QuickFigure Lite is a fast, small, fully functional spreadsheet for the
Newton. It supports all standard Newton math and financial functions,
allows the user to store multiple worksheets, has printing, faxing and
mailing capability, and many other features.
QuickFigure Lite is freeware-- you may give it to others provided that
you do not charge for it and you include a copy of this file (in either
electronic or printed form), but I retain all rights to the software.
If you would like the complete version or the benefits of registration, you must send in the registration fee of $23 (see below). If you are interested in a site license, please
inquire via E-Mail.
Benefits of Registration / Upgrade
===============================
If you register your copy of QuickFigure Lite, you will receive a complete manual (both on paper and in Newton Digital Book format), an enhanced version of the software (no start-up screen, more formatting options, more math and financial functions, and many other things), notification of new and improved versions, and technical support (via E-Mail).
QuickFigure 2.0, which will be available in mid-May, offers the following
features: scrolling (up to 26 columns by 50 cells), resizable cells, a function editor (for creating user-defined functions), limited graphing, the ability to copy to the Newton's notepad, an online help system, and much more. QuickFigure 2.0 will be available free to all registered QuickFigure owners.
QuickFigure Pro
==============
QuickFigure Pro will consist of QuickFigure 2.0, bundled with the QChart graphing and charting system (allowing you to do line, pie, and bar charts), and an Import/Export feature which allows data transfer between QuickFigure and most conventional desktop spreadsheets.
QuickFigure Pro will be $39, plus shipping and handling ($3 US and Canada, $7 elsewhere). For registered owners of QuickFigure 1.1 and prior, who are upgrading to QuickFigure 2.0, QuickFigure Pro will be only $15, including shipping and handling.
How to Register
==============
You may register in one of two ways. Either call our 800 number (US only):
1-800-655-NEWT (Visa and MasterCard accepted)
0r send us mail at:
US Mail: Don Vollum
QuickFigure Lite Registration
P.O. Box 1894
Portland, OR 97207
Registration Fee: $23.00 (US and Canada)
$27.00 (elsewhere).
If you are outside of the US and would like to register via credit card, we will accept credit card registrations via E-Mail over Compuserve, eWorld, or America Online (we'll accept them over the Internet as well, but we don't recommend that you send your credit card number via Internet mail).
Send your comments to:
Compuserve: 70540,2422
NewtonMail / eWorld: DonV
Internet: donv@teleport.com
America Online: PelicanInc
After you've placed your order, we'd be happy to E-Mail you a copy of QuickFigure, if you send us E-Mail at one of the addresses above.
DISCLAIMER
===========
Use this program at your own risk. I, Don Vollum, take no
responsibility for any damages (monetary or otherwise) caused by, or as
a result of, use of this program.
Helpful Hints
============
To get an input window, tap on a cell. The input window is draggable, although you may have to try a few times to make it drag. Try just inside of the shaded border of the input window.
Once the input window is open, you may enter a number, a label, or a formula. Numbers and labels require no special syntax (decimal numbers require a leading "0"-- "0.75" rather than ".75". Formulas begin with "=", and have a straightforward syntax. With the input window open, tapping on a cell or selecting a range enters it
into the input area, where it can be used in a formula.
Formula: =A1 + B1
=log(A5)
Number: 567
Label: This is a label.
Cells may be selected by drawing from left to right, beginning in the
first cell of the selection and ending in the last cell. A single cell
may be selected (for purposes of formatting or cut/copy/paste/clear) by
drawing a line within the boundaries of that cell (if you tap on it,
the input window will appear, and it is selected, but if you draw a
line inside of it, it selects without the input window appearing).
The Edit button allows you to Cut/Copy/Paste/Clear/Fill. If a cell has
a formula, that is always copied. Otherwise, the value or label is
copied. When formulas are copied, they are moved relative to the new
location. If a cell in a formula is preceded by a "$", then it is an
absolute reference. For example:
copied from B1: =A1 + $A2
pasted into C2: =B2 + $A2
There are two ways to delete the contents of a cell or range of cells:
scrubbing over the cell(s) (be careful-- scrubbing often deletes more
than you expect), or selecting the cell(s) and choosing "Clear" from
the Edit button.
Fill takes the value or formula in the upper left most cell of a range,
and fills in the rest of the range with that value or formula.
