheet

You can select one or more answer sheets from those displayed in a Worksheet window to print, plot or tabulate, or to save to a new project.

To choose sheets matching some criterion, from the Tools menu, choose [image] Add Selection Condition.

Alternatively, individual sheets or groups of sheets can be selected from the worksheet display [image] - by clicking, together with a combination of CTRL and SHIFT key presses.


Sheet numbers
Answer sheet reference numbers

An unique reference number is allocated to each completed answer sheet when it is saved for the first time.

Sheet reference numbers are allocated sequentially, and never become available for re-allocation even if their 'owner' sheet is deleted at some future time.

For this reason apparent 'gaps' may appear in a stack's sequential sheet numbering in cases where some sheets have been deleted and others added later.


Update sheets
Updating answer sheets after changing a form

When a project's form is altered, sheets which have been previously entered may need to be changed or 'updated'.

When you choose the File menu "Save" command or click the Stack tool to save an amended form, PinPoint will prompt you to confirm that you do indeed wish to update the existing answer sheets.

Updating a large stack can take some time, so it may be advisable to make a back-up of your project before choosing to save an edited form and update all related answer sheets.


Sort buttons
Worksheet control panel: Add a sort

Click this button to open the "Add a sort" dialogue box.

Select a question field on which to sort, in increasing or decreasing order, within the current sort.

Choose "OK" to add the sort.


Sort2 Buttons
Worksheet control panel: Remove the last sort

Click this button to remove the last-performed sort of a series.


Add select
Worksheet control panel: Add a selection criterion

Click this button to open the "Select sheets" dialogue box.

Highlight a question field by which to select, specify a selection criterion and options, and choose "OK" to perform the selection.


Remove select
Worksheet control panel: Remove a selection criterion

Click this button to remove a selection criterion.


Default printer
Printer considerations

Having two projects open on PinPoint's desktop, each of which has been formatted for a different printer, can sometimes necessitate the reformatting of text displayed in forms and answer sheets in either or both projects.

As a general rule all your PinPoint projects should be designed for output to the same printer, and should use TrueType fonts. A basic set of these is provided as standard with Windows 3.1.


Font thoughts
Screen and printer font considerations

TrueType, or other suitable Windows font handling utility, will allow you to take full advantage of PinPoint's WYSIWYG environment. A basic set of TrueType fonts is supplied with Windows 3.1 as standard. Many different typefaces are available for each utility, and both will create appropriate screen fonts which closely match how the font will appear when printed


Question text

Type the text of your question into this panel.

The speed and accuracy with which information can be collected will be much enhanced by question text which is clear and relevant, and by questions which are logically ordered on the page.


Reference name

For proper identification, each question you write must be given an unique reference name. A reference name may be up to 19 characters long, and may be made up of more than one word providing the words are separated by the underscore character.

A question will be located and referred to by its unique name in other parts of PinPoint, so make sure that you allocate a reference name which clearly identifies its question.

Type a name at the cursor. PinPoint will prompt you to try again if the name you choose is already in use.


Question font
Question text style

By default a question will be written in the text style that you have attributed to the Pen tool for the Forms Editor.

To change the text style of an individual question, click on the "Font'" button and select your chosen new attributes from the Pen style dialogue box.


Must answer
Answer must be answered

Select this option to ensure that an answer is given to a question during answer sheet completion.

With this option in effect an incomplete answer sheet cannot be saved to the stack. PinPoint will prompt you for an answer to each 'monitored' question.


QF Answer font
Answer text style

By default an answer will be written in the text style that you have attributed to its question text.

To change the text style of an individual answer, clear the "Same as ..." check box. Click on the 'Font' button and select your chosen new attributes from the Pen style dialogue box.

Both question and answer text styles may be edited individually later 'on the page'. Double-click on the selected text with the Pen or the Pointer to re-open the Pen style dialogue box.


Text dialogue 'fixed'
Fixed text entry

Select this option if your question will require an answer such as, for example, an address of 'x' lines of 'x' characters.

Note that the number of characters that PinPoint will allow to be entered on a line will vary depending upon the text style, character type and entry area style that you choose - PinPoint will actually allow as many characters as will 'physically' fit on the line. To ensure precise line length choose a 'comb' data entry area style.


Text dialogue 'comment'
Comment text entry

Select this option to include an entry area for a block of 'comment' answer text within your form.

The size of a comment area is defined by the original area marked out with the Question tool, less title space, but may be changed later using the Hand tool. PinPoint will include comment answers in a 'search on text' during answer sheet location.


QF Entry area
Entry area style

Click open the 'Entry area' list to select an answer data entry area style. Available styles include dotted and solid lines, a box, 'bucket', comb and full comb, or 'no style' (i.e. none).

To enhance a form's presentation you can choose to fill an answer area with a colour or shade of grey. Check the 'filled' box and click the 'Colour' button to open PinPoint's colour selection palette.


Text dialogue 'picture'
Picture text entry

Choose this option to include a 'validated character' answer in your form.

If, for example, you require that all telephone number answers be entered in an identical format, select 'Picture' and type (say)  (####)-######  into the panel.

Picture formatting characters are

# - digit only

? - any alphabetical character

& - any alphabetical character converted to upper case

@ - any character

! -  any character converted to upper case


QF numeric format
Numeric answer format

Choose a format for your Numeric answer from the menu, or type in your own at the cursor. Answers may be formatted to as many decimal places as required.

Units description characters may be entered before or after the  #  digit formatting character, for example:

£ ###.##

## years

##.# cm


QF numeric checks
Numeric answer checks

Check these boxes to choose to allow negative number answers and to specify a required range of answer values.


QF yes/no descriptions
Yes / No descriptions

The default descriptions for Yes/No answer types are 'Yes' and 'No'. Either answer can be changed if required. Type your new description at the cursor.


QF yes/no entry style
Entry area style

Click open the 'Style' menu to select a check box style for the choices.

During answer sheet completion, a cross will be drawn on the check box for a choice when it is chosen. Available styles include dotted and solid lines, shaded and unshaded boxes, or a 'bucket'.

Check the boxes to choose to align the choice check box to the left of its choice text and whether to vertically align the choices. You may also choose only to allow 'Yes' answers to be recorded.

Note that for the purposes of analysis, PinPoint will interpret 'No' answers as 'not answered' when the 'show 'Yes' answer only' option is selected.


QF date format
Date answer format

Choose a format for your Date answer from the list. Note that formats in which the days and months are entered as numbers, the formats are taken from the short form date format description in the International settings section of the Control Panel.


QF multi add
Add a choice

Choose the 'Add' button to add a choice to a Multiple or Ordered choice question.

A text entry panel will appear. Type your choice text at the cursor, and choose 'Font' to change text style if required.

Click 'OK' to return to the main dialogue box. Note that your choice text has now appeared in the choice list panel.


QF multi edit
Edit a choice

Select the choice from the list and then choose the 'Edit' button.

A text entry panel will appear containing your selected choice text ready for editing.Choose 'Font' to change text style if required.

Click 'OK' to return to the main dialogue box.


QF multi entry
Entry area style

Click open the 'Style' list to select a tick box style for the choices. During answer sheet completion, a cross will be drawn on the tick box for a choice when it is chosen.

Check the options to choose to align the choice tick box to the left of its choice text, to show only the tick box without the description text and whether to vertically align the choices. You may also choose to allow only one choice to be made in answer to the question.


QF ordered entry
Entry area style

Answers to ordered choice questions are numbered in order of preference during answer sheet completion. PinPoint will only allow entry of a number within the choice range (e.g. 0 - 10).

Click open the 'Style' list to select an entry area style, the styles available are similar to those for numeric answers.

Check the boxes to choose to align an entry area to the left of its choice text, to show only the entry area without the description text and whether vertically align entry areas.


QF date style
Entry area style

Click open the 'Entry area' list to select a Date answer area style. Available styles include dotted and solid lines, a box, 'bucket', comb and full comb, or 'no style' (i.e. none).

To enhance a form's presentation you can choose to fill a Date answer area with a colour or shade of grey. Check the 'filled' box and click the 'Colour' button to open PinPoint's colour selection palette.


QF multi delete
Delete a choice

Select the choice to delete from the list and then choose the 'Delete' button.


DBStats qf
Question/field

Select the question(s) from which statistics are to be derived from the "Question/Field" list panel. Click on a question's reference name to select it, click again to clear your selection.


DBStats stats
Statistics

Select the calculation(s) to be performed in the "Statistics" list box.


DBStats Option
Options

Select only those answer sheets currently displayed in the worksheet, or all the answer sheets in the current stack, or both sets, for inclusion in the analysis.


DBStats OK
Choose "OK"

The title "Statistics" will appear at the left end of the question field title bar. A window will open between the Worksheet control panel and the first answer sheet row in which the results of your calculations will be displayed.


DBStats Hint
Hint

To modify or perform further statistical calculations, click on the "Statistics" column title to re-open the "Statistics" dialogue box.


QF numlist
Question list box

The unique reference names of all your form's Numeric questions are listed in this panel.

Double-click on a name to include it in your calculation, or type it into the calculation box.


QF calcbox
Calculation box

The progress of your calculation is shown here in this panel.

To enter a calculation, type in question names, digits and arithmetical symbols at the cursor, or click the calculator and double-click on reference names, or use both methods.

You can select, cut, copy and paste calculation text just as you would in any other Windows text editor.


QF distyle
Display style

When your calculation is complete, click "Display style..." and the [image] "Numeric" dialogue box will appear.

Select the format, entry area style and the checks required for your calculated question, and choose "OK".


QF calcpad
Calculator

Click on the calculator to perform your calculation. Each calculator key press will be shown in the calculation box.


Default Pen style

The Pen's style is applied to all new text written in the current Editor.

The colour of PinPoint's 'magnetic' layout [image] Grid will also default to that of the Pen style.


Grid units

Check the radio buttons to specify grid units and divisions in inches or centimetres, or in feint rules based on a specific font. Choose "Feint rules" to open the "Font" dialogue box.

Tip: Feint rules are useful to ensure that text is evenly and suitably spaced down a form or presentation.


Grid colour

Choose "Colour" to open PinPoint's colour selection palette and attribute a colour to the on-screen grid. By default the grid will be displayed in the colour you have attributed to the Pen tool.


Grid show

Check the "Show" box to display the on-screen grid.


Grid snap

Check the "Snap" box to activate the grid's 'magnetism'.

Shortcut: Choose [image] "Snap to grid" from the Arrange menu.


Zoom fixed
Fixed magnification

Select a radio button to display a page at one of four fixed percentages of actual size.


Zoom custom
Custom magnification

Select the "Custom" button and type your own 'best' viewing scale at the cursor.


Zoom fit
Fit to window

Choose this command to scale your work to the maximum possible full-page view.


copyqf text
Edit question text

The copied question's text will appear in this panel.

Type the text of your new question at the cursor. You can select, cut, copy and paste this text just as you would in any other Windows text editor.

Enter your new question's unique reference name, and choose "OK".


copyqf name
Edit reference name

For proper identification, each question you write must be given an unique reference name.

A question will be located and referred to by its unique name in other parts of PinPoint, so make sure that you allocate a new reference name which clearly identifies its question.

Type your new reference name at the cursor.


Paper size

Click on the "Size" panel button to open the selection menu.

Choose from one of the paper and and envelope sizes shown (which are those available for yur currently chosen printer), define your own custom page size, or select a 'window sized' page.

Click on a standard paper size to select it, or type the dimensions of your custom page into the Width and Height boxes.


paper orient
Paper orientation

Click a radio button to select Portrait or Landscape page orientation. Before printing your work, choose "Printer setup..." from the File menu to check matching printer orientation.

Hint: Work with the View menu's "Show printable area" command active.


Paper colour

Choose "Colour" to open PinPoint's colour selection palette and attribute a colour to your 'electronic' page. Paper colour is displayed as white by default.


Sort qf
Question/field

The panel shows the names of the question fields on which you may sort. Choose a question by clicking on its name.


Sort order

Answer sheets may be sorted in increasing or decreasing order. Click on a radio button to choose a sort order.


Sort within
Sort within current order

Sheets may be sorted within the order in which they are currently displayed, or, if the option is unchecked, the new sort will replace any current sort..


search look
Search for ..?

Click a radio button to choose

Any text  OR

Any number only  OR

Any date only

as the answer type to search on


Search value

Type the value to be searched for into the panel.

Searches on text will find words which match your search word both in whole and in part. The wild-card character  #  may also be used to extend the range of possible matches.


search find
Find first/next

Once you have defined your search criteria, choose "Find first" or press RETURN.

PinPoint will search the stack from the first sheet and will display the first match found. Click "Find next" or press RETURN repeatedly until you find the sheet you want to review.


Newcol name
New column name

For proper identification, each new column must be given an unique reference name. A reference name may be made up of more than one word providing the words are separated by the underscore character.

Type a name at the cursor. PinPoint will prompt you to try again if the name you choose is already in use.


select qf
Question/field

This panel lists the names of the questions by which you may select answer sheets. Choose a question by clicking on its name.


select answer
Selection criteria

This panel lists the selection criteria applicable to the question you have chosen. Criteria that are not applicable will be shown 'greyed'.

Click on a radio button to choose a selection criterion.


select value
Selection value

The "Value" panel's format will change to correspond to the question type you have chosen.

Type the value(s) applicable to your selection criteria into the panel,  OR  click on the selection values listed for Ordered choice, Multiple choice and Yes/No questions. Please see the PinPoint User's Guide for complete descriptions of the entry of answer values for each of the answer types.


select include
Include on match

Select this radio button to include answer sheets matching your chosen criteria in a selection.


select exclude
Exclude on match

Select this radio button to exclude answer sheets matching your chosen criteria from a selection.


select sheets
Look through sheets

Selection criteria are applied sequentially in PinPoint, and up to fifteen may be applied to any one stack. Criteria may be combined using either "and" or "or" using the "Look through sheets" options.

If the condition is being added to those already present, choose the sheets to look through:

All Sheets

All sheets, whether currently matching any conditions or not, will be examined. In other words, a sheet will match the conditions if it matched the previous conditions OR it matches the new condition.

Current Sheets

Only those sheets matching previous conditions will be examined. In other words, a sheet will match the conditions if it matched the previous conditions AND it matches the new condition.


Newcol display
Display style

When your calculation is complete, click "Display style...". A dialogue will appear from which you may choose, or type in, the format for display of the results of the calculation.


Bar 01
2D bar

Choose this style button to plot a two-dimensional bar chart.


Bar 02
3D bar, one depth

Choose this style button to plot a three-dimensional bar chart.

Multiple series will be drawn on one depth.


Bar 03
3D bar

Choose this style button to plot a three-dimensional bar chart.


Bar 04
2D bar, rotated and stacked

Choose this style button to plot a rotated two-dimensional bar chart.

Multiple series will be [image] stacked.


Bar 05
3D bar, rotated and stacked

Choose this style button to plot a rotated three-dimensional bar chart.

Multiple series will be [image] stacked.


Bar 06
2D bar, rotated

Choose this style button to plot a rotated two-dimensional bar chart.


Bar 07
3D bar, rotated, one depth

Choose this style button to plot a rotated three-dimensional bar chart.

Multiple series will be drawn on one depth.


Bar 08
2D bar, stacked

Choose this style button to plot a two-dimensional bar chart.

Multiple series will be [image] stacked.


Bar 09
3D bar, stacked

Choose this style button to plot a three-dimensional bar chart.

Multiple series will be [image] stacked.


2D pie

Choose this style button to plot a two-dimensional pie chart.


3D pie

Choose this style button to plot a three-dimensional pie chart.


2D column

Choose this style button to plot a two-dimensional column chart.


3D column

Choose this style button to plot a three-dimensional column chart.


Line 01
Line

Choose this style button to plot a Line chart.


Line 02
Rotated line

Choose this style button to plot a rotated Line chart.


Line 03
Ribbon

Choose this style button to plot a '3D' Line chart.


Line 04
Rotated ribbon

Choose this style button to plot a rotated '3D' Line chart


Area 01
2D area, stacked

Choose this style button to plot a two-dimensional area chart.

Multiple series will be [image] stacked.


Area 02
2D area, rotated and stacked

Choose this style button to plot a rotated two-dimensional area chart.

Multiple series will be [image] stacked.


Area 03
3D area, stacked

Choose this style button to plot a three-dimensional area chart.

Multiple series will be [image] stacked.


Area 04
3D area

Choose this style button to plot a three-dimensional area chart.


Data table
Table

The Table style provides for drawing a simple table of the results of the analysis and are useful alongside a graph to clearly show the values plotted. Multi-column tables may be built in the same way as a multi-series graph; each series is a column of the table.

The table is automatically generated with suitable column widths and uses the font chosen in the Plot Graph dialogue.

There are no style dialogues for the Table style.

Tip: You may like to use the various facilities for copying analysis results to the clipboard if you wish to show a table of results in a document such as one prepared with a word processing application.


Pieseg 01
Segment fill style

Click on a button to select a fill style to apply to all segments of a Pie chart. PinPoint will allocate default colours to a Pie chart's segments when the chart is first plotted.

Note: You can change a Pie segment's fill colour, style and outline colour and out line thickness from the Presentation Editor. Double-click on a segment with the Pointer. The [image] "Pie segment style" dialogue box will appear.


Pieseg 02
Options

If required, PinPoint will label each segment of a Pie chart, and will include the value of a segment's category in the label. Check a box to select the option.


Colseg 01
Segment fill style

Click on a button to select a fill style to apply to all segments of a Column chart.

PinPoint wil allocate Column segment fill colours by default when the chart is plotted.


Colseg 02
Options

If required PinPoint will label each segment of a Column chart, and will include the value of a segment's category in the label. Check a box to select the option.


Pieseg 03
Pie segment fill style and colour

Click on a button to select a fill style to apply to the Pie segment that you are editing.

To attribute a fill colour to a segment, click the "Colour" button to open PinPoint's colour selection palette.


Pieseg 04
Pie segment outline colour and weight

Scroll the readout to select a line [image] weight to apply to the outline of the Pie segment that you are editing.

To attribute a colour to a segment's outline, click the "Colour" button to open PinPoint's colour selection palette.


Line 05
Line weight and colour

Scroll the readout to select a line [image] weight to apply to a Line.

To attribute a colour to a Line, click the "Colour" button to open PinPoint's colour selection palette.


Line 06
Points

Select a line Point style from one of the twelve styles shown.

Drag the horizontal scroll button to set the line Point size you require. Minimum size is set with the scroll button fully LEFT.


Line 07
Tick marks

Select a radio button to display tick marks Inside, Outside or Across graph axes, or to show NONE.


Line 08
Grid lines

Check these boxes to show either or both horizontal and vertical grid lines.


Line 09
Options

In the "Options" panel you may enter a value for a 'false' y-axis origin and choose to plot against a logarithmic y-axis scale.


