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1984-11-24
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Hotline Q & A
SYMPHONY
The following are answers to questions commonly asked by our
dealers and test sites about Symphony's capabilities.
FILE HANDLING
Q. When I do a File Retrieve, the file name extensions are .WRK
for both worksheet and document files. Am I doing File Save
correctly?
A. Yes. Symphony gives the .WRK file name extension to both
spreadsheets and documents. As does 1-2-3, Symphony uses .PIC
and .PRN file name extensions to indicate graph-image and print
files respectively.
Q. When accessing a directory through File Retrieve or File Save,
Key S or <ENTER> to continue[23;30H!s
[23;1H[J the ESC key does not erase the current directory.
A. To erase the current directory name, simply press [ESC] twice.
This allows you to type in the name of another sub-directory.
WORD PROCESSING
Q. In a DOC window, there are times when word wrap doesn't seem to
work. Why?
A. Word wrap is disabled when overstrike INS is turned on, or when
justification is set to NONE. Press [INSERT] to turn off
overstrike mode or change the justification in the format line.
Q. Why are non-left aligned labels considered to be non-text,
i.e., why can't they be edited in word processing?
A. Centered (^) and right-aligned labels (") use leading spaces.
The Symphony program would need to be significantly larger to
handle these labels as text.
Q. Values entered in a SHEET window cannot be edited in a DOC
window.
A. True. The worksheet values you entered in SHEET are protected.
SPREADSHEET
Q. When printing spreadsheets, long labels are truncated at the
column width.
A. True. When defining an output range, the entire visible
portion of the labels must be highlighted.
Q. Where are the global options?
A. Press [Menu] and select Settings to establish column width,
recalculation mode, label prefix, etc.
Q. How do I transfer a row to a column without using DIF?
A. Use Symphony's new