The Format button brings up a window with formatting choices. Cells are
not individually resizable in this version of QF Lite.
To open a previously stored worksheet, tap the overview button on the
Newt. This will display your stored worksheets by the contents of cell
A1. If you don't have anything in A1, QuickFigure shows ". . .".
Worksheets are stored automatically (similar to the Notepad).
QF Lite supports over 40 math functions. If you are not sure if a
function is supported, give it a try. In addition, QF Lite supports the
following range functions:
SUM(firstCell:lastCell)
AVG(firstCell:lastCell)
NUM(firstCell:lastCell)
One confusing math function is "pow". To raise a number to a power, instead of using "3^4" as you might in Excel, you need to say "pow(3,4)." The specification is "pow(x,y)" where x is raised to the y power.
Finally, QF adds a new word to the Intelligent Assistant: "Calculate".
Simply write "calculate" followed by any math expression (or
NewtonScript expression), highlight it, tap "Assist", and QF will show
you the answer. For example, write "calculate 9/3" and a view will
appear with "3". The Assistant will also respond to "Figure" instead of
"calculate".
Compatibility with Worksheets Created by Earlier Versions of QuickFigure
This version of QuickFigure Lite uses a different file format than earlier versions. If you wish to use your worksheets created with the old version of QuickFigure, you must first translate them with the QuickFigure Translation Utility. Some shareware packages may include this; if it is not included in the package you received, it should be posted at major Newton archives (CompuServe, America Online, eWorld, newton.uiowa.edu).
If you cannot locate a copy of the Translator, please contact me via E-Mail, and I will send you a copy. If you absolutely cannot find the Translator (and are unable to contact me), you should delete your old worksheets using a soup utility, such as StewPot.
Known Bugs
===========
1. Selecting "Wide" on cell width only allows you to see columns A, B,
and C. Values and formulas in the other columns are still there and
available for use.
2. This version of QF Lite does not equate empty cells with "0" for purposes of
calculating formulas. I can change this, but it will result in slowing
the recalculation down. For now, just put in zeroes where you want them.
5. Occasionally, strange things will happen (such as the grid
disappearing). This is caused by the Newton running out of frames heap
memory. If this happens, see "A Note about Memory Use" below.
SPEED
=====
Although QuickFigure is generally pretty fast, some operations are very
slow. Recalculating is not too bad (it all depends on how many cells
are referenced by each formula), but Paste and Fill can be very slow,
especially if you are doing a large area. If you think it has crashed,
it probably hasn't-- it's just busy. Let it work for a while, and see
what happens.
A NOTE ABOUT MEMORY USE:
========================
You will probably see the "Newton does not have enough memory. . ." message on occasion. Large spreadsheets do use up a great deal of the Newton's frames heap memory (this has nothing to do with how much memory "prefs" or the card says
you have available). If you get this message, there are several things
you can do:
1. Close any other applications you have open at the same time.
2. If you don't have anything else open, go ahead and reset. At worst, you
should only lose the last thing (or two) that you entered. The Newt
should work find then.
3. If you are having problems with other applications after using QuickFigure, go back into QuickFigure and select "New Worksheet" from the Routing button (the button at lower left with a picture of an envelope). This will free up some memory.
4. When printing or faxing, close QuickFigure before tapping "Send" in the out box.
If you get this message just after printing or faxing (while the
OutBox is still visible), go ahead and press "Cancel", and go on about
your business (if you have everything saved and aren't in a hurry, a
reset is not a bad idea).
Changes between Versions 1.1 and 1.02:
1. Made input window draggable.
2. Changed worksheet format to conserve memory and make it compatible with QuickFigure 1.1.
3. Changed title window.
4. Fixed screen size problem on MP110.
5. Fixed occasional 48205 error.
6. Added "Undo" support for information entered through input window.
7. Fixed numerous minor bugs.
Changes between Versions 1.02 and 1.00:
1. Fixed copy bug so that absolute cell references now work OK.
2. Fixed Find bug so that if the QuickFigure soup has not been created, Global finds will still work OK.
3. Removed Enter button from format window.
4. QF now automatically closes the extras drawer.
5. Made a modification which should reduce memory usage on newly created worksheets (doesn't affect worksheets created with Version 1.00 or older).