Area 05
Area fill style and colour

Click on a button to select a fill style to apply to an Area.

You may choose to accept the Area fill colour shown, or click the "Colour" button to open PinPoint's colour selection palette and make a new selection.


Bar 10
Bar spacing

These three options control the spacing drawn between bars in a bar graph.

Use "Gap width" to set x-axis spacing between bars in any bar graph.

Use "Gap depth" to set z-axis spacing between bars in a multiple series full-3D graph.

Use "Overlap" to control the degree of x-axis overlap between bars in a multiple series 2D graph. A setting of "100%" will result in the complete overlap, or 'layering', of each series' bars.


Bar 11
Options

In the "Options" panel you may choose to

enter your value for a 'false' y-axis origin.

plot against a logarithmic y-axis scale.

plot a histogram for numeric answer values.


Bar 12
Bars fill style

Click on a button to select a fill style to apply to all bars in any one series.

To select a series' bar colours

Check "Automatic" to allow PinPoint to attribute discrete colours to all the bars in the series

Deselect "Automatic" and accept the colour shown for all the bars in the series, or click the "Colour" button to open PinPoint's colour selection palette and attribute your own.


Scatter 01
Points

Select a Point style from one of the twelve styles shown.

Drag the horizontal slider button to size Points to a multiple (on a scale of 1 - 10) of your chosen Line thickness. Minimum size is set with the slider button fully LEFT.

Click the "Colour" button to open PinPoint's colour selection palette and attribute a colour to all Points in a series.


Tick label
Tick labels

Choose the "Tick labels" button to open the Pen style dialogue box and change your graph's tick label font.

Initially, tick labels are written in the text style you attributed to your graph in the "Font" section of the "Plot graph" dialogue box.


Axis label
Axis labels

Choose the "Axis labels" button to open the Pen style dialogue box and change your graph's axis label font.

Initially, axis labels are written in the bold weight of the text style you attributed to your graph in the "Font" section of the "Plot graph" dialogue box.


label panels
Labels

The axis labels are used not only for labelling the axes on graphs with axes, but also for creating the heading for pie and column charts and, from the x-axis label, for heading the first column in a table (subsequent columns are labelled with the legend text for the series shown in the column). Whether to write a label, and the text to use, is controlled by choosing one of the options:

None	No label will be written. For tables, this option is the same as Auto.

Auto	For the y-axis, the label will be based upon the analyses used to produce the graph, for the x-axis it will be based upon the reference names of the questions whose answers were analysed.

This	Type the label text to use into the box.

Tip: To remove the heading from pie and column charts, choose None for both the x axis and y axis labels.


mg 01
Series list panel

Multiple series will be drawn on paper in the order of their appearance in the "Series" list panel. By default this will be the order in which they were first plotted.

The first series listed in the "Series" panel is always the first to be displayed. Its style also defines the other series' overall display style options, and the graph's tick mark, grid line, etc. attributes.

Use the  << | >>  buttons to re-define the series listing order.


mg 02
Reorder series

Use the  << | >>  buttons to re-define the series listing order, and as a consequence the order in which series are drawn and displayed.

Select a series and move it up or down through the series list by clicking on the button(s).


mg 03
Delete series

You may have added a series to a multiple series graph only to find that you have made a mistake, or that the new plot simply 'doesn't work'.

To delete a series form a multiple series graph, select its description in the "Series" list panel and choose the "X" button.


mg 04
Style gallery

When you select a series' description in the "Series" list panel, its chosen chart type will be selected in the gallery.

To change a series' chart type, select the series' description and then choose new chart type required from the gallery. Choose "OK", and the series will next be re-drawn in the chart type selected. The new plot will take the style attributes (i.e. 2D or 3D, etc.) of the first series in the "Series" list.

To further define the series' new style, choose "Style detail" to open a style dialogue box for the modified chart.


mg 05
Style detail

To define the style of a series' new chart type, or to modify a series' existing style attributes, choose "Style detail".

If the series selected is the first listed in the "Series" list panel, its full style dialogue box will appear - in other words you may make overall style changes to the graph; use of legends, rotated axes, grid lines etc.

If the series selected is not the first to be listed, its "Add to graph" dialogue box will appear in which you may make style changes for the series such as colour and its legend text.


mg 07
X-axis and Y-axis Ranges and Divisions

When a graph is first drawn, PinPoint will determine suitable ranges and divisioning of the numeric axes to give a reasonable presentation. If the graph is resized, PinPoint will determine new suitable ranges and divisioning for the new size of the graph, unless the graph has been modified via the Modify Graph dialogue, in which case it will attempt to use the values shown.

Using the From, To and Step boxes, you may modify the values to use for the axis range and divisions if more suitable values than those determined by PinPoint are apparent to you.

To change the values, type the new required values into the boxes.

Any desired values may be entered, however, PinPoint will check to ensure that they are usable and reasonable:

You cannot enter a From value which is greater than the smallest value to be shown, i.e. you cannot "hide" points or values from the graph.

You cannot enter a step size which does not evenly divide the range of the axis.

If an invalid value is used, PinPoint will simply change it to a valid value.

Tip: Zero may be given for all the values, this will cause PinPoint to re-calculate suitable ranges and divisioning as when the graph was first plotted. If zero is entered for the step size, PinPoint will determine a suitable step size from your given range. In either of these cases, PinPoint will also return to automatically determining suitable values when the graph is resized.


Scatter 02
Plot line of best fit

This option becomes available when a plot of 'numeric vs. numeric' values is chosen. Check "Plot line of best fit", and the best fitting LINE will be drawn through the points.

The equation of the line, in the form y=mx+c, and the linear correlation coefficient of the data are also displayed.


Line thickness

In all dialogue boxes throughout PinPoint, line thickness measurement is displayed by default in millimetre units. The spin buttons' increment/decrement value is set at 0.5mm.

You may change a line's weight by typing your own, in units of cm, mm or pt, into the "Thickness" text entry panel of the corresponding dialogue box.

Note: You can also scroll through line thickness selection from the keyboard. Use the TAB key to select the "Thickness" option, then increment or decrement the display using the UP ARROW and DOWN ARROW cursor keys.


Stacked styles
Stacked chart styles

In stacked multiple series charts the first series is plotted 'at the bottom' and further series are then plotted 'on top', in order, showing the corresponding values of different series in vertical stacks.

Each stack shows both the total reached by the combined values, and the degree of each value's contribution to that total.

To change 'stack order', click on a graph to open the [image] "Modify graph" dialogue box. Use the  << | >>  buttons to re-define the series order as shown in the "Series" list box.


IT firstline
First line contains field names

Some CSV files give field names on the first line of the file. If your source file gives field names, then ensure that this option is chosen.

If your source file does not give field names on the first line, PinPoint will create suitable names.

Some 'trial and error' may be necessary when using this setting owing to the variety of CSV text file formats in evidence.


IT charset
Character set

Click on a radio button to define the character set used by your source file, if known.

Choose ANSI if the file you are importing from was written by a Windows application, choose DOS if the file was written by a DOS application.


IMP fromfield
From field

PinPoint displays the names of the fields found in the file being imported from in this list box.

If you are "quick" importing a file into a new project built by PinPoint, matching field names will be displayed in the "To Question/field" list box. To exclude the import of information from any field, double-click on its name and select  <<<<NONE>>>>  in the [image] "Import from field" dialogue box.

If you are importing a file into an existing project, check that the field's data is going to be imported into the desired question/field in the project. If you are unhappy with PinPoint's mapping, double-click on a source field name to open the [image] "Import from field" dialogue box and map the source field to an appropriate project question field, or to NONE.


IMP tofield
To Question/field

This list shows the questions/fields that will be imported into from the matching entry in the "From field" list box.

If you are "quick" importing a file into a new project built by PinPoint, the "To Question/field" list box will display matching field names opposite those displayed in the "From field" list box, and on the same lines.

If you are importing a file into an existing project, the "To Question/field" list box will show the names of your project's existing question/fields.

Note that the question/field names are shown 'greyed'. This is because they appear for information only.


IMP from
Import from Field

The "Import from field" dialogue box displays a list of all the question fields available to which a source field may be mapped, and  <<<<NONE>>>>.

If the project has been built by PinPoint for a "quick" import, the available question field names will be identical to the source field names, otherwise, the list box will show the names of your project's existing question fields.

Highlight a destination question field name for your source field, and choose "OK" to return to the "Import" dialogue box.


Choices List

The choices list shows the descriptions of the choices available in answer to the question.

Click on a choice to select it and then choose the 'Edit' button to edit the text or font used for the text, or the 'Delete' button to delete the choice.

Alternatively, the choice can be edited by double clicking on the choice.


Form Design: "How to..."

The Form Editor allows you to: describe the data to be collected (write questions), modify them, move them around the paper so they are presented in the required order, and add explanatory text and/or pictures, until you are satisfied.

Using PinPoint, there is no need to sketch out a design for your form and the questions to be asked before beginning in PinPoint, since PinPoint itself provides you with all the tools for sketching. As you are working on the form you can continually refine it by moving, adding and removing work - in many ways it is easier to work in PinPoint than it is to use pencil and paper.

Creating a new form from scratch or from another file

Importing and merging data

Editing forms and working with objects

Working with Questions/Fields

Working with text

Backgrounds, borders and graphics


Form Editor: Writing questions
Working With Questions/Fields

A question describes the information to be collected. A question may be framed to elicit a required response from another person or framed as a terse statement of the information required. For example, you might ask "Do you eat chicken?". Alternatively, if collating information on, for example, accidents at a known black spot, you might simply state "Date: ", expecting the date of the accident to be written in.In PinPoint, a question consists of three parts:

1.	The text of the question, framed in any way desired.

2.	A short reference name for the question.

The text of a question can sometimes be quite long. To refer to the question when analysing results this reference name is used. If the text of the question is a single word, PinPoint will automatically use that word as the reference name.

3.	A description of the type of answer required, or type of data to be entered. PinPoint provides the following answer types:

Text/general

Numeric

Yes/No

Date

Multiple choice

Ordered choice

Calculated

Note	In database terminology, a question is a field and an answer type is a field type. Depending upon the application, and your experience, it can be more natural to think about questions or fields. To reflect this, dialogue boxes in PinPoint refer to Question field or Question/field.

Writing question fields

Editing question fields


Form Editor: Working with text
Working with Text

To write on the paper, for example, some instructions for completing the form, you use the [image] Pen (or Text) Tool.

The Pen tool may also be used to edit any text which is part or a question/field - the question text or answer descriptions. The tool is used in exactly the same way as when editing any other text on the paper.


Backgrounds, Borders and Graphics

The appearance of a form or analysis results presentation may be enhanced by adding backgrounds and borders to objects and adding pictures such as logos.

Backgrounds and borders

Backgrounds and borders are drawn using the [image] Rectangle tool. To draw a background to objects already on the page, draw a filled rectangle of the required colour covering the objects to be given a background and then either use the Pushdown tool, or select the rectangle using the Hand tool and then,from the Arrange menu, choose Send To Back. The rectangle will then be drawn behind the objects creating the background. Do not use this method to draw a background for the whole page, choose a colour for the [image] paper instead.

To draw a border round objects, draw an unfilled rectangle round the objects.

Graphics

A host of painting and drawing applications are available with which you can draw logos, illustrations, etc.. Images created with such programs can be pasted onto the page to improve the appearance of a form or presentation.

You may also possess applications which provide utility applications (applets) which can be used to originate objects from within PinPoint, for example, utilities to create special text effects. Such applications use the services of Object Linking and Embedding (OLE).

A graphic can be placed on the page using one of several methods:

Use a suitable application to create the graphic, or load a graphic from file and then copy the graphic to the clipboard. Switch back to PinPoint, and then, from the Edit menu, choose [image] Paste or [image] Paste Link.

If the graphic is in a .BMP or .PCX file, drag the file from File Manager and drop it on the page.

From the Edit menu, choose [image] Insert Object and choose the type of object you wish to embed on the page. Create the object using the application that appears and then choose Exit from the application's file menu. You will be returned to PinPoint and the object you created will appear at the top left corner of the page window.


Form design: Form editing and presentation
Working With Forms and Objects

A well designed and written form is more likely to be completed, and be completed accurately. The tools and procedures provided by PinPoint allow you to produce attractive forms quickly and simply.

Design guides

PinPoint's design guides - the guidelines, 'magnetic' grid and rulers selectable from the [image] View and [image] Arrange menus - will enable you to lay out your form with great precision.

You can choose to enable these guides from the start, or you can simply begin writing questions on the page and then work on form layout later. In any event it is a good idea to enable "Show printable area" from the View menu. The shaded box that this command draws around your page to denote the area in which your printer cannot print forms a good visual reference to the page area available to you.

Hint: Use the Tool Tidy's "Fit window" and "100%" buttons to zoom in and out as you work to keep a check on overall page layout and the relative size and position of elements on your form.

Editing a form

Paper setup and multi-page forms

Viewing your work area

Moving and resizing objects

Aligning objects

Layering objects


Writing questions
Writing Questions/Fields

Question fields are 'written' on a project's form with the Question tool.

1.	Placing a question

Click on the Question tool to pick it up from the Tool Tidy, and use it to mark out (drag-select) the page area that your question is to occupy. The "Question/field" dialogue box will appear when you release the left mouse button.

Note: The precise sizing and placement of a question field's area is not important at this stage. Its position, and the relative size and position of question and answer text within it, can easily be changed later.

2.	Defining a question

Your question and its text, its unique reference name, the type of answer and the data entry checking required, and the overall style and presentation of a question field are all written and defined in the "Question/field" dialogue box.

Click [image] here to see a detailed description of this dialogue box and its options.

Hint: Question text will appear aligned with the left edge of the area you mark out, and answer text with the right. Once you become used to working with the Question tool you will quickly develop a 'feel' for marking out suitable areas for different question types.


Editing questions
Editing Questions/Fields

Once a question/field has been placed on a form it can be edited and manipulated using the usual procedures or tools from the Tool Tidy:

Grouped with other objects, such as background or frame rectangles

Arranged with other questions/fields or objects using the Align menu

Moved around the page until they appear in the correct order

Copied to quickly duplicate similar questions/fields. When a question is copied using drag and drop with the hand tool, or pasted from the clipboard after copying to the clipboard, the [image] Copy Question/Field dialogue will appear in which the new question text and reference name can be entered.

The question/field itself can be modified in one of two ways:

1.	Editing question and answer text

You can edit, select, cut, copy and paste question and answer text on the page just as you would in any other Windows text application. Click on a piece of text with the Pen or Pointer to position the edit cursor.

When a question field is written its question and answer text styles, unless changed at the time of writing, will be those which are attributed to the Pen tool. To change the style of a question/field's question text or answer text, double-click on a it with the Pen or Pointer. The Pen style dialogue box will appear.

2.	Editing with the Question tool

Double-click with the Question tool on any part of a question field to re-open the "Question/field" dialogue box. You can now change any part or attribute of the question.

Note: Take care when changing answer types. If you change from (say) a Multiple choice answer to another answer type and back again, the original choice information will be lost. In addition when an 'active' project's questions are altered, sheets which have been previously entered into the stack may need to be changed or 'updated'.


Editing a Form

The form for a project can be edited at any time; new questions/fields added, questions/fields deleted or changed and "presentation material" such as graphics and borders added, removed or modified.

If the project contains no answer sheets, the form for the project will be opened when the project is opened. The form may be modified as desired and then saved by choosing Save from the File menu.

If the project contains answer sheets, then the worksheet for the project will be shown when the project is opened. To work on the form, use the Tool Tidy buttons, or options from the View menu to work on the answer sheets and then on the form.

The form may then be modified as required and then saved in the usual way. Some modifications, such as adding or removing questions/fields or changing the order of questions will require that the current answer sheets be updated to reflect the changes. You will be asked twice to confirm that you are sure that the sheets should be updated to your new form.


Aligning Objects

While working on the page various aids are provided to help in neatly arranging and aligning the objects; [image] rulers, grids and [image] guidelines.

Whether you have used these aids or not, there can be times when you wish to ensure that, for example, the left or top edges of  a set of objects are aligned perfectly with each other - a difficult operation to perform by eye.

The Align menu, from the Arrange menu, provides four commands to do this for you automatically. Each command operates on the currently selected objects:

Lefts	Aligns the objects so that the left hand edges of all the objects are aligned with the left hand edge of the leftmost object.

Tops	Aligns the objects so that the top edge of all the objects are aligned with the top edge of the topmost object.

Rights	Aligns the objects so that the right hand edge of all the objects are aligned with the right hand edge of the rightmost object.

Bottoms	Aligns the objects so that the bottom edges of all the objects are aligned with the bottom edge of the bottommost object.


Layering Objects

As objects are added to the page they are drawn on top of previous objects. This will only become apparent when an opaque object overlaps other objects.

For example, if working with real paper, you might write some text, draw a rectangle round it and then fill-in the rectangle - the text will then be obscured. So it is with PinPoints electronic paper. Realising your mistake, with real paper, you would have to start again, draw the rectangle and then add the text. Not so with PinPoint, all you have to do is change the order in which the objects are drawn:

1. If you wish to move an object so that it is below all other objects, use the [image] Pushdown tool

or

2. If you wish to move an object in the middle of a stack of objects, or bring an object or objects to the front, select the object(s) to be moved with the Hand tool and then, from the Arrange menu, choose:

Send to Back to draw the object(s) below all others.

Bring to Front to draw the objects(s) above all others.

Note: The Send to Back and Bring to Front commands appear on the Edit menu when working with answer sheets


Paper Setup and Multi-Page Forms

New forms are created as a single page of white paper of the size and orientation as decribed by the active printer. Many forms require more than one page. When working on a screen based form, you may like to use a background colour for the whole form.

The attributes of the paper may be changed at any time by choosing options from the [image] Paper menu.

Choose:

Paper Setup to change the size, orientation or colour of the paper.

Add Page to add a new page to the end of the form.

Delete Last Page to remove the last page from the form.


Creating a New Form
The New Form

There is a single form, or data collection sheet, at the core of every PinPoint project. To create a new form you begin a new project. You can begin a new project in one of several ways:

1.	From 'scatch'

Before you begin, choose "Printer setup" from the File menu and check that the printer selected is your usual default, and that its page orientation corresponds to the form layout you have planned.

From the File menu, choose New. A new form will be created as a single page of the size and orientation as decribed by the active printer.

The default may be adequate to get your project underway (you can always change it later), or you may decide to define your new form's page attributes from the start. To do this, choose [image] "Paper Setup" from the Form menu and make your new formatting choices in the dialogue box.

2.	Based on a previous project or one of the provided examples

Many example projects are provided with PinPoint. You may like to build a new project based on the form in one of the examples, or based on your own previous work.

Open the project on whose form you wish to base the new work.

If the project contains no filled-in answer sheets, its form will appear, otherwise, the worksheet for the project will appear. In this case, to use the form for the project:

From the View menu of the Worksheet, choose Answer Sheets to work on the stack of sheets. Then, from the View menu of the Sheet Editor, choose Form to work on the form.

From the Form Editor File menu, choose Save As.

Type the new name for the project into the Name box and choose the OK button.

A new project folder will be created containing only the form, the old project is automatically closed. You may now make any changes required before saving the form and continuing with the new project.

3.	Open a file whose format is understood by PinPoint

If the information is in a format understood by PinPoint, PinPoint can automatically generate a (admittedly unattractive) form for you; from the File menu, choose [image] Open.

If the information is not in a format understood by PinPoint; use the application used to manage the information originally, to create a format understood by PinPoint and then use the above method.

See also:

 Saving answer sheets to a new project


Answer sheets: "How to..."
Answer Sheet Editor: "How to..."

An answer sheet is a completed form - PinPoint's equivalent of a 'data record'. Completing and editing answers is quick and easy, with the unusual feature of also being able to add addtional text and graphics to the page, without having had to design a question/field to hold the information.

As well as completing new answer sheets, the Answer Sheet Editor also allows you to browse through the completed forms and locate sheets for amendment or deletion.

Opening the Sheet Editor

Completing and editing answers

Adding comments/captions and graphics

Importing and merging data

Working with the stack

Tools


Answer sheets: Entering answers
Completing and Editing Answers

Data entry is unfortunately a slow and painful process. By using a copy of the form, PinPoint makes the chore as clear and simple as possible. Textual answers must, obviously, be entered at the keyboard; choices can be ticked using either the keyboard or the mouse. Although you may find continuous use of the keyboard preferable.

Moving Around the Form

To move directly to an answer, click in the answer area using either the Text (Pen) or Pointer tools.

To move from an answer to the next answer, press TAB, or, if the answer has only a single line or choice, press ENTER or DOWN ARROW.

To move from an answer to the previous answer, press SHIFT+TAB, or, if the answer has only a single line or choice, press UP ARROW.

Saving the Sheet

Typing ENTER at the last question on the form will automatically save the answer sheet. To save the answer sheet at any other time, from the Sheet menu, choose [image] Save.

Editing answers

Text/general

Numeric

Yes/No

Date

Multiple choice

Ordered choice

Calculated


Answer sheets: The Stack
Working With the Stack

The Sheet Editor provides tools and procedures for adding, deleting, browsing and locating sheets.

If the Sheet Editor has been opened by switching the view of the project from the Form or Worksheet, all of the answer sheets in the stack may be worked on. However, if the Sheet Editor has been opened on a particular sheet by double clicking on a sheet in the Worksheet display, only those sheets matching the current selection criteria may be worked on.

Adding a new sheet

Turning through sheets

Searching for a sheet

Deleting a sheet

Altering the form

Analysing sheets


Editing Text/general Answers

Textual answers are entered and edited using the standard text editing techniques - the same way as text was written and edited with the Pen on the form.

If several lines are allowed in answer, you may press ENTER to move to the next line, for example, if entering an address. If you do not press ENTER, text will wrap at the end of a line to the next line automatically.

You may cut or copy text using the standard techniques; select the text using any of the available methods and then [image] cut or [image] copy the text to the Windows clipboard by choosing the required option from the Edit menu, or by clicking the required Tool Tidy button.

Text on the Windows clipboard may be pasted into a textual answer by choosing [image] Paste from the Edit menu (CTRL+V).


Editing Numeric Answers

Editing a numeric answer is quick and simple. Typed digits are inserted at the insertion point. To enter the decimal of a number either type . or press the RIGHT ARROW key.

Tip	After the edit caret first appears in the answer, typing a digit will clear any current answer and insert the new digit. To edit an answer already present, use the ARROW KEYS to position the caret and then type the changes.


Editing Yes/No Answers

Yes/No answers may be completed using either the mouse or keyboard:

Mouse

To tick a choice, click on it. In the case of Yes/No answers and multiple choice answers in which only one choice is allowed, any other ticked choice will be cleared.

Keyboard

A dotted line will be drawn round the choice to be edited.

To tick the choice:	Press SPACE - any other ticked choice will be cleared. To clear the tick, press SPACE again.

To move to the next choice:	Press ENTER or DOWN ARROW.

To move to the previous choice:	Press UP ARROW.


Editing Date Answers

The exact requirements for entering and editing a date depend upon the format required for the date. However, for any format, the following short-cuts are available to speed entry:

If no century is given for the year, the current century is assumed.

Each of the formats delimits the day, month and year part of the date by some character; typing the delimiting character moves the caret to the next part.

For example, if the chosen format is dd/mm/yyyy all of the following can be typed, exactly as shown here, to enter a date of 1st March 1993:

1/3/93

01/3/93

01/03/1993

Dates entered must be valid (a blank date is considered valid) before you can move on to the next answer.


Editing Multiple Choice Answers

Multiple choice answers may be completed using either the mouse or keyboard:

Mouse

To tick a choice, click on it. In the case of Yes/No answers and multiple choice answers in which only one choice is allowed, any other ticked choice will be cleared.

Keyboard

A dotted line will be drawn round the choice to be edited.

To tick the choice:	Press SPACE. If only one choice is allowed, any other ticked choice will be cleared. To clear the tick, press SPACE again.

To move to the next choice:	Press ENTER or DOWN ARROW.

To move to the previous choice:	Press UP ARROW.


Editing Ordered Choice Answers

Since the ranking value for each choice is a number, it is edited in the same way as a numeric answer.

PinPoint ensures that each ranking value is in the range zero to the number of available choices. A value of zero will be taken to mean that the choice is not ranked.


Editing Calculated Answers

Calculated answers cannot be edited. As the answer to any and each question used in the calculation is entered, the calculated answer is updated.


Adding a new answer sheet
Adding a New Answer Sheet to the Stack

When the Sheet Editor is opened and there are as yet no sheets in the stack, a blank form is shown ready for completion automatically.

When there are sheets in the stack, a blank form can be presented for completion (rather like tearing off a sheet from a pad of blank forms) by either:

 Click the New Sheet tool in the Tool Tidy.

- or -

From the Sheet menu, choose [image] New Sheet.


Adding captions and graphics
Adding Comments, Captions and Graphics to an Answer Sheet

Many of the writing, drawing and object manipulation tools and procedures found with the Forms and Graphics Presentation Editors are also found on the Sheet Editor and may be used to add text, rectangles, lines, graphics and embedded files to an answer sheet.

Why?

When designing a questionnaire, it can be difficult to anticipate all the answers that may be given to a question. Respondents also often feel the need to express themselves further in answer to a question. Using the [image] Pen tool, any additional answers to a question can be written on the answer sheet.

You may not have room on your form to write in the extra text; it can be written elsewhere, where there is room, and the [image] Line (Pencil) tool used to draw an arrow or line from the additional text to the answer to which it applies.

If you have a particularly long piece of text to add to an answer sheet, you may like to use a suitable text editing application such as Write, supplied with Windows, to write the text. Save the text to a file and then drag the file from File Manager on to the answer sheet. An icon for the file will appear; double click the file and Write will be started editing the contents of the file.


Turning through Sheets

The sheets in the stacked may be browsed by using buttons in the Tool Tidy or commands from the Sheet menu:

Click:

To turn to the previous sheet

To turn to the next sheet

Choose:

Previous	(CTRL+P)	To turn to the previous sheet

Next	(CTRL+N)	To turn to the next sheet

Last	(CTRL+L)	To turn to the last sheet

First	(CTRL+F)	To turn to the first sheet

Note: If the Sheet Editor has been opened by double clicking on a sheet displayed on the worksheet, the sheets will be browsed in the order in which they are currently sorted on the worksheet. Otherwise they will be browsed in entry order.


Altering the Form

The form for the project may be modified at any time; new questions added, questions removed or amended, additional caption text added or graphical elements modified.

From the Sheet Editor's View menu, choose Form.

Note that if you have opened the Sheet Editor from a worksheet, PinPoint will prompt you to confirm that the worksheet may be closed before the form is changed.

If a form is to be edited substantially, that is if

Any question fields are deleted

Or any new question fields are added

Or the order of questions on the page is changed

Or the answer type of questions is changed

Or new choices are added to choice type questions

then any existing answer sheets in the project's stack may need to be updated. For this reason, you are recommended to take a backup copy of the project before making such changes.

Save changes and update sheets?

When you have completed your alterations to the form click the [image] Stack tool to return to the Sheet Editor window.

PinPoint will prompt you to save your changes, and will ask you to confirm, twice, that you wish to [image] update all the sheets in the current stack.

If you choose "Yes" then all the completed sheets will be updated accordingly. The information currently held in the sheets will be preserved wherever possible.

Tool Tidy button:

See also:

 Save


Importing data
Importing Data and Merging Projects

The "Import" option appears on the File menu of the Forms, Answer Sheet and Worksheet editor windows.

The use of Import allows you to bring information managed in another of your applications into PinPoint for further work, especially analysis. Using Import also allows you to merge similar projects together. For example, if you have a large data entry task which you have split among several people, you can merge each of the projects together to build a single project for the analysis work.

Note: PinPoint does not understand, and is unable to read, all the different file formats created by all the applications there are. However, it is able to understand the common file formats. If you wish to read from an un-supported format, you must use the application used to originally create the data to build a file of your data in one the formats understood by PinPoint. Please see the README.TXT file supplied with PinPoint for a list of the file formats understood by PinPoint.

Import always adds the imported infomation as new answer sheets added to those already present.

Before Importing, you should know the type of information to be imported and design a form containing suitable questions/fields into which the data can be imported. The reference name of the question/field should, ideally, be the same as the field name in the file being imported from. Fields being imported from which contain text can be imported into multiple choice answers by writing a question/field with choices whose descriptions are the text that will be come across in the fields.

Using Import

To import the information, from the File menu, choose Import. An Open File dialogue will appear; locate the file you wish to import from and then complete the ensuing dialogues. Help is available on each of the dialogues by choosing the Help button or by typing F1.

Note: As a 'quick' way of importing information, you can let PinPoint design a (admittedly unattractive) form for you. However, PinPoint will not design multiple choice questions/fields, it will import all textual information into questions/fields with answer types of Text/General. To "quick" import, from the File menu, choose [image] Open.

See also:

 New Form


Opening the Sheet Editor

To Work With All the Sheets.

From whichever view of the project you are working in, the Form Editor, or the Worksheet, you can switch to view the answer sheets in the Sheet Editor by, from the View menu, choosing Answer Sheets. If there are already completed sheets, the first sheet in the stack will be shown. If there are no completed sheets, a blank form will be shown ready for completion. In either case, the edit caret will be positioned in the answer area of the first question. When switching from the Worksheet, the Worksheet will be closed.

To Work With a Sub-set of Sheets

When working with the Worksheet, you may want to work on a particular sheet. The Sheet Editor can be opened directly on the particular sheet by double clicking on its row in the Worksheet.

The Worksheet will remain open (it can be seen minimised in the workplace and cannot be activated), and when browsing through the sheets, only those sheets currently selected on the Worksheet can be seen.

To return to the Worksheet, either close the Sheet Editor or switch to the Worksheet directly by choosing Worksheet from the View menu.


Analysis worksheets: "How to..."
Worksheets: "How to..."

The worksheet provides a menu bar containing the commands and procedures for manipulating the worksheet and a Tool Tidy giving quick access to the most frequently used facilities. The worksheet can be scrolled using the scroll bars with the mouse or via the keyboard using the ARROW KEYS.

Tip: Many of the dialogues displayed when a tool is chosen show a list of the questions/fields in the project, from which you select the question/field to which the procedure should apply. The first selected column of the worksheet will be used as the default selection in these lists. So, a useful 'short-cut' when often repeating procedures for the same question/field is to select the column title for the question/field by clicking on it.

Editing answer sheets

Worksheet configuration

Sorting sheets

Choosing and selecting sheets

Selecting individual sheets

Statistics

Performing calculations

Exporting information

Producing Graphs, Charts and Tables

Tools


Analysis worksheets: Worksheet configuration
Worksheet Configuration

The first time the worksheet for a project is displayed, the answers to each of the questions on the form are shown in columns, arranged in the order they are presented on the form.

For convenience, the worksheet may be configured in a variety of ways; the display font, the width of the columns, the order of the columns and which columns are shown may all be changed. Once a satisfactory display has been arranged it can be saved, then, when the project is opened in the future, it will use the same configuration.

Display font

Changing column widths

Moving columns

Removing columns

Saving the Worksheet

Saving the worksheet saves the current configuration of the worksheet; the font used, columns displayed, column widths, etc.. It also saves details of any sort order defined, selection conditions in use and statistics to be displayed.

Saving the worksheet is useful after you have initially configured it to your requirements or when, for example, you always wish the sheets to be displayed in a certain order, perhaps sorted alphabetically by name.

To save the worksheet, from the File menu, choose Save.

Note: The answer sheets on the worksheet can also be saved as a text file or as a new PinPoint project. This allows information to be exported to other applications or a new project to be built from just some of the sheets in the current project. Full details are given in the section [image] Exporting Information


Analysis worksheets: Sorting sheets
Sorting Sheets - Overview

The simplest analysis tool is the Sort Sheets tool (from the Tools menu, choose [image] Sort Sheets) for sorting the sheets into some order. Sorting can visually provide an overview of your information by grouping like information. Sorting can also be used before producing a graph of textual information to ensure the x axis labels of the graph appear in order. Sorts may be in ascending or descending order with up to 5 levels of nested sorting, i.e. sorting by the answer to a question within the answers to other questions. When performing nested sorts, additional sorts are added one at a time. The additional sort may be removed without disturbing the previous sort order, in case it has provided no further information and a different avenue of investigation is to be followed.

Tip: If you always wish to display the sheets sorted into a particular order when the worksheet is opened, choose the sort order required and then save the worksheet.

After performing a sort, the details of the sort are shown in the worksheet control panel, along with buttons to add an additional sort, or remove the last sort order added:

Sorting procedure


Analysis worksheets: Selecting sheets
Choosing and Selecting Sheets

Choosing those sheets that match a particular condition, or set of conditions, is one of the major functions of the worksheet.

Choosing sheets may be an analysis excercise in itself since it can answer simple questions such as "How many of my sample work with computers?". It is also used in conjunction with other analysis activities such as plotting graphs or performing cross tabulations. For example, by selecting sheets and then plotting a graph, a question such as "For those in my sample under 35, how many eat chicken once a week, twice a week, etc.?" can be answered.

The process of choosing sheets is designed to be informative and flexible.

When choosing those sheets that match a set of conditions, each condition is added one at a time, rather than giving a whole complex condition at once. The effect of each condition can then easily be seen - has the sample now become too small, is the sample size still too large?.At any time any condition in a set of conditions can be removed, and further conditions added - there is no need to start all over again.

Finally, you will often apply procedures such as as printing and graphing to all or the chosen sheets. However, there may be occasions where you wish to apply the procedure to only some selection of the chosen sheets, and these sheets cannot be selected easily by adding another selection condition. In these cases you may directly [image] select the sheets to use.

To Choose Sheets:

Click the Tool Tidy tool, or from the Tools menu, choose [image] Add Selection Condition.

To Add Further Selection Conditions:

Click the Tool Tidy tool, or from the Tools menu, choose [image] Add Selection Condition, or click the Add Condition button on the control panel.

To Remove a Condition:

Click the Remove Condition button next to the condition to be removed.

To Remove All Conditions

From the Tools menu, choose [image] Remove Selection Conditions and Sorting, or click the Reset Worksheet tool in the tool tidy.

Tip: If you always wish to display a particular selection of sheets when the worksheet is opened, define the selection conditions required and then save the worksheet.


Analysis worksheets: Exporting information
Exporting Information

PinPoint provides various methods for exporting information for use in other applications; saving answer sheets to a file which can be imported into your other application, or copying the answer sheets to the Windows clipboard from where they can be pasted into another application.

Also, a new PinPoint project may be created, based on the same form, but containing just some of the answers sheets from the current project.

Exporting answer sheets to a file

Copying answer sheets to the Windows clipboard

Creating a new project

See also:

Exporting Analysis Results


Changing column widths

The initial available display width of a column depends upon the display font used for the worksheet and the definition of the answer to be shown. Textual answers are displayed in the available width and word-wrapped when necessary. Other answers are not word wrapped; instead, the whole of the answer will not be visible. To make more efficient use of space, most information visible or most "relaxing" presentation to view, columns may be resized as required.

To change the width of a column:

1.	Point to the right hand edge of the column.

The cursor will change to show that you may resize the column.

either:

2.	Click and drag left to reduce the width of the column.

If you reduce the width to zero, by dragging the column right margin to the left of its left margin, the column will be removed (all columns between the new left margin and the column being resized will be removed).

- or -

2.	Click and drag right to expand the width of the column.


Moving Columns

While working on the worksheet, it may be convenient to rearrange the columns. For example, when examining the answers to two particular questions it is convenient to have the columns of answers next to each other.

Columns can be moved one at a time or in groups.

To Move a Single Column

1.	Point to the title of the column to be moved.

The cursor will change to the Hand tool to indicate that the column may be moved.

2.	Click and drag the column title to the left of the column title before which you wish to place the column.

3.	Release the mouse button and the columns will be rearranged.

To Move Groups of Columns

1.	Select the columns to be moved:

Select the first column to move by clicking the column title.

If the columns to move are all next to each other, point to the last column in the group, hold down SHIFT and click the column title.

If the columns are not next to each other, point to each column in turn to be moved and click the column title while holding down CTRL.

2.	Click on any of the selected columns and drag the column titles to the left of the column title before which you wish to place the selected columns.

3.	Release the mouse button and the columns will be rearranged.

To De-select Columns

Columns selected by this process can be de-selected by clicking on the column(s) title while holding down CTRL. However, note that the first selected column is used as the default selection in in the question/field lists that appear in many of the dialogues that ensue from using a worksheet tool.


Removing fields
Removing Columns

Worksheets will often contain many columns and, while investigating one aspect of the information, the presence of uninteresting columns can be a distraction.

To Remove a Single Column

1.	Point to the title of the column to be removed.

The cursor will change to the Hand tool to indicate that the column may be moved or removed.

2.	Click and drag the column title out of the column titles area, to either above or below the titles area.

The cursor will change to that of the Question tool, but with a cross through it, to indicate that the column will be removed.

3.	Release the mouse button and the column will be removed.

To Remove a Group of Columns

1.	Select the columns to be removed:

Select the first column to remove by clicking the column title.

If the columns to be removed are all next to each other, point to the last column in the group, hold down SHIFT and click the column title.

If the columns are not next to each other, point to each column to be removed in turn and click the column title while holding down CTRL.

2.	Click on any of the selected columns and drag the column titles out of the titles area, either above or below.

The cursor will change to that of the Question tool, with a cross through it, to indicate that the selected columns will be removed.

3.	Release the mouse button and the columns will be removed.

To Put Back Removed Columns

Using the mouse:

1.	Point to anywhere in the column titles area and click the right hand mouse button.

A list of the removed columns will appear.

2.	Choose the column to be put back on the worksheet.

Using the keyboard:

From the View menu choose Put Back then the name of the column to be put back on the worksheet.


Editing Answer Sheets

To switch the view of the project from the worksheet to the answer sheets in the Sheet Editor either click the Answer Sheets tool in the Tool Tidy, or, from the View menu, choose Answer Sheets. The Sheet Editor will then appear showing the first sheet in the stack and the worksheet will be closed.

Alternatively, if you only wish to modify or examine a particular sheet in the stack, double click on the row containing the sheet's answers. The Sheet Editor will then appear showing the sheet requested. In this case the worksheet remains open and can be returned to in the normal way or by closing the Sheet Editor.

Note: Since the worksheet stays open, turning through the sheets turns through those sheets currently chosen on the worksheet, in the order they are displayed on the worksheet.


Worksheet Display Font

The display font initially used is the default, usually 10 point Arial. More information can be made visible at one time by using a smaller point size. The font used for display is also that used to [image] print the worksheet and you may like to choose a different font.

From the View menu, choose Font.

The standard Font Style dialogue will appear.

Choose the font, style and size required and then choose the OK button.

Note: Both fonts provided by your printer and fonts only available on the screen are listed. If a screen only font is chosen and the worksheet is then printed, the closest matching font available on your printer will be used when printing.


To Select Individual Sheets
Selecting Individual Sheets

A single sheet:

Click the row showing the sheet, any other selected sheets will be de-selected.

Another sheet:

Hold down CTRL and click the row showing the sheet. Clicking a selected row will de-select the sheet.

A contiguous range of sheets:

Select the first sheet in the range, hold down SHIFT and select the last sheet in the range.

Discontinuous ranges of sheets:

Select the first range of sheets. For subsequent ranges, select the first sheet in the range while holding down CTRL and select the last sheet in the range while holding down SHIFT.


Saving Answer Sheets to a New Project
Creating a New Project

A new PinPoint project may be created, based on the same form, but containing just some of the answers sheets from the current project. This may be of use if, for example, you wish to provide someone else with a copy of a sub-set of your information.

Note: Only the form and answer sheets are copied to the new project. The worksheet configuration details and any presentations are not copied.

1.	If only a sub-set of the answer sheets are to be copied, choose the sheets by using [image] selection conditions or by selecting the [image] individual sheets.

2.	From the File menu, choose Save As - the Save As dialogue will appear.

3.	Ensure "PinPoint project" is shown in the File Types box.

4.	Type the name for the new project into the File Name box.

5.	Select the required drive and directory for the new project.

6.	Select which answer sheets are to be copied from the Sheets group of options either; all the sheets, the chosen sheets or the selected sheets.

7.	Choose the OK button.

The new project will then be created.


Exporting Answer Sheets to a File

Answer sheets can be written to a text file which can then be read into another application. Each answer sheet is written as a single line in the file and each answer is separated by some delimiter character; comma in Comma Separated Value (CSV) files or TAB in Tab Separated Value (TSV) files. Nearly all applications, from word processors to databases, can read information stored in one of these formats - see your applications documentation for details on how to read such files.

Just some or all of the answer sheets may be written to the file and just some or all of the answers for each of the sheets.

Note: Multiple choice answers in which more than one choice is allowed and ordered choice answers cannot be exported since these require multiple values to be given for each field, which would not be understood by an importing application.

1.	The answers from the currently shown columns will be written to the file. If all answers are not required, [image] remove the columns containing those answers not required.

2.	If only a sub-set of the answer sheets are to be written, choose the sheets by using [image] selection conditions or by selecting the [image] individual sheets.

3.	From the File menu, choose Save As - the Save As dialogue will appear.

4.	From the List Files of Type box, select the type of text file to write, either CSV or TSV.

5.	Type the name for the file into the File Name box.

6.	Select the required drive and directory for the new file.

7.	Select which answer sheets are to be written from the Sheets group of options either; all the sheets, the chosen sheets or the selected sheets.

8.	If the file will be read by a Windows application, ensure the Windows option is chosen in the Character Set group of options, otherwise choose the DOS option.

9.	Choose the OK button.

The chosen sheets and answers will then be written to the file. Switch to your other application and use its facilities to import the information:


Graphics Presentation: "How to..."

The Graphics Presentation Editor is a Page Editor. The standard tools for writing on the paper to add headings and captions, drawing borders, etc. and manipulating objects, are all available.

While working with the editor, you may:

Prepare a complete presentation of results, ready for printing.

Simply prepare one or two graphs with associated headings etc. to be copied to the Windows clipboard for pasting into another application being used to assemble a complete report.

Working with graphs

Working with crosstab tables

Working with the presentation and objects

Working with text

Backgrounds, borders and graphics

Saving, opening and deleting presentations

Tools


Graphics presentation: Editing a graph
Working With Graphs

When a graph is first drawn, it will occupy an area approximately 10 centimetres by 10 centimetres on the paper. You will almost certainly wish to modify the graph in some way, for example, change its size. You may also be dissatisfied with its presentation style, labelling, presence of legends, colours used, axis ranges, etc. All of these can be changed. Once a satisfactory result has been achieved, [image] headings, [image] borders, highlights and other graphics can be added, using the standard tools in the Tool Tidy, to complete the presentation.

Almost any aspect of the presentation of a graph can be changed, except the information it presents. For example, a graph of frequency analysis where the absolute values are shown, cannot be changed into one where the percentages of total frequency are shown.

Note: Simple tables are also considered as a graph in this section.

Presentation Style

To change presentation aspects of a graph; style used for a series, order of display of series, label text, axis ranges, use of grid lines etc., double on the graph with the Pointer tool. The [image] Modify Graph dialogue will then appear in which you can specify your changes.

Tip: When working with pie charts, hold down CTRL while double clicking on any slice.

Working with Graphs

Moving and resizing a graph

Working with Pie charts

Editing graph labels and legend text

The Modify Graph dialogue box

Erasing a graph


Graphics presentation: Working with text
Working with Text

To write on the paper, for example, headings for a graph or brief statement of conclusions, you use the [image] Pen (or Text) Tool.

Also, using the Pen tool, any of the label text around a graph, division labels, axis labels and legend text, can be modified in the usual way:

Click in the text to display the edit caret and type any modifications required.

Note that vertical text (running from bottom to top), such as that used to label the vertical axis of graphs, can also be edited in this way.

Double click in the text to open the Font style dialogue and change the style of the text.

The style of vertical text can also be changed in this way, but it will remain vertical text, you cannot change it to horizontal text.

Any text around the graph can also be moved and re-formatted in the usual way with the [image] Hand tool.

IMPORTANT

Modifications made in this way will be lost if the whole graph is modified in any way, for example if it is resized or its style is changed. This is because, in these cases, the complete graph has to be re-drawn from the original information. Various changes to label text and the fonts used can be made by using the [image] Modify Graph dialogue (double click the graph using the Pointer tool) which are maintained if the graph is modified with the other tools. You should use this latter method in preference.The ability to make modifications using the Pen and Hand tools is provided as a convenience when the overall presentation of the graph is satisfactory and only minor changes are required.


Graphics presentation: Presentation techniques
Working with the Presentation and Objects

Paper setup and multi-page presentations

Viewing your work area

Moving and resizing objects

Aligning objects

Layering objects

Saving a presentation

Design guides

PinPoint's design guides - the guidelines, 'magnetic' grid and rulers selectable from the [image] View and [image] Arrange menus - will enable you to lay out your presentation with great precision.

If you intend to print you presentation, it is also a good idea to enable "Show printable area" from the View menu. The shaded box that this command draws around your page to denote the area in which your printer cannot print forms a good visual reference to the page area available to you.

Hint: Use the Tool Tidy's "Fit window" and "100%" buttons to zoom in and out as you work to keep a check on overall page layout and the relative size and position of elements on your presentation.


Moving a graph
Moving and Resizing a Graph

The [image] Hand tool is used to move the graph around the paper and to resize the graph.

Selecting the Graph

When working with pie charts and graphs to which a legend has been added, you are working with a group of objects in a similar way to working with question text and the answer area of questions/fields. Components can be selected individually, a slice of the pie or the graph or legend on its own, to move separately, or one may select the whole graph or pie.

To select the whole graph or pie; hold down CTRL while clicking any component.

Moving a Graph

Move the graph as you would any other object; select the graph and then drag it to the required position.

Resizing a Graph, other than Pie Charts

Resize a graph as you would any other object; select the graph and then drag one of the selection handles.

The graph will then be re-drawn within the new size. As a result axis ranges, divisioning and presentation of labels may change.

Resizing a Pie Chart

To resize a pie chart, select the whole of the chart and then drag one of the handles. Pie charts are always circular so the chart should be resized by reducing or increasing both the width and height of the chart. In other words, drag diagonally towards or away from the opposite corner to that being dragged.


Editing a pie chart
Working with Pie Charts

Each slice may be independently moved to create exploded pie charts and the colour and fill style of each slice may be separately changed. However, as with modifying labels, these changes are lost if the overall pie chart style is changed (such as labelling options), or the chart is resized.

Resizing Pie Charts

To resize a pie chart, use the Hand tool and select the whole of the pie chart and then drag one of the handles. Pie charts are always circular so the chart should be resized by reducing or increasing both the width and height of the chart, in other words, drag diagonally towards or away from the opposite corner to that being dragged.

Tip	Clicking on a slice of the chart will select that slice, to select the whole chart hold down CTRL while clicking on any component of the pie chart.

Changing the Style of a Slice

1.	Pick up the Pointer tool.

2.	Double click on the slice whose style is to be modified.

The [image] Pie Segment Style dialogue will appear.

3.	Choose a fill style and colour.

4.	For added effect, the outline of the slice can be drawn in a thick line and in any desired colour.

5.	Choose the OK button.

Exploding Slices

Since resizing or modifying the overall style of a pie chart causes exploded slices to be snapped back into the chart, slices should only be exploded once the overall presentation of the chart is satisfactory.

To explode a slice, simply use the Hand tool to move the slice to the desired position.


Saving a Presentation

To Save an Untitled Presentation

1.	From the File menu, choose Save or Save As.

The Save Presentation As dialogue will appear.

2.	Type the name for the presentation into the Name box (maximum 24 characters, any characters are allowed). The name must be unique within the project.

3.	Choose the OK button.

To Save a Modified Presentation

Once a presentation has been saved to the project file, modifications can be saved to the file simply by choosing Save from the File menu.


Paper Setup and Multi-Page Presentations

New presentations (by plotting or drawing to "new" paper) are created as a single page of white paper of the size and orientation as decribed by the active printer. The paper is untitled and attached to the project from which the graph or table was produced. Graphs and tables derived from information from other projects can be added to the paper, but it remains attached to the original project.

When further graphs and tables are plotted or drawn on the paper, they are drawn in an area of free space on the paper (new graphs always occupy an area approximately 10cm by 10cm). If there is no free space, a new page is automatically added to the paper to accomodate the new graph or table.

You may change the attributes of the paper to your own requirements at any time by choosing options from the [image] Paper menu.

Choose:

Paper Setup to change the size, orientation or colour of the paper.

Add Page to add a new page to the end of the form.

Delete Last Page to remove the last page from the form.


Table editing
Working With Crosstab Tables

Crosstab tables are fixed in format and very little modification can be made:

Any text in the table and its style may be modified in the usual way with the [image] Pen tool.

The table may be resized using the [image] Hand tool, however, "true" resizing does not occur. For example, text does not reformat within a reduced width for each column. Instead, the grid lines and border of the table are scaled in proportion to the amount the table was resized, and the position of text ( but not its size) adjusted accordingly.


Saving, Opening and Deleting Presentations

When the paper for a presentation is first created (by plotting or drawing to "new" paper), it is untitled and attached to the project from which the graph or table was produced. Graphs and tables derived from information from other projects can be added to the paper, but it remains attached to the original project.

Presentations may be saved to the project file so that further work can be added later or so that the presentation is available for future reference.

To Save an Untitled Presentation

1.	From the File menu, choose Save or Save As.

The Save Presentation As dialogue will appear.

2.	Type the name for the presentation into the Name box (maximum 24 characters, any characters are allowed). The name must be unique within the project.

3.	Choose the OK button.

To Save a Presentation Under a New Name

A copy of a presentation can be made by saving it with a new name:

1.	From the File menu, choose Save As.

The Save Presentation As dialogue will appear.

2.	Type the new name for the copy of the presentation into the Name box (maximum 24 characters, any characters are allowed). The name must be unique within the project.

3.	Choose the OK button.

To Save a Modified Presentation

Once a presentation has been saved to the project file, modifications can be saved to the file simply by choosing Save from the File menu.

Opening a Presentation

A previously-saved presentation in a project may be opened while viewing the worksheet or another presentation in the project.

1.	From the File menu, choose Open Presentation.

The Open Presentation dialogue will appear in which the presentations currently filed in the project are shown.

2.	Either double click the name of the presentation to be opened from among those listed, or type the name into the box and press ENTER.

Deleting a Presentation

To delete a presentation filed in a project:

1.	Open the presentation.

2.	From the File menu, choose Delete (ALT, F, D).

3.	You will be asked to confirm that you wish to delete the presentation. If you are sure that you wish to do so, choose the Yes button.

The presentation will then be removed from the project file, but it will remain open and could be saved again. You will only actually lose the presentation when you close the project.


Erasing a Graph

A graph may be removed using any of the standard techniques for deleting objects. For example, the Eraser tool can be used to remove the graph from the page.

Deleting any component object of the graph will remove the whole graph, except when a legend is removed, in which case the graph remains.


Editing Graph Labels and Legend Text

To alter the main axis labels or the text used for any legend applied to the graph, or to add a legend, double click on the graph and specify your changes in the [image] Modify Graph dialogue.

Minor modifications, once the overall presentation of the graph is satisfactory, may be made to these items, and the division label text by [image] editing the text with the Pen tool.


Paper Setup

This dialogue box appears when you choose [image] "Paper setup..." from the Paper menu.

Click on the picture for more information.


Import From Field

This dialogue box appears when you double-click on a source field name in the "From field" list box of the [image] "Import" dialogue box.

To Question/field


Import
Import Dialogue

After reading the descriptions of the fields and data types present in the file being imported from, PinPoint atttempts to match them with the questions/fields in the project. This dialogue shows the results of that matching, listing the fields found to be imported from and the question/field the data will be imported to. You now have an opportunity to check that PinPoint's matching is correct and make any amendments required.

From field

To Question/field

When you have 'mapped' all the fields in your source file as required, choose "OK".

The data will then be imported as required.


Import From Text File

This dialogue box appears when you choose to import a CSV or TSV text file using the [image] "Open..." or [image] "Import..." commands from the File menu.

First line contains field names

Character set

PinPoint interprets the type of information in CSV files as follows, and in the following order:

If a field is surrounded by double quotation marks it is assumed to be a character field.

If a field contains only digits or a full stop it is assumed to be numeric.

If a field contains only digits and the date component delimiter character, and it is a valid date, it is assumed to to be a date.

If a field contains "Yes", "No", "True" or "False" it is assumed to be suitable for a Yes/No question field.

If the contents of the field can be matched to the choices available to a Multiple choice question field, it is matched to that question field.

If none of the above conditions are met, then information is assumed to be text.


Copy Question/Field

This dialogue box appears when you [image] Paste or [image] "Quick Copy" a complete question into a form.

Click on the picture for more information.


Statistics

This dialogue box appears when you choose [image] "Statistics..." from the Worksheet Tools menu, or when you click on the Statistics button from a Worksheet window.

Question/Field

Statistics

Options

"OK"

Hint

Analysis Worksheets: How to...

To re-size or close the Statistics window


Text/general answers
Question/Field: Text/General Answers

Text/General answers are used where some text is to be given, for example, a persons name or a description of some sort.

To provide flexibility in the presentation of the form, the area in which the text is to be entered may be presented in one of a variety of ways, as a number of lines, a box for some comment or as a formatted (picture) area in which you wish to control the characters that can be entered.

The lower part of the "Question/field" dialogue box will change to look like this when you choose the "Text/general" option.

Click on the picture for more information.


Numeric answers
Question/Field: Numeric Answers

An answer type of Numeric is used when a numerical answer is required; for a persons age or a measure of temperature for example.

To aid accurate completion of the form, the units of the required answer can be described and checks to ensure entry of values within a certain range.

The lower part of the "Question/field" dialogue box will change to look like this when you choose the "Numeric" option.

Click on the picture for more information.


Date answers
Question/Field: Date Answers

Hopefully, the answer type Date is self explanatory  use it when a date is required in response to a question. PinPoint will accept any AD date up to the year 9999.

Several different formats of date entry are available. The formats in which days and months are entered as numbers take account of your short form date format settings of the International section of the Control Panel.

The lower part of the "Question/field" dialogue box will change to look like this when you choose the "Date" option.

Click on the picture for more information.


Multiple choice answers
Question/Field: Multiple Choice Answers

Multiple choice answers present the respondent with choices from which they are to choose one or more by ticking the box. An assortment of styles of tick box is available.

A multiple choice answer is preferable to a textual answer since the answers that can be given can be controlled. For example, one might ask How many times a week do you eat chicken?. If the respondent were allowed to write an answer in, all sorts of variations for the same answer would be received; 3 times, 3, Three, etc. This variation in answer would make accurate analysis very difficult.

The lower part of the "Question/field" dialogue box will change to look like this when you choose the "Multiple choice" option.

Click on the picture for more information.


Ordered choice answers
Question/Field: Ordered Choice Answers

An answer type of Ordered Choice is one where a set of choices are to be placed in numerical order of preference.

During analysis, the popularity of each choice can be determined; a measure of the number of times the choice was placed first, second, third, etc.

The lower part of the "Question/field" dialogue box will change to look like this when you choose the "Ordered choice" option.

Click on the picture for more information.


Calculated answers
Question/Field: Calculated Answers

Calculated answers may be useful when some value is to be determined from numerical answers previously given and the calculated value is to be shown on the form.

The calculation is entered as a simple formula and may include the value of any other numerical questions, including other calculations. As with numerical answers, several styles are available for the presentation of the result; lines, boxes and combs.

Note: Calculations can be performed on the project worksheet. Calculated questions need only be used when you wish to see the result of the calculation on each answer sheet.

The lower part of the "Question/field" dialogue box will change to look like this when you select the "Calculated" radio button.

Click on the picture for more information.


Grid

This dialogue box appears when you choose [image] "Grid..." from the View menu.

Click on the picture for more information.


Zoom

This dialogue box appears when you choose [image] "Zoom..." from the View menu.

Click on the picture for more information.


Area Chart

Area graphs cannot be plotted for numeric information.

As a single series graph, an area graph is effectively a filled line graph.

For multi-series graphs, the area graph may be a filled ribbon graph or, by using stacked areas, illustrate cumulative values for matching responses and how each series contributes to the total.

Area fill style

Tick marks

Grid lines

Legend

Style gallery

Click on a style icon.


Bar Chart Style

Bar graphs represent the value for each response in a series as a bar. The values are plotted against a y-axis scale that may be linear or logarithmic and are plotted as their deviation from the y-axis origin. The origin of the axis may be specified to be a value other than zero. For example, if the y-axis shows temperatures recorded in degrees fahrenheit, one might set an origin at 32 so that the bars show the deviation of temperatures from freezing point.

Bar spacing

Options

Tick marks

Grid lines

Bars

Legend

Style gallery

Click on a style icon.


Column Chart Style

Like pie charts, column charts illustrate the contribution made by each response to the whole and the comparison between the contributions made by different responses. The first value in the series is plotted at the bottom, subsequent values are stacked on top in order. A column chart can only show the results of analysis from a single series so there is only a primary style dialogue.

Segment fill style

Options

Style gallery

Click on a style icon.


Line Chart

Line graphs plot the values for each response with connecting lines. They are useful for showing trends, for example a variation over time. 3D effects may be used to plot a ribbon rather than line graph. In either case the axes may be reversed; the x-axis becomes the vertical axis and the y-axis becomes the horizontal axis. This is most often useful when plotting graphs with long textual labels on the x-axis, reversing the axes provides more room for the labels.

Line

Points

Tick marks

Grid lines

Options

Legend

Style gallery

Click on a style icon.


Pie Chart Style

Pie charts illustrate the contribution made by each response to the whole and the comparison between the contributions made by different responses. A pie chart can only show the results of analysis from a single series so there is only a primary style dialogue.

After the chart has been plotted on the paper, any segment can be exploded from the chart to provide emphasis by moving the segment with the Hand tool.

Segment fill style

Options

Style gallery

Click on a style icon.


Scatter Chart

Scatter graphs plot the values for each response as a point. In general, a scatter graph looks the same as a line graph without the connecting lines.

However, when the responses to a numeric question are plotted against the response to another numeric question, each value pair is plotted as a point (any class interval defined is ignored). For example, you might want to show the relationship between salary and length of employment or between weight and height. In these cases, a line of best fit can be drawn through the points. The equation for the line and linear correlation coefficient for the line are also shown.

Points

Tick marks

Grid lines

Plot line of best fit

Legend


Yes/No answers
Question/Field: Yes/No Answers

An answer type of Yes/No should be used when you require a "True" or "False" answer to a question such as "Are you married?". If you are familiar with typical database applications, the Yes/No type answer is equivalent to the Boolean field type.

By default, possible answers of Yes and No are provided. These "True" and "False" descriptions may be changed to any required.

Click on the picture for more information.

Tip: While it is possible to write a question such as "Your sex:" with available answers of "Male" and "Female" as a Yes/No type question. It is recommended that this is not done since it may cause some confusion when analysing answers and can cause difficulty if attempting to import information from another source - use a multiple choice question instead.


Question/field
Question/Field Dialogue

In the Question/Field dialogue you complete the description of the question:

1.	The text of the question, framed in any way desired.

2.	A short reference name for the question.

3.	A description of the type of answer required, or type of data to be entered.

Choose a topic for more information:

Question text

Reference name

Font

Must be answered

Text/general answers

Numeric answers

Yes/No answers

Date answers

Multiple choice answers

Ordered choice answers

Calculated answers

See also:

 Working with Questions/Fields


Sort Sheets

This dialogue box appears when you choose [image] "Sort sheets..." from the Worksheet Tools menu, or when you click on the Sort button from a Worksheet window.

Click on the picture for more information.


Select Sheets

This dialogue box appears when you choose [image] "Add selection condition..." from the Worksheet Tools menu, or when you click on the Add Criterion button from a Worksheet window.

Question/field

Selection criteria

Selection value

Include on match

Exclude on match

Sheet selection

Analysis Worksheets: How to...

Worksheet control panel:


Search Sheets

This dialogue box appears when you choose [image] "Search..." from the Sheet Editor Sheet menu, or when you click on the Search button from a Sheet Editor window.

Click on the picture for more information.


New Column

This dialogue box appears when you choose [image] "Add new column..." from the Worksheet Tools menu, or when you click on the New Column button from a Worksheet window.

Click on the picture for more information.


Modify Graph

Using this dialogue, you may change every presentation aspect of a graph:

In a multi-series graph, the order of display of the series - use the Series List and re-order series buttons.

The basic presentation style of each series - choose the series from the Series List and then choose a new style from the gallery.

Overall presentation style of the graph such as grid lines, use of logarithmic y-axis scales, presence of legends etc. - choose the first series in the Series List and then choose the Style detail button.

Presentation style details for a series such as colour or the text to use for a the legend entry for the series - choose the series from the Series List and then choose the Style detail button.

The ranges to use and intervals for each axis - type the required values into the boxes.

The main labels to use for each axis - choose the Labels and Fonts button.

The font to use for labels - choose the Labels and Fonts button.

Series list

Re-order series

Delete series

Style gallery

Style detail

Labels and fonts

X-axis and Y-axis ranges

Graphics Presentation: Editing a graph


Add Bar Chart to Graph

This dialogue box appears when you [image] add a bar chart to an existing graph.

Bar spacing

Bars

Legend

Note that you cannot change a chart's style gallery option, nor a graph's Tick mark, Grid line and Axis scaling attributes from an "Add chart" dialogue box. These are defined for all series by the style of the first chart to appear in the "Series" panel of the [image] "Modify graph" dialogue box.

To change these attributes, select the first entry listed in the "Series" panel and choose "Define styles". Use the  << | >>  buttons to re-define the series listing order if required.


Add Line Chart to Graph

This dialogue box appears when you [image] add a line chart to an existing graph.

Line

Points

Note that you cannot change a chart's style gallery option, nor a graph's Tick mark, Grid line and Axis scaling attributes from an "Add chart" dialogue box. These are defined for all series by the style of the first chart to appear in the "Series" panel of the [image] "Modify graph" dialogue box.

To change these attributes, select the first entry listed in the "Series" panel and choose "Define styles". Use the  << | >>  buttons to re-define the series listing order if required.


Add Area Chart to Graph

This dialogue box appears when you [image] add an area chart to an existing graph.

Area fill style

Note that you cannot change a chart's style gallery option, nor a graph's Tick mark, Grid line and Axis scaling attributes from an "Add chart" dialogue box. These are defined for all series by the style of the first chart to appear in the "Series" panel of the [image] "Modify graph" dialogue box.

To change these attributes, select the first entry listed in the "Series" panel and choose "Define styles". Use the  << | >>  buttons to re-define the series listing order if required.


Add Scatter Chart to Graph

This dialogue box appears when you [image] add a scatter chart to an existing graph.

Points

Plot line of best fit

Note that you cannot change a chart's style gallery option, nor a graph's Tick mark, Grid line and Axis scaling attributes from an "Add chart" dialogue box. These are defined for all series by the style of the first chart to appear in the "Series" panel of the [image] "Modify graph" dialogue box.

To change these attributes, select the first entry listed in the "Series" panel and choose "Define styles". Use the  << | >>  buttons to re-define the series listing order if required.


Graph Labels and Fonts

This dialogue box appears when choose "Labels and Fonts" from the [image] "Modify graph" dialogue box.

Note: The techniques described here are the preferred way of modifying axis label text and fonts rather than using the Pen tool, since the changes will be maintained if the graph is further modified or resized; changes made with the Pen tool are lost.

Tick labels

Axis labels

Label text


Variable class interval
Variable Class Intervals

This dialogue box appears when you choose a variable class interval in the [image] "Plot graph" and [image] "Cross tabulations" dialogue boxes.

Click on the picture for more information.


Pie Segment Style

This dialogue box appears when you double-click on a Pie chart segment with the Pointer tool

Fill

Outline


Legends

A legend can be added to bar, line, area and scatter graphs.

Whether a legend is present, and its style, are chosen from the primary style dialogue of the first series in the graph. For subsequent series, the legend text for the series can be given.

To specify the use of a legend:

1.	Check the Add legend option.

2.	Type the text for the legend for the first series.

3.	Choose whether a border is to be drawn round the legend entries and its style.


Legend Text

A legend can be added to bar, line, area and scatter graphs.

Whether a legend is present, and its style, are chosen from the primary style dialogue of the first series in the graph. For subsequent series, the legend text for the series can be given.

If a legend is being added, type the legend text for the series into the box.


Crosstab Titles

Before generating and printing the table, use this dialogue to specify any titles to be added to the table. Two lines of title may be added, a main heading and sub-heading. Type any titles required into the boxes.

When printed, the titles will be centred above the table, which will be centred on the paper (after any necessary fitting of the table to the paper).


Graphs, Charts and Tables: Overview

Click on a button to bypass this Overview and go to:

Crosstab generation

Graphs and charts

Overview

Many patterns may emerge from the 'raw' information displayed in a worksheet, but others may only become apparent when classified answer data is tabulated or presented graphically in some way. PinPoint incorporates a cross-tabulation generator and provides a wide choice of graphing options and chart types with which to present information for maximum clarity and impact.

The Presentation page

Graphs and tables are plotted onto an electronic page. This may be

A new piece of paper.

Or an existing page, allowing a presentation of several graphs and tables to be 'built up'.

Presentation pages are displayed in PinPoint's Presentation Editor windows, where tables and graphs can be edited and annotated and a finished presentation assembled.

Plotting a graph

You may chose to plot each set of results onto a new sheet of paper or, for comparison or to 'build up' a presentation, onto

A currently open presentation page, creating a new graph.

Or to a previously plotted graph, adding the new plot as a new series. In this way cumulative or comparative graphs may be assembled by plotting the results from different selections (which can be from different stacks) to the same axes.

Layers of interactive dialogue boxes will guide you step-by-step through the production of even the most complex graphical presentation.

More Help

Click on either button at the top of this page for more Help.


Cross-tabulations

Using the Cross-tabulations dialogue you specify; the primary question/field and any categorisation and intervalling required, the questions/fields to tabulate against and any categorisation and intervalling required, the sheets to include in the analysis and whether to directly print, or draw, the table.

Primary Question/field

Answer categories

Class interval

Column Question/fields

Take values from sheets

Font

Draw on paper

Print

The Presentation Editor


Plot Graph

Using the Plot Graph dialogue you specify; the answers to analyse, any categorisation or intervals to apply, the analysis to perform, the sheets to include in the analysis and where to plot the results and in what style.

From Question/field

Answer categories

Class interval

Analysis

Take values from sheets

Plot on paper

Add to graph

Font

Store

Plot

Export

Style gallery

Make your "Plot graph" selections and click on a chart style. Choose "Plot" and the chart's style dialogue box will appear.

Chart styles overview

Click on any chart icon to see a description of its primary style dialogue box.

See also:

Graphs and charts overview


Source question
Question/field

This panel lists the names of the question fields for which you may plot answer values.

Choose a question by clicking on its name.


Answer categories

The responses to any type of answer may be categorised in some way during the analysis or tabulation. Rather than accumulating values, for example frequency counts, for each answer value, the values are accumulated for the category of the answer. By categorising answer values, a summary analysis is performed.

This panel becomes available when you select a textual, Yes/No, ordered choice or multiple choice question/field for which to plot or tabulate an analysis of answer values. For cross-tabulations, answers may be categorised in both the primary and column questions/fields.

'Choice-based' Answers

 Combine

 Exclude

Textual Answers

Answers may be categorised by examining only the first few characters of the answer, answers with the same first characters being placed into the same 'bins'.

Check the option 'Leading characters' and type the number of leading characters to consider into the box.

If the option is not checked, or zero is entered, the whole of each answer is considered during the analysis.


Class interval

Analyses of numeric or date information can often be interpreted more easily when results are shown accumulated into ranges or 'bins' of answer values.

This panel becomes available when you choose to plot or cross-tabulate answer values for a question field of either type. For cross-tabulations, answer values may be accumulated into class intervals in both the primary and column questions/fields.

 Numeric answers

 Date answers


Select variable
Analysis

The production of a graph is an analysis excercise in itself. The graph may be plotted of an analysis of:

The frequency of answer values.

The answer values against the answer values of a different (numeric) question/field.

For ordered choice questions/fields only, of popularity.


Source answer sheets
Take values from sheets

Click on a radio button to select the answer sheets containing the data you wish to include in the analysis.

You may take values from

All the answer sheets in a stack.

Or all those sheets which you have [image] chosen to analyse and which are displayed in the current Worksheet window.

Or only those sheets which you [image] select from the current worksheet.


Target plot/page
Plot on paper

Every graph is plotted on a piece of PinPoints "electronic" paper. The new graph may be plotted on a new piece of paper, or on a piece of paper already open.

When a new piece of paper is created, it is attached to the project from which the graph was plotted and may be saved with that project.

When adding a graph to a piece of paper, the paper may be from any of the open projects. In this way, comparisons between plots from different projects can be made. In combination with the "Add to graph" command you may:

Create a new graph. OR

Add a further series to an existing graph on the same axes.

Open the "Plot on paper" drop-down list and select "new", or highlight the name of an open page.

 Add to graph


Font selection
Font

By default graph labels will be written in the font and font size that you have attributed to the Pen tool for Graphics Presentations. The currently-selected font and font size are shown in the panel below the "Font" button.

To change a graph's default text style click on "Font'" and select your chosen new attributes from the Pen style dialogue box.


Store

Use "Store" when plotting a [image] series of results onto the same graph axes.

Make your "Plot graph" selections and choose "Store". A list panel will open showing details of your stored selection. Make the selections for the next and subsequent plots in your series, choosing "Store" each time.

The series will be plotted and displayed in the order of their appearance in the "Store" list panel - the order in which they were stored.

Use the  << | >>  buttons to re-define the series listing order.

Choose "Delete" to remove a stored plot from the list panel.

Choose [image] "Plot" when your series is complete.


Primary Question/field

This panel lists the names of the question fields from which to select your cross-tabulation's primary question.


Column Question/fields

This panel lists the names of the questions from which to select your cross-tabulation's secondary question(s)/field(s).

Select a question/field by clicking on its name. Click on it again to clear your selection.

When a question/field is chosen, answer categories or class intervals may be defined to apply to the answer values.


Target page
Draw on paper

When you have made all of your "Cross-tabulations" selections choose "Draw on paper". Your table will appear drawn in a Presentation Editor window.

Select from the "Draw on paper" drop-down list to draw your report onto a new page, or onto an existing presentation.


Print

Use "Print" to prepare a [image] crosstab report for printing.

Choose this command and the "Cross-tab titles" dialogue box will appear. Enter your report's Main and Sub headings in the text entry panels and choose "OK" to open the "Print" dialogue box.


Font selection
Font

By default crosstab text will be written in the font and font size that you have attributed to the Pen tool for Graphics Presentations. The currently-selected font and font size are shown in the panel below the "Font" button.

To change a table's default text style click on "Font'" and select your chosen new attributes from the Pen style dialogue box.

See also:

 Fitting the Table to the Paper.


Add to graph

Use this command in combination with "Plot on paper" to plot a set of results

As a new graph, plotted onto the same page as an existing graph

Or as the next in a series on an existing graph.

Open the "Add to graph" drop-down list. Highlight the name of the graph to which you wish to add your new plot, or select NONE to plot it as a new graph on the same page.

Note: "Add to graph" is not available when "new" is selected in the [image] "Plot on paper" panel.


Plot

Choose "Plot" to open your selected chart type's style dialogue box. Make your style selections and choose "OK".

If you are plotting a "stored" [image] series, choose "Plot" to open the style dialogue box for the chart type selected for the first of your series.

Choose "OK" and the "Add chart" style dialogue boxes for the following series will then appear in succession for completion.

Choose "OK" in the last dialogue box and your graph will appear drawn in a new Presentation Editor window.


Combine answer
Combine

In certain cases you may wish to combine selected answer categories for multiple choice or ordered choice questions into a new category.

In a survey of car ownership, for example, further analyses of 'country of origin' might become possible if the results of car brand choices were combined into new 'national' categories.

Check "Combine" and choose "Define combinations". The [image] "Combine choices" dialogue box will appear.


Exclude answer
Exclude

Once an initial graph of all responses to yes/no, multiple or ordered choice questions has been plotted, or cross-tabulation produced, you may decide that some answer categories have no meaning and may be usefully excluded.

Check "Exclude" and choose "Define exclusions". The [image] "Exclude answers" dialogue box will appear.

Note that PinPoint will exclude values for the response 'not answered' by default.


Date interval
Class intervals, date values

Date answers may be summarised into the following intervals:

None	No summary is performed, the individual dates are used.

Months	The analysis is performed, and results shown, for each month of the year.

Quarters	The analysis is performed, and results shown, for each quarter of the year.

Halves	The analysis is performed, and results shown, for each half of the year.

Years	The analysis is performed, and results shown, for each year spanned by the data.

Note: For month, quarter and halves intervals, even if the data analysed spans several years, a single set of interval results are shown; results for the same interval in different years are combined.


Numeric interval
Class intervals, numeric values

Analyses for numeric question types can either be plotted or tabulated for the actual numerical value, or they can be accumulated across an interval. You may choose to define

A Fixed class interval.

Variable class intervals.

or NONE.

Note that if a bar graph is plotted with a class interval defined as NONE, the bars will be displayed as lines.


Combine diag
 	Combine choices

This dialogue box appears when you choose to combine answer values in the [image] "Plot graph" and [image] "Cross tabulations" dialogue boxes.

1.	Type the name of your new category into the Category Name box.

2.	Choose the Add button

3.	Click-select the answer categories you wish to combine.

Repeat the above steps for each new category.

To Change a Category

Type the category's name into the Category Name box, or choose it from the list. Then, click select the new choices to combine.

To Remove a Category

Select its title and choose "Delete".


Exclude diag
 	Exclude choices

This dialogue box appears when you choose to exclude answer values in the [image] "Plot graph" and [image] "Cross tabulations" dialogue boxes.

Click-select the choices you wish to exclude, then choose "OK".

To include all the choices in the analysis, ensure that none of the choices are selected.


Interval 01
Setting intervals

Pick up an interval pointer with the mouse and drag it to a new position on the interval bar. Or, TAB to the interval to be moved and then use the LEFT and RIGHT ARROW keys to move the interval left or right.

To remove an interval pointer from the interval bar, drag it off the bar and drop it, or press UP ARROW.


Interval 02
New interval pointer

Pick up a new interval pointer from here with the mouse and drag it onto the interval bar.


Interval 03
Interval

Select an interval pointer to see its interval end point in this panel.

The readout will 'scroll' if an interval pointer is dragged directly over the interval bar.


Plotting graphs
Graphs and Charts Overview

Click on a button to go to:

Producing a graph

Chart styles

The "Plot graph" dialogue box

The Presentation Editor

Introduction to Graphs

PinPoint's worksheets provide the tools for performing complex analyses and displaying the results in tabular form. But the results of some analyses can be difficult to see from a plain list of answer sheets and values, and a pictorial representation of results can often be more readily understood and interpreted.

A powerful set of easy-to-use graphing tools is available from within PinPoint's worksheet environment. With these you can plot and present graphic analyses from the information contained in a stack of answer sheets in many different ways.

The production of graphs is an analysis excercise in itself. Graphs may be plotted of:

A frequency analysis of the responses to a question. The frequencies can be shown as their absolute values or expressed as a percentage and accumulated from response to response.

The responses to a question against the responses to a (different) numeric question. Except when plotting scatter graphs of numerical data, the responses to the numerical question may be summed or averaged for each response to the primary question. The results may then be shown as their actual values or expressed as a percentage and accumulated from response to response.

For ordered choice questions only, the popularity of each response.

In other words, before plotting the graph, a frequency or summary analysis of the data is performed. The results of this analysis are then used to plot the graph.

The graph plotting facilities of PinPoint should be sufficient for your needs. However, if you possess a suitable application also capable of plotting graphs, such as an advanced spreadsheet, you may like to use that application to produce alternative presentations of the analysis. Rather than being plotted, the results of the analysis can be copied to the Windows clipboard in a form readily understood by most other applications. You may then paste the contents of the clipboard into your desired application and use its facilities to produce your graph.

Class Intervals = Bins

Not only can the responses be analysed to give, for example, the frequency of each response, but this analysis can itself be summarised.

Analyses can be summarised into class intervals for any type of answer. For date answers, several intervals are provided; months, quarters, halves and years. For numeric answers, the class intervals may be of a fixed or variable size. Textual answers may be categorised examining only the first few characters of the answer, answers with the same first characters being placed in the same bins. Answers which provide a choice may be binned by combining choices together.


Producing a Graph

Any graph can be produced from an analysis of either all the answer sheets in the project, the chosen sheets matching the selection conditions or the selected sheets. Most often, graphs are plotted from an analysis of a chosen set of answer sheets, especially when comparing analyses from different sets of answer sheets.

The first step then, in building a graph, is to [image] choose the answer sheets to be analysed.

The second step is either to click the Graph tool in the Tool Tidy, or, from the Tools menu, choose Plot Graph.

 The Plot Graph dialogue will appear.

Choose the options required and then choose Plot. A dialogue, or dialogues, will appear in which you may complete the style definition of the graph, the graph will then be plotted on your chosen paper.

Single series graphs

Multiple series graphs


Chart styles
Chart Styles Overview

Choosing the best presentation of results can be a tricky excercise, but it is an important one. Presenting the same information in different styles can convey different meanings. Whatever your requirement, PinPoint provides simple plotting facilities and the ability to change freely the style of the presentation after it has been plotted. A comprehensive set of styles are provided from a simple tabular presentation of the results to mixed bar/line and area presentation in 3D.

Usually, a single analysis is plotted, but, several analyses can be plotted on the same axes building a [image] multi-series graph. When a multi-series graph is plotted, the basic styles used for each series may be mixed in any combination. For example, the first series may be plotted using the bar style, the second using the line style, the third using the scatter style and the fourth using the bar style again.

Variations on the basic styles are available. For example, the use of 2D or 3D effects, rotation of axes to make the x-axis vertical and stacked rather than discrete values. These variations are chosen from a style dialogue.

When the Plot button is chosen from the Graph dialogue, a style dialogue will appear:

When plotting	This will appear
A single series graph or first graph of a multi-series graph being built.	The primary style dialogue for the chosen basic style.
A multi-series graph using the Store.	The primary style dialogue for the chosen basic style of the first series in the Store. On completion of the dialogue, secondary style dialogues will appear for each additional series.
An additional series for a multiseries graph being built.	The secondary style dialogue for the chosen basic style.
Primary Style Dialogue

The primary style dialogue shows the overall style options for the plot; whether axes are to be rotated, grid lines shown, 2D/3D effects, legend added to the graph, etc., as well as the style options for the first series on the plot, such as colour and fill styles to use.

Secondary Style Dialogue

The secondary style dialogues show the style options for the series for its basic style, such as colour and fill styles.


Multiple Series Graphs

A multi-series graph shows the results from several analyses in a single table or on a single set of axes. Comparisons between analyses can then be seen more clearly than plotting to individual graphs for each series.

PinPoint is very flexible in the presentation style used for each series, the analysis shown for each series and the source of the information for each series:

Each series may be drawn from different sets of answer sheets in the project.

As long as the type of the response to each question is the same; date, numeric, multiple choice, etc., each series may be drawn from different questions. For choice based answers, even the descriptions of the responses may be different.

Each series may be drawn from a different project.

Depending upon the source of the information, you may be able to plot the graph in a single operation, or have to build the graph step by step.

"One-shot" plotting

Building step by step


Xtab text
Fitting the Table to the Paper

When either printing or drawing on paper, PinPoint will attempt the best fit that it can, on the paper described as the default for the active printer, rotating the orientation of the paper if necessary. If the table still will not fit the paper, a smaller font size is used until the table will fit, or the font size is too small. PinPoint will try font sizes down to 4 point. If the table cannot be fitted to the paper, an error will be reported, you should then try one of the following:

If you were generating a table with many column questions, generate several tables instead with only one or two column questions.

Use Categories and/or Class Intervals to reduce the number of columns and/or rows required on the table for each question.

Select a different printer (from the File menu, choose Printer Setup) which has larger paper.


Cross-tab generation
Crosstab generation

Click on a button to go to:

Producing a cross-tabulation

Notes on Crosstab tables

The "Cross-tabulations" dialogue box

The Presentation Editor

Cross-tabulations

A crosstab table shows the frequency of occurrence of each answer to a question (the primary question) for each answer to another question or questions (the secondary, or column, question(s)).

Graphical presentation of frequency analysis results provides the clearest presentation; it is easy to see comparisons and trends. However, when initially investigating information, producing graphs can become cumbersome. When comparing results from different sets of answer sheets where the sets depend upon the answer to a particular question (in other words, a multi-series graph built step by step), cross-tabulation provides a useful means of performing frequency analyses quickly.

With cross-tabulations, these analyses can be performed in a single operation resulting in a table that can be inspected for interesting results. If interesting results are found you may then decide to produce a graphical presentation for inclusion in a report.


Producing a cross-tabulation
Producing a Cross Tabulation

Cross-tabulations can be produced for the answers to any type of question against the answers to any other type of question. For example, responses to a multiple choice question against responses to a numeric question or date responses against textual responses. As when producing graphs, the responses to any question can be categorised and binned as required.

The question whose responses are being tabulated is known as the primary question, the question against which responses are tabulated is known as the column, or secondary question. In a single table, as many column questions as desired, and as can be fitted on a reasonably-sized table, may be tabulated.

The generated table may be printed directly to the active printer, useful when you wish to produce a set of tables to be inspected "at leisure", or may be drawn on PinPoints "electronic" paper. The paper is viewed through a Graphics Presentation Editor; captions and headings may be added, or further tables drawn, or graphs added, to produce a complete presentation of results.

To produce a crosstab table:

1.	If the tabulation is to be produced from an analysis of only some of the answer sheets, [image] choose or select the required sheets.

2.	Click the Crosstab tool or, from the Tools menu, choose Generate Cross-tabulation.

The [image] Cross-tabulations dialogue will appear.

3.	Select the primary question and choose any [image] categories or class [image] intervals to be used.

4.	In turn, select the secondary questions to be tabulated and choose any [image] categories or class [image] intervals to be used.

5.	Choose which [image] answer sheets are to be included in the table.

6.	To select a font to use for the table entries, choose the [image] Font button and select the font required from the Font dialogue which appears.

7.	To print the table, choose the Print button.

- or -

7.	To draw the table on PinPoints paper, select the paper to use and choose the Draw On Paper button.

The table will then be generated and fitted to the requested paper.


PG against frequency
Frequency Analysis

Frequency analysis shows the frequency distribution of your sample, the number of occurrences of each answer value in the series, and may be displayed as the absolute number of occurrences, or expressed as the percentage of the total number of answers analysed in the series.

The frequency of occurrence may be accumulated from response value to response value to show the cumulative frequency up to any response. Again, the value may be shown as its absolute value or expressed as a percentage.

To plot	Check these options
Frequency	Absolute
Percentage	Percentage
Cumulative Frequency	Absolute and Accumulate
Cumulative Percentage	Percentage and Accumulate
 Analysis


PG against answer
Second Question/Field Analysis

Second Question/Field analysis provides the summed or averaged values of a numeric answer for each response to the primary question, except when both answers are numeric and a scatter (XY) graph is plotted. The summed or averaged values may be expressed as percentages of the total and accumulated from response to response of the primary question.

1.	Choose the second Question/Field.

2.	Choose whether the summed or averaged values should be shown.

3.	Choose whether to show the values, or the values expressed as a percentage of the total, and whether to accumulate the shown values from response to response of the primary question.

 Analysis


PG for popularity
Plot for popularity

For ordered choice questions, the frequency of occurence of each choice may expressed as the popularity of the choice - a measure of how often the choice was ranked first, second, third, etc..

Please see the PinPoint User's Guide for a full discussion of popularity analysis.

 Analysis


NI fixed
Fixed class interval

Choose a fixed interval to accumulate information into ranges or 'bins' of equal size.

Select "Fixed" and type an interval size into the text entry panel.

 Class intervals, numeric values


NI variable
Variable class interval

Define variable intervals when the information you are plotting may be more clearly interpreted if accumulated into different sized 'bins'.

In a population survey, for example, it might be more revealing or appropriate to plot information for those aged (say) 0-5, 5-7, 7-13, 13-18, 18-21, 21-25, 25-35, and 35 and over.

Select "Variable" and choose "Define". The [image] "Class interval" dialogue box will appear.

 Class intervals, numeric values


Exporting Analysis Results

While the styles provided by PinPoint for presenting analysis results are comprehensive and should be sufficient, there may be occasions where you wish to take advantage of the graphing capabilities of other applications you possess. For these cases, the results of the analysis may be copied to the clipboard rather than being plotted. The results are copied in a form readily understood by applications such as spreadsheets and can simply be pasted into the application.

1.	Proceed as if plotting a single series graph, or One-Shot Plotting a multi-series graph. However, the paper to plot on and plot style may be ignored.

2.	Choose the Export button.

3.	Switch to your other application and paste the contents of the clipboard.

Multi-series Analysis

Due to the nature in which information must be copied to the clipboard so that it is readily understood and usable by other applications, there are some limitations to this technique when placing multi-series information on the clipboard:

The values, and range of values being analysed must be the same in each series. For example, analyses of numeric information in the range 10-50 in the first series and 100-200 in the second series cannot be copied.

The descriptions of responses analysed in each series must be the same. For example, each series should analyse the same multiple choice question, analysis of questions with different responses cannot be copied.

Tip: If a multi-series analysis cannot be performed using the Store, proceed as usual by plotting the graph and building step by step. Then, copy the graph to the clipboard. This will place a copy of the data used to display the graph, as well as the graph itself, onto the clipboard. To paste the data, rather than the graph, into another application, you may have to use its Paste Special command.


Single Series Graphs

The simplest graph is of a single analysis, resulting in a single series of data being plotted.

1.	From the list, choose the question whose responses are to be analysed.

2.	If available, choose any [image] categorisation or [image] class intervalling of the answers required.

3.	Choose the [image] analysis to be performed.

4.	Choose the answer sheets to [image] include in the analysis.

5.	Choose the [image] paper on which to plot the graph.

6.	Choose the [image] style in which to present the results.

7.	Choose the [image] font to use for the graph labels.

8.	Choose the Plot button.

A dialogue will appear to allow you to make choices about the presentation of the graph in your chosen style. After completing the style dialogue, the answers will be analysed and the graph plotted on the chosen paper. The paper will be shown in a Graphics Presentation Editor through which the graph may be modified as required and headings and captions added.

Note: The graph will be drawn on an unoccupied portion of the chosen paper. When the chosen paper already has graphs and other objects drawn on it, the new graph may not be immediately visible in the Graphics Presentation Editor window. Either scroll the window or Zoom the view to Fit Window to see the new graph. Also, adding the graph may require new sheets to be added to the paper if there is no free space on the available sheets - this occurs automatically.


One-Shot Plotting Using the Store

If each series is to be drawn from the same set of sheets, from the same project, then the graph can be plotted in a single operaton. Using this method; the set of sheets to use is first chosen as usual, then the requirements for each series chosen and stored before plotting the graph.

Repeat the following steps for each series to be plotted:

1.	From the list, choose the question whose responses are to be analysed.

2.	If available, choose any [image] categorisation or [image] class intervalling of the answers required.

3.	Choose the [image] analysis to be performed.

4.	Choose the answer sheets to [image] include in the analysis.

5.	Choose the [image] style in which to present the results. Note that the styles available will depend upon any previous contents of the store.

6.	Choose the Store>>> button.

The Graph dialogue will expand to show the store of each series on the graph.

Note that different questions, class intervals, analysis, sheets to include and presentation style can be chosen for each series.

When all the series required have been defined, complete the plot graph dialogue:

7.	Choose the [image] paper on which to plot the graph.

8.	Choose the [image] font to use for the graph labels.

9.	Choose the Plot button.

A sequence of style dialogues will appear, one for each series to be plotted, to allow you to make choices about the presentation of the graph. After completing the style dialogues, the answers will be analysed and the graph plotted on the chosen paper. The paper will be shown in a Graphics Presentation Editor through which the graph may be modified as required and headings and captions added.


Building a Multi-series Graph Step by Step

If each series is to be drawn from different sets of sheets or from different projects, then the graph must be built up series by series. In this process, a new graph is plotted for the first series and then subsequent series are added to the first graph.

1.	For the first series, proceed as if plotting a [image] single series graph. The overall style details of this graph, such as rotation of axes, use of grid lines etc. will apply to all the series added next...

For each subsequent series, follow these steps:

2.	Open the worksheet showing the sheets to be analysed in the series.

3.	If required, choose or select the sheets to be included in the analysis.

4.	From the Tools menu, choose Plot graph to open the Plot Graph dialogue.

5.	Complete the dialogue as if doing any other type of plot operation, but:

Ensure the paper on which the first graph was plotted is shown in the Plot on paper box (it will be shown by default).

Select the first graph plotted in the Add to graph box (the box will show all graphs plotted on the selected paper).

6.	Choose the Plot button.

A style dialogue will appear in which you may enter the style details for the new series.

The new analysis will then be plotted on the same axes as the previous analysis.

Note that there is no requirement that each series be drawn from the same project, the same set of sheets or even the same question, solely that the type of answers being analysed in each series are the same. Nor is there any requirement that each series is plotted in the same style. Also note that, at any stage, the Store can be used to add several series to a graph in one go.


Notes on Cross-Tabulations

The Totals row and column always shows the number of answer sheets on which the answer value appeared. In other words, the number of times the answer appeared. The body of the table shows the number of times each secondary answer value appeared for each primary value.

Percentages are calculated on a column basis, not row, and express the number of times the secondary answer value appeared for the given primary value, as a percentage of the total number of times the secondary answer value appeared. Each individual percentage is given to the nearest integer, consequently, a column may not add up to 100% - instead maybe 99% or 101%. For example, if the total number of times a secondary answer appears is 3 and it appears once for each of three primary question answers, the percentages will be each shown as 33% giving a total of 99%.

For further discussion of Crosstab tables, please see the PinPoint User's Guide.


File menu: New

"New" begins a new project and opens a Form Editor window onto a blank form.


File menu:Open
File menu: Open...

"Open" opens a new window onto an existing PinPoint project - locate your project file in the "File Open" dialogue box then choose "OK". You may also "open" a file created with another application - PinPoint will create a new project from the file and then open the project.

Opening an 'empty' project

An empty project (i.e. one that is still at the form design stage and contains no answer sheets) will be opened in a new Form Editor window.

Opening an active project

When you open an active project its worksheet will be displayed in a new Worksheet window with its last-saved sort and selection attributes in place. You may then choose to

Continue with your analysis of the completed answer sheets.

Or plot a graph or create a table from the sorted and selected answer sheet data on display.

Or return to the stack to complete new answer sheets or edit existing ones.

Note that PinPoint's menu bar and the Tool Tidy will change to reflect the options available to you in the active document window.

Opening another file

Locate the file to open in the "File Open" dialogue box and then choose "OK". The same sequence of dialogues as if you were [image] importing the file will then appear. Complete the dialogues as required. A new project will then be created, with the same name as the file being opened and containing a form listing the fields found and to be imported.

See also:

 Worksheet tools

 Form Editor tools

 Work history

 The Stack tool


File menu: Open presentation...

"Open presentation..." appears in the Worksheet and Presentation Editor File menus.

Choose this command to open a graphics presentation which has been stored previously in your current project. Locate the presentation's name in the dialogue list box then choose "OK".

Your selected presentation will appear displayed in a new Presentation Editor window. You may then choose to

Continue with the assembly of your graphics presentation

Or edit current graph styles and attributes

Or add further series to your graph from its originator stack(s), or from others.

Note that PinPoint's menu bar and the Tool Tidy will change to reflect the options available to you as you switch between Worksheet and Presentation Editor windows.

See also:

 Analysis Worksheets: How to...


File menu: Save

"Save" works slightly differently in each of the three File menus in which the command appears.

From a Form Editor window

Choose "Save" to store your form in the current project file.

If the form has not been saved before, PinPoint will prompt you for a new project name and your choice of destination disc and directory.

If the form has been saved before, PinPoint may ask you to confirm, twice, that you wish to save your changes and [image] update all the answer sheets in the project's stack accordingly.

See also:

 Altering the Form

From a Worksheet window

Choose "Save" to store your current worksheet together with all its [image] attributes in the current project file.

From a Presentation window

Choose "Save" to store your graphics presentation in the current project file. PinPoint will prompt you to name your presentation if it has not been saved previously.

Note that if you "Save" frequently you will always have a recent version of your work on disc.

See also:

 Save as...

 The Stack tool


File menu:Save as
File menu: Save as...

"Save as..." works differently in each of the three File menus in which the command appears.

From a Form Editor window

Choose "Save as..." to store the form you are working on in a new project file without disturbing your original project.

PinPoint will prompt you for a new project name and your choice of destination disc and directory.

From a Worksheet window

Choose "Save as..." to save some or all of your current project's answer sheets to a new project file, together with their form, or to save selected answer sheet data to a file as CSV or TSV text for importing into other applications. You can save

All the answer sheets in a stack.

Or all those sheets which you have [image] chosen to analyse and which are displayed in the current Worksheet window.

Or only those sheets which you [image] select from the current worksheet.

From a Presentation Editor window

Choose "Save as..." to open the  "Save presentation as" dialogue box and store the presentation you are working in the current project file, but under a new name.

Note that in every case, use of the "Save as..." command will leave your original work undisturbed.

See also:

 Save

 Exporting Information

 New form


File menu:Import
File menu: Import...

Choose "Import..." to bring information from another project or application into a PinPoint project file. Data can be imported

Into a new form.

Or into a Worksheet or Sheet Editor window to be merged with an existing stack of answer sheets.

Click the command, locate your source file and define its data format in the dialogue box and then choose "OK".

The file formats understood by this release of PinPoint are described in the readme.txt file supplied with PinPoint.

Note that the source file need not contain the same questions/fields as your destination project file. PinPoint will prompt you to 'map' your new information before merging it.

See also:

 Importing data and merging projects overview

 Import (dialogue box)


File menu:Print
File menu: Print...

"Print..." sets the parameters for the proofing and final printing of your work. In the "Print" dialogue box you can choose to

Print to Windows' default [image] printer or to any printer whose driver is available on your system. Choose "Setup" to select a printer and the options which reflect the [image] format of your form or presentation.

Print of all or part of a multi-page form or presentation.

Set the number of copies to be printed.

Select other options such as print quality and file output.

Note that you can print your work without having to save it first.

See also:

 Print sheet...

 Print sheets...

 Print worksheet...

 Printer setup...


File menu:Print sheets
File menu: Print sheets...

"Print sheets..." appears in the Analysis Worksheets File menu. Choose this command to [image] print

All the answer sheets in a stack.

Or all those sheets which you have chosen to analyse and which are displayed in the current Worksheet window. If you have sorted the sheets they will be printed in sort order.

Or only those sheets which you [image] select from the current worksheet.

Note: If you are printing onto pre-printed copies of a project's form select the "Print data only" dialogue box option. The printed answers will appear positioned correctly relative to their questions.

See also:

 Print...

 Print sheet...

 Print worksheet...

 Printer setup...


File menu:Print sheet
File menu: Print sheet...

"Print sheet..." appears in the Sheet Editor File menu. Choose this command to [image] print the answer sheet currently displayed on screen.

Note: If you are printing onto pre-printed copies of a project's form select the "Print data only" dialogue box option. The printed answers will appear positioned correctly relative to their questions.

See also:

 Print...

 Print sheets...

 Print worksheet...

 Printer setup...


File menu:Print worksheet
File menu: Print Worksheet...

Choose this command to print a formatted table or 'report' of answer sheet data from

All the answer sheets in a stack.

Or all those sheets which you have chosen to analyse and which are displayed in the current Worksheet window.

Or only those sheets which you [image] select from the current worksheet.

A printed report is formatted as displayed on screen - listing only the columns currently shown on the worksheet. PinPoint adds a Worksheet title (the name of your project file), report date and page numbering.

Fitting the Worksheet to the Paper

Before attempting to print the worksheet, you should check that it will fit on the paper loaded in your active printer. To do this, from the View menu, choose Show Printable Area - the area of the worksheet beyond the width of the paper will then be given a grey background. If there are columns that will not fit on the paper, you have several choices:

Use a different or smaller font. From the View menu, choose [image] Font and choose a new font or size from the Font dialogue.

Reduce the [image] width of the columns on the worksheet.

If your printer is able, select a different, wider, orientation of the paper in the printer. From the File menu, choose Printer Setup.

Select a printer that uses wider paper. From the File menu, choose Printer Setup.

Remove some of the [image] columns on the worksheet.

Note: The display of the printable area is approximate, especially if you are using a font which is not available on the active printer. In such cases, the closest matching font available on the printer is used but this may vary in size slightly from the font used on screen.

See also:

 Worksheet configuration

 Print...

 Print sheet...

 Print sheets...

 Printer setup...


File menu:Printer setup
File menu: Printer setup...

Choose "Printer Setup..." to specify the [image] printer you will use to print the proofs and final copies of your work, and to set the printer [image] options that reflect the format of the work that you wish to print.

Note that the "Print setup" dialogue also appears when you choose "Setup" in the "Print" dialogue box.

See also:

 Print...

 Print sheet...

 Print sheets...

 Print worksheet...


File menu: Exit

"Exit" ends your PinPoint session and returns you to the Windows desktop.

If you have made any changes to your work since you last saved it, PinPoint will prompt you to save or abandon them before exiting.

See also:

 Save

 Save as...


File menu: Work history

If you have been working on and have recently saved a PinPoint project, then its title will appear in the "Work history" list under the File menu.

Click on a project's title to open it directly from the list box.

See also:

 Open


Edit menu: Undo

"Undo" cancels the last action you took and returns your work to its appearance immediately prior to taking that action.

Note that you must use the command immediately following an activity or you will lose the chance to undo it. "Undo" is only one action deep so if, for example, you use "Delete" twice you can only undo the last "Delete".

If there is nothing that can be undone then the command will be 'greyed out' and unavailable.

See also:

 Clear

 Cut

 Copy

 Paste


Edit menu: Cut

"Cut" removes selected items from the page and stores them in the Windows Clipboard. Cut elements can then be "pasted" back into your current work, or into another project or application.

To select an item to be cut, click on it with the Pointer or Hand tools. To select multiple items, press and hold down SHIFT and click on each item in turn.

Note that each use of "Cut" will erase the previous contents of the Clipboard.

Tool Tidy button:

Keyboard shortcut:

Ctrl + X

See also:

 Clear

 Copy

 Paste

 Select all

 Undo


Edit menu: Copy

"Copy" copies duplicates of items onto the Windows Clipboard leaving the original elements intact. Copies can then be "pasted" back into your current work, or into another project or application.

Each use of "Copy" will erase the previous contents of the Clipboard.

To select an item to be copied, click on it with the Pointer or Hand tools. To select multiple items, press and hold down SHIFT and click on each item in turn.

Note that PinPoint also lets you select and copy complete questions to the Clipboard. This is a useful shortcut when designing a form which will contain questions with similar answer types

Quick Copy: Press and hold down CTRL and drag an item to create a copy of it. Release the mouse button to drop the duplicate item in place.

Tool Tidy button:

Keyboard shortcut:

Ctrl + C

See also:

 Clear

 Cut

 Paste

 Select all

 Undo


Edit menu: Paste

"Paste" places a copy of the last item that was cut or copied onto the Windows Clipboard into your current work.

When you choose "Paste" the copied item will appear under the Hand tool. Push (not drag) the item into place with the Hand, and click the left mouse button to drop it into position.

The contents of the Clipboard can be pasted repeatedly until you erase them with a new "Cut or "Copy" command.

Pasting questions/fields

If you have copied complete questions to the Clipboard the [image] "Copy question/field" dialogue box will open when you choose "Paste".

Drag and drop

PinPoint supports Windows' drag and drop features to paste files onto a page.

For example, to paste a graphic onto a page, select a file (say, a Windows .bmp, .pcx or .msp bitmapped graphic image) from File manager and drag its icon into any PinPoint Editor window. Release the mouse button to 'drop' the graphic object onto the page. The graphic file will be embedded on the page. If you wish to link to the file, hold down the CTRL key while dragging and dropping the file.

Note that where possible PinPoint will always [image] embed an item when you paste it into your work from the Clipboard, and will attempt to render the source image rather than an icon for the data 'package'.

All supported files are pasted via OLE. See your Microsoft® Windows™ reference manual for current information on Object Linking and Embedding procedures.

Tool Tidy button:

Keyboard shortcut:

Ctrl + V

See also:

 Clear

 Cut

 Copy

 Select all

 Undo


Edit menu: Paste Link

"Paste Link" is an OLE (Object Linking and Embedding) command used to link an item already on the Clipboard to your current project.

Linking dynamically connects two files so that the information on one automatically updates when the information on the other changes.

When you choose "Paste Link" the linked item will appear under the Hand tool. Push (not drag) the item into place with the Hand, and click the left mouse button to drop it into position.

See your Microsoft® Windows™ reference manual for current information on Object Linking and Embedding procedures.

See also:

 Paste

 Links...

 Insert object...

 Object


Edit menu: Insert object...

"Insert object..." is an OLE (Object Linking and Embedding) command used to embed an element in your current project.

Embedding is similar to copying (i.e. simple "pasting") with one important difference. To make changes to an embedded item, choose it by double-clicking on it with the Pointer tool. The application in which it was created will open and you can make your changes.

Note that where possible PinPoint will always embed an item when you paste it into your work from the Clipboard, and will attempt to render the source image rather than an icon for the data 'package'.

Drag and drop

PinPoint supports Windows' drag and drop features. Select a file (say, a Windows .bmp, .pcx or .msp bitmapped graphic image) from File manager and drag its icon into any PinPoint Editor window. Release the mouse button to 'drop' the graphic object onto the page.

See your Microsoft® Windows™ reference manual for current information on Object Linking and Embedding procedures.

See also:

 Paste

 Paste Link

 Object

 Links...


Edit menu: Delete

"Delete" removes selected items from your work area without copying them to the Windows Clipboard and without affecting the Clipboard's current contents.

Be cautious in your use of "Delete". Items can only be retrieved with the "Undo" command immediately after deletion.

Note that the Edit menu "Delete" command works differently to the Sheet menu "Delete" command

Keyboard shortcut:

Shift + Del

Tool Tidy button:

See also:

 Undo


Edit menu: Select all

"Select all" selects every element on your current page. This command is the equivalent of Shift-clicking with the Hand tool on every item on the page.

Note that once all items have been selected you can cancel the selection of any one by holding down the SHIFT key and clicking on the item.

Keyboard shortcut:

Ctrl + A

See also:

 Clear

 Cut

 Copy

 Paste

 Undo


Edit menu: Clear

"Clear" cancels the selection of every previously-selected element on your current page. This command is the equivalent of clicking with the Pointer or Hand tools on a blank area of the page.

See also:

 Cut

 Copy

 Paste

 Select all

 Undo


Edit menu: Text style
Edit menu: Text Style...

Choose Text Style to open the "Font" dialogue box and edit the attributes of all currently selected text elements. This command is the equivalent of double-clicking on a text item with the [image] Pen or [image] Pointer tools but the new style is applied to all the selected items.

Note that if the whole of a question is selected, rather than component parts, the new text style will apply to all components of the question.


Arrange menu: Align

Choose "Align" to snap selected items into line with each other. Items may be aligned by any face - left, right, top or bottom - selected from the "Align" sub-menu.

This command is much easier to use than it is to describe, so experimentation with the primary effects of "Align" is recommended.

Precision alignment using a 'datum' element

Careful use of "Align" can achieve high precision in page layout through the use of 'datum' alignment elements.

For example, to align selected items with the left side of a datum object

Position the datum element on your page using the rulers, guidelines, and "snap to grid" layout guides as required.

Move the other items away. The alignment face of the datum element's bounding box must be the most extreme (in this case the furthest to the left) of all the items to be aligned.

Select (Shift-click) all items to be aligned.

Click "Align" to open the [image] list of alignment options. Choose "Lefts".

The left faces of the selected items will be snapped into line with the left side of the datum object.

See also:

 Clear

 Undo


Edit menu: Bring to front

"Bring to front" moves a selected question/field, text bock or graphic element in front or 'on top' of other overlapping items.

To select an element to bring to the front of several that are overlapping, double-click successively with the Hand tool at the point of overlap to 'cycle' through each item in turn.

This command is used most frequently to quickly re-arrange or 'layer' sets of objects on a page.  Layering can look particularly effective when colour-filled (i.e. opaque) objects are 'stacked' behind text.

Keyboard shortcut:

Ctrl + =

See also:

 Send to back


Arrange menu: Bring to front

"Bring to front" moves a selected question/field, text bock or graphic element in front or 'on top' of other overlapping items.

To select an element to bring to the front of several that are overlapping, double-click successively with the Hand tool at the point of overlap to 'cycle' through each item in turn.

This command is used most frequently to quickly re-arrange or 'layer' sets of objects on a page.  Layering can look particularly effective when colour-filled (i.e. opaque) objects are 'stacked' behind text.

Keyboard shortcut:

Ctrl + =

See also:

 Send to back


Edit menu: Send to back

"Send to back" pushes a selected question/field, text bock or graphic element 'behind' or 'to the bottom' of other overlapping items.

To select an element to send to the back of several that are overlapping, double-click successively with the Hand tool at the point of overlap to 'cycle' through each item in turn.

This command is used most frequently to quickly re-arrange or 'layer' sets of objects on a page.  Layering can look particularly effective when colour-filled (i.e. opaque) objects are 'stacked' behind text.

Keyboard shortcut:

Ctrl + -

Tool Tidy :

See also:

 Bring to front


Arrange menu: Send to back

"Send to back" pushes a selected question/field, text bock or graphic element 'behind' or 'to the bottom' of other overlapping items.

To select an element to send to the back of several that are overlapping, double-click successively with the Hand tool at the point of overlap to 'cycle' through each item in turn.

This command is used most frequently to quickly re-arrange or 'layer' sets of objects on a page.  Layering can look particularly effective when colour-filled (i.e. opaque) objects are 'stacked' behind text.

Keyboard shortcut:

Ctrl + -

Tool Tidy button:

See also:

 Bring to front


Arrange menu: Group

"Group" combines a set of selected items. A group of elements can be cut, copied, pasted and re-sized as one, and will move together when dragged. Two or more groups can be combined with further use of the "Group" command.

When a group is re-sized the border weights and type sizes originally assigned to grouped items will not be re-scaled. However each grouped element can be edited individually by double-clicking on it with the appropriate tool.

Note that the [image] "Copy question/field" dialogue box will open when you copy/paste or Quick Copy (Ctrl-drag) a group containing one or more questions/fields.

Keyboard shortcut:

Ctrl + G

See also:

 Ungroup

 Copy

 Paste


Arrange menu: Ungroup

"Ungroup" dissolves a group. You can then modify individual items without affecting the entire group. Use "Group" again to define your new set of elements.

Keyboard shortcut:

Ctrl + U

See also:

 Group


Edit menu: Links...

Choose the "Links..." command to display the name, type, location and status of all the linked elements in your current work area.

In the "Links" dialogue box you can

Update, change or cancel any link

Choose automatic or manual link updating of links. PinPoints' default update setting is "automatic".

See your Microsoft® Windows™ reference manual for current information on Object Linking and Embedding procedures.


Edit menu: Object

Choose this command to edit an object which has been embedded in your work.

Select the item to be amended.

Select the Edit menu.

Note that the wording of "Object" has now changed to identify the element you have selected.

In the case of an picture created in Windows Paintbrush, for example, the menu item will now read "Edit Paintbrush Picture Object".

Choose "Object" and the source application will open.

Edit the object as required and follow instructions to return to PinPoint. The embedded object will have changed to reflect the edits you have made.

Shortcut: Double-click on the embedded object to be edited.

See your Microsoft® Windows™ reference manual for current information on Object Linking and Embedding procedures.


Arrange menu: Snap to grid

"Snap to grid" is a shortcut command which selects or clears the "Grid" dialogue's "Snap" option without opening the dialogue box.

When "Snap to grid" is checked (i.e. is in effect) the top left corner of an element's bounding box will automatically shift to the nearest grid point when the item is moved.

Note that a question/field, line or rectangle created with"Snap" on will be sized to the nearest grid unit.

See also:

 Grid...

 Guidelines


Arrange menu: Show guidelines

The "Show guidelines" command hides or displays two pairs of on-screen design guidelines. The guidelines are displayed when the command is checked.

Guideline snap

When the guidelines are displayed and "Snap to grid" is off, an object moved close to either guideline will 'snap' to it. When "Snap to grid" is turned on the guidelines lose their 'magnetic' effect.

Positioning guidelines

Click on a guideline to select it, then drag it into position. If the on-screen rulers are displayed, the distance between the two guidelines in the same plane will be indicated in the ruler highlight areas as the guideline is being dragged.

Grid "Snap" also works on the guidelines. When "Snap" is on the guidelines will move in grid unit steps when dragged.

Guidelines are part of PinPoint's suite of on-screen design guides. Judicious use of these aids will let you resize and position objects on your page with precision.

See also:

 Grid...

 Snap to grid

 Horizontal ruler

 Vertical ruler


View menu: Horizontal ruler

The "Horizontal ruler" command hides or displays the on-screen horizontal ruler. The ruler is displayed when the command is checked.

Ruler highlight areas

On-screen rulers are part of PinPoint's suite of page layout guides. Each ruler incorporates highlight areas which allow you to resize and position objects with precision.

Note: The rulers' unit of measure will correspond to the units specified in the "Grid" dialogue box. Choose the View menu "Grid..." command to open the box.

See also:

 Vertical ruler

 Grid...


View menu: Vertical ruler

The "Vertical ruler" command hides or displays the on-screen horizontal ruler. The ruler is displayed when the command is checked.

Ruler highlight areas

On-screen rulers are part of PinPoint's suite of page layout guides. Each ruler incorporates highlight areas which allow you to resize and position objects with precision.

Note: The rulers' unit of measure will correspond to the units specified in the "Grid" dialogue box. Choose the View menu "Grid..." command to open the box.

See also:

 Horizontal ruler

 Grid...


View menu: Grid...

Choose "Grid..." to hide or display an on-screen design guide of evenly spaced horizontal and vertical lines.

In the [image] "Grid" dialogue box you can choose to

Specify grid units and divisions in inches or centimetres, or in feint rules based on a specific font. Choose "Feint rules" to open the "Font" dialogue box.

Hide or show the on-screen grid.

Attribute a colour to the on-screen grid.

Turn on grid snap. When "Snap" is checked the top left corner of an element's bounding box will automatically shift to the nearest grid point when the item is moved.

See also:

 Snap to grid

 Guidelines

 Horizontal ruler

 Vertical ruler


View menu: Show printable area

Choose "Show printable area" to hide or display an on-screen design guide which shows the page margins beyond which your currently selected printer cannot print.

The 'non-printable' page border is displayed when the menu command is checked.

See also:

 Zoom...


View menu: Zoom...

Click "Zoom..." to scale the displayed view of a page within a document window.

In the [image] "Zoom" dialogue box you can choose to

Display a page at a fixed percentage of actual size.

Specify a "Custom" viewing scale.

Scale your work to the maximum possible full-page view with "Fit window".

Two "Zoom" options - Zoom 100% and Zoom Fit Window - are duplicated in the Tool Tidy.

Tool Tidy buttons:


View menu: Font...

Choose this command to change the attributes assigned to display answer sheet text in a Worksheet window. The standard Font Style dialogue will appear; choose the font, size, style and colour you require and then choose "OK".

See also:

 Worksheet configuration


View menu: Tool Tidy

Click "Tool Tidy" to open a [image] cascaded menu of Tool Tidy alignment options.

You can choose to position the Tool Tidy button bar either horizontally or vertically in relation to the top left hand corner of your work area. A check mark denotes the currently selected option.

See also:

 Page Editors and Tools: Overview


View menu: Quick help

Choose "Quick help" to hide or display the appearance of Help messages in PinPoint's status bar.

When Quick Help is active the menu command is shown checked. To see a brief description of its function, click any menu title and move the cursor over an item,  OR  move the cursor over any button in the Tool Tidy.


View menu: Put back

"Put back" appears in the Analysis Worksheets View menu.

Choose this command to 'put back' a question/field which you have earlier removed (i.e. dragged to the Worksheet control panel) from a worksheet. Click "Put back" to open a list of available questions/fields. Choose a question's/field's title to put it back.

Shortcut: Click the right mouse button anywhere in the Worksheet's questions/fields title bar to open the list.

Note that the command will be shown 'greyed' if there are no questions/fields available to be put back.

See also:

 Removing questions/fields


Paper menu: Paper setup...

Whenever a new piece of paper is created; for a form as a result of starting a new project or for a graphics results presentation, it is created as a single page of the size and orientation as described by the active printer. The active printer is the printer described as the Default Printer in Control Panel or the printer most recently selected in the current session with PinPoint using the Printer Setup command.

You may change any of these attributes at any time. Choose the "Paper setup..." command and specify your page formatting choices from the many options available in the [image] "Paper setup" dialogue box.

See also:

 Add page

 Delete last page


Paper menu: Add page

Choose "Add page" to append another page to your paper. Pages are laid out vertically on screen, with a horizontal line drawn between them to denote a 'page break'.

Moving between pages

With the mouse, the vertical scroll bar can be used to scroll up and down through the pages. You may also use your keyboard's UP and DOWN cursor and PAGE UP and PAGE DOWN keys to move between pages.

Page layout

It is often important (and it is usually preferable) that page layout remains consistent throughout a multi-page presentation. Use a combination of PinPoint's design guides, 'Zoomed' views and copy/paste functions to achieve this.

See also:

 Delete last page


Paper menu: Delete last page

Choose "Delete last page" to remove the last page that you appended to your paper.

Note that a deleted page and its contents can be retrieved by choosing "Add page" again at any time until you next save your form or presentation. The next use of "Save" will delete the page and its contents entirely.

See also:

 Add page


Sheet menu: Save

Choose "Save" from a Sheet Editor window to save the answer sheet you are currently completing or editing.

Saving an edited sheet

If the sheet you are working on has been saved previously, choose "Save" to re-save it together with any amendments you have made. The edited sheet will remain on display.

Saving a new sheet

Choose "Save" to append a newly-completed answer sheet to the project's stack as the [image] next-numbered sheet. PinPoint will then 'tear off' another blank form and display it ready for completion.

Note: The "Save" command and its shortcuts make for very rapid compilation of data into a stack of answer sheets.

Keyboard shortcut:

Ctrl + S

Or press RETURN at the last field in the form

Tool Tidy button:

See also:

 New


Sheet menu: New

Choose "New" from a Sheet Editor window to 'tear off' and display a blank form ready for completion.

The new sheet will appear entitled:

"New answer sheet: [unique [image] reference number] for [current project].ppf".

When you save the completed sheet PinPoint will append it to your project's stack.

Note that if you choose to search for, or turn back to, other sheets before saving a completed or part-completed new answer sheet, PinPoint will prompt you to save or abandon your new sheet.

Tool Tidy button:

See also:

 Save


Sheet menu: Copy

PinPoint's "Copy" command provides a shortcut to the repeated entry of information into answer sheets whose data is essentially the same.

To copy answer sheet data

Locate and display the 'source' sheet (i.e. the answer sheet to copy data from) and choose "Copy".

PinPoint will copy all the data from the source sheet into a new answer sheet.

The new sheet which will then be displayed and allocated an unique [image] reference number.

Edit the new sheet's answer data as required.

When you "Save" the new sheet, PinPoint will append it to the current stack.

See also:

 Save


Sheet menu: Delete

Choose "Delete" to delete the answer sheet currently on display in a Sheet editor window. PinPoint will prompt you to confirm your choice.

If you choose "Yes", PinPoint will delete the sheet and display the next sheet in the current stack. If the sheet which you deleted was the last in the stack, then the previous sheet will be displayed.

When every sheet in a project's stack has been deleted a blank form will be displayed ready for completion.

Note that even if its 'owner' sheet is deleted, the unique [image] reference number allocated to an answer sheet when it is first saved will no longer be available for re-allocation.

Tool Tidy button:


Sheet menu: Next

Choose "Next" to turn to the next sheet of a stack on display in a Sheet Editor window.

Keyboard shortcut:

Ctrl + N

Tool Tidy button:

See also:

 Previous

 First

 Last

 Turn to...

 Search...


Sheet menu: Previous

Choose "Previous" to turn to the previous sheet of a stack on display in a Sheet Editor window.

Keyboard shortcut:

Ctrl + P

Tool Tidy button:

See also:

 Next

 First

 Last

 Turn to...

 Search...


Sheet menu: First

Choose "First" to turn to the first sheet of a stack on display in a Sheet Editor window.

Keyboard shortcut:

Ctrl + F

See also:

 Last

 Next

 Previous

 Turn to...

 Search...


Sheet menu: Last

Choose "Last" to turn to the last sheet of a stack on display in a Sheet Editor window.

Keyboard shortcut:

Ctrl + L

See also:

 First

 Next

 Previous

 Turn to...

 Search...


Sheet menu: Turn to...

Choose "Turn to..." to go directly by [image] sheet number to a specific answer sheet in a project's stack. Click the command, type the sheet number at the dialogue box cursor and press RETURN.

Note that PinPoint numbers answer sheets sequentially as each is completed and saved. To use this command you must know the number of the sheet you wish to turn to. Alternatively choose "Search..." to locate a sheet by text, number or date answer.

See also:

 Search...


Sheet menu: Search...

Choose "Search..." to locate an answer sheet from a stack for review or amendment. Click the command to open the [image] "Search" dialogue box, then select

any text  OR

any number only  OR

any date only

as the answer type to search on. Type the value to be searched for at the cursor position and then choose "Find first" or press RETURN.

PinPoint will search the stack from the first sheet and will display the first match found. Click "Find next" or press RETURN repeatedly until you find the sheet you want to review.

Searches on text will find words which match your search word both in whole and in part. The wild-card character  #  may also be used to extend the range of possible matches.

Note: Use "Search..." only to locate single sheets. This command is not intended to be used as a substitute for PinPoint's analysis worksheets.

Tool Tidy button:

See also:

 Turn to...


Sheet menu: Analyse sheets
View Menu: Worksheet/Sheet menu: Analyse sheets

Choose either of these options to place the currently displayed stack of answer sheets onto the analysis worksheet for the project.

If the sheets have been analysed before (you may, for example, have been adding new sheets to the stack), then the project's worksheet will open with its previously-saved sort and selection attributes intact.

Choose the Tools menu "Remove selection conditions and sorting" command if you wish to view all the sheets.

If the sheets have not been analysed previously then they will all be placed into the worksheet and displayed in order of [image] sheet number.

Tool Tidy button:

See also:

 Analysis worksheets


Sheet menu: Alter form
View menu: Form

Choose "Form" to return a project's form to the Form Editor for review and amendment.

Significant changes

If a form is to be edited substantially, that is if

Any questions/fields are deleted

Or any new questions/fields are added

Or the order of questions on the page is changed

Or the answer type of questions is changed

Or new choices are added to choice type questions

then the existing answer sheets in the project's stack may need to be updated. For this reason, you are recommended to take a backup copy of the project before making such changes.

Save changes and update sheets?

When you have completed your alterations to the form click the [image] Stack tool to return to the Sheet Editor window.

PinPoint will prompt you to save your changes, and will ask you to confirm, twice, that you wish to [image] update all the sheets in the current stack.

If you choose "Yes" then all the completed sheets will be updated accordingly. The information currently held in the sheets will be preserved wherever possible.

Note that if you have opened the Sheet Editor from a worksheet, PinPoint will prompt you to confirm that the worksheet may be closed before the form is changed.

Tool Tidy button:

See also:

 Save


Tools menu: Sort sheets...

When you first place a project's stack into a worksheet, its answer sheets are displayed in the order in which they were entered.

To sort the sheets

Click "Sort sheets..." to open the [image] "Sort sheets" dialogue box. Select a question on which to sort the sheets, in increasing or decreasing order, and choose "OK". The worksheet will be re-displayed with the answer sheets sorted as required.

To re-sort the sheets

Choose "Sort sheets..." again and proceed as described above.

To add a sort

To perform a further sort on previously sorted answer sheets, click "Sort sheets..." again. Proceed as described above, but this time select "Within current order". Choose "OK" to perform the sort.

Note that your chosen sort criteria will be saved in the project file only when you choose [image] "Save" from the Analysis Worksheets File Menu.

Worksheet control panel:

Tool Tidy button:

See also:

 Remove selection conditions and sorting

 Sorting - Overview


Tools menu: Add selection...
Tools menu: Add selection condition...

When performing an analysis of answer sheet data in PinPoint's worksheets, selection criteria are entered sequentially. As each selection is made the matching answer sheets are displayed in the worksheet.

To apply selection criteria

Choose "Add selection condition...". to open the [image] "Select sheets" dialogue box. In it you

Choose a question/field by which to select the sheets

Choose your required selection criterion

Select or type in appropriate criterion values

Specify whether to include or to exclude those answer sheets matching your chosen criterion.

Apply a new criterion to all sheets, or to only those matching previous criteria (i.e. those which are currently on display).

Criteria may be combined using either "and" or "or" with the "Look through sheets" and "include/exclude" options.

Choose "OK" and the display will be updated to show only those answer sheets which match the criterion. A description of the chosen criterion will be shown in the Worksheet control panel.

To add further criteria

Choose "Add selection condition..." again, select a further criterion and proceed as described above.

Worksheet control panel:

Tool Tidy button:

See also:

 Choosing and selecting sheets - Overview

 Selecting Individual Sheets

 Remove selection conditions and sorting


Tools menu: Remove selection
Tools menu: Remove selection conditions and sorting

Choose "Remove selection conditions and sorting" to remove all selection conditions and sorting previously applied to a stack of answer sheets.

Use this command to re-display all the answer sheets in a project's stack in the order in which they were entered.

Note that your previously-chosen sort and selection criteria will remain in the project file until you [image] save your worksheet's new attributes.

Hint: Use the Worksheet control panel buttons to remove only the last sort performed or the last selection condition applied.

Tool Tidy button:


Tools menu: Statistics...

From within PinPoint's worksheets you can perform a number of standard statistical calculations upon the answers to numeric questions.

Choose "Statistics..." to open the [image] "Statistics" dialogue box. Select

One or more numeric questions upon which to perform the calculation(s).

Only those answer sheets currently displayed in the worksheet, or all the answer sheets in the current stack, or both sets, for inclusion in the analysis.

The statistical calculation(s) to be performed.

Choose "OK". The title "Statistics" will appear at the left end of the question/field title bar. A window will open, between the Worksheet control panel and the first answer sheet row, in which the results of your calculations will be displayed.

Hint: To modify or perform further statistical calculations, click on the "Statistics" column title to re-open the "Statistics" dialogue box.

Tool Tidy button:


Tools menu: Add column...
Tools menu: Add new column...

Choose "Add new column..." to add a new column to a worksheet.

Calculations can be performed on the answer sheets by writing a suitable question on the form. However, this may not be desirable if calculations are only required for analysis purposes - you may not wish to occupy valuable space on the form with information not actually required when viewing the individual sheets. Instead, calculations may be performed on the worksheet.

A calculation may use any numeric or calculated answers on the answer sheet and the results of other calculations on the worksheet. The calculation is performed for each answer sheet and the results shown in a new column on the worksheet.

Click the command to open the [image] New Column" dialogue box and

Type in your new column's unique reference name

Select the name of the question(s) to include.

Type in digits and arithmetical symbols, or use the calculator pad.

Select "Display style" to open the "Numeric" dialogue box.

Format your question and choose "OK".

Modifying a Calculated Column

To edit a new column's reference name or calculation, double click on its column title to re-open the "New column" dialogue box.

Tool Tidy button:


Tools menu: Plot graph...

Choose "Plot graph..." to produce a graph from a stack's answer sheet data.

Click the command to open the [image] "Plot graph" dialogue.

From there layers of interactive dialogue boxes will guide you step-by-step through the production of even the most complex graphical presentation.

Tool Tidy button:

See also:

 Graphics Presentation: How to...


Tools menu: Generate tabs...
Tools menu: Generate crosstabs...

Choose "Generate cross-tabs..." to produce a cross-tabulation from a stack's answer sheet data.

Click the command to open the [image] "Cross tabulations" dialogue.

Tool Tidy button:

See also:

 Graphics Presentation: How to...


Window menu: Tile

The number and type of document windows that you can have open or minimised to icons in PinPoint's application window is limited only by your computer's memory. To arrange windows and icons so that you can see them all, choose

"Tile" to scale open windows to fit next to each other  OR

"Cascade" to cause open windows to overlap so that each of their title bars is visible  AND

"Arrange Icons" to line up all icons along the lower edge of the desktop.

Hint: You can navigate quickly around a crowded application window from the keyboard. Press and hold down CTRL, then press TAB repeatedly to 'cycle' through each open document window and icon in turn.

See also:

 Work in progress


Window menu: Cascade

The number and type of document windows that you can have open or minimised to icons in PinPoint's application window is limited only by your computer's memory. To arrange windows and icons so that you can see them all, choose

"Tile" to scale open windows to fit next to each other  OR

"Cascade" to cause open windows to overlap so that each of their title bars is visible  AND

"Arrange Icons" to line up all icons along the lower edge of the desktop.

Hint: You can navigate quickly around a crowded application window from the keyboard. Press and hold down CTRL, then press TAB repeatedly to 'cycle' through each open document window and icon in turn.

See also:

 Work in progress


Window menu: Arrange Icons

The number and type of document windows that you can have open or minimised to icons in PinPoint's application window is limited only by your computer's memory. To arrange windows and icons so that you can see them all, choose

"Tile" to scale open windows to fit next to each other  OR

"Cascade" to cause open windows to overlap so that each of their title bars is visible  AND

"Arrange Icons" to line up all icons along the lower edge of the workplace.

Hint: You can navigate quickly around a crowded application window from the keyboard. Press and hold down CTRL, then press TAB repeatedly to 'cycle' through each open document window and icon in turn.

See also:

 Work in progress


Window menu: Close All

Choose "Close All" to close all open and minimised document windows. PinPoint will prompt you to save or abandon your work before closing a window.


Window menu: Work in progress

The titles of up to nine open or minimised document windows will appear in the "Work in progress" list under the Window menu. Click on a window's title to switch to it directly.

"More Windows..." appears if more than nine windows are open or minimised. Chose this command to open the "Select Window" dialogue box. Choose a window title to switch to from the list, then click "Ok".


File menu: Delete

Choose "Delete" from the File menu to remove a previously saved graphics presentation from a project. Open the presentation you wish to remove (choose "Open presentation..." from the File menu), and then choose "Delete".

PinPoint will ask you to confirm or cancel your action. Choose "Yes" and the presentation will be removed from your project.

Note that you can "Save" a deleted presentation again (under the same or a different name) while its Presentation Editor window remains open. A deleted presentation is no longer recoverable once its window has been closed.


View Menu: Answer Sheets

Choose "Answer Sheets" to switch your view of your project to the individual answer sheets.

From a Worksheet window

The first sheet of the stack will be displayed, and the Worksheet will be closed.

From a Form Editor window

If you have been working on a new form a Sheet Editor will open onto the first (blank) sheet of a new stack  OR

If you have been working on the form of a project already containing answer sheets, a Sheet Editor will open onto the first sheet of the existing stack.

Significant changes

If a form has been edited substantially, that is if

Any questions/fields are deleted

Or any new questions/fields are added

Or the order of questions on the page is changed

Or the answer type of questions is changed

Or new choices are added to choice type questions

then the existing answer sheets in the project's stack may need to be updated.

Save changes and update sheets?

PinPoint will prompt you to save your changes, and will ask you to confirm, twice, that you wish to [image] update all the sheets in the current stack.

If you choose "Yes" then all the completed sheets will be updated accordingly. The information currently held in the sheets will be preserved wherever possible.

See also:

 Save


View Menu: Show Printable Area

Use this command before attempting to print the worksheet to check that the print will fit on the paper loaded in your active printer - the area of the worksheet beyond the width of the paper will be given a grey background. If there are columns that will not fit on the paper, you have several choices:

Use a different or smaller font. From the View menu, choose [image] Font and choose a new font or size from the Font dialogue.

Reduce the [image] width of the columns on the worksheet.

If your printer is able, select a different, wider, orientation of the paper in the printer. From the File menu, choose Printer Setup.

Select a printer that uses wider paper. From the File menu, choose Printer Setup.

Remove some of the [image] columns on the worksheet.

Note: The display of the printable area is approximate, especially if you are using a font which is not available on the active printer. In such cases, the closest matching font available on the printer is used but this may vary in size slightly from the font used on screen.

See also:

 Worksheet configuration


Tools Menu: Copy to Clipboard

Choose "Copy to Clipboard" to copy answer sheets from the Worksheet to the Windows clipboard.

If the number of answer sheets to transfer to another application is not too large (how many is too large depends on the amount of memory available in your machine), then it may be quicker to use the Windows clipboard rather than saving to a file.

Answer sheets are copied to the clipboard in both Comma Separated Value (CSV) and Tab Separated Value (to a word processor, plain text) formats. Most word processors and spreadsheets are able to recognise these formats and paste the information from the clipboard intelligently.

Just some or all of the answer sheets may be copied to the clipboard and just some or all of the answers for each of the sheets.

Note: Multiple choice answers in which more than one choice is allowed and ordered choice answers are not copied since these require multiple values to be given for each field, which would not be understood by an importing application.

Answer sheets to copy:

If only a sub-set of the answer sheets are to be copied, choose the sheets by using [image] selection conditions or by selecting the [image] individual sheets.

Answers to Copy:

If only some of the answers are to be copied either:

Remove the columns for those answers which are not to be copied from the worksheet.

- or-

Choose the answers to be copied by selecting the required column titles by clicking on the column titles.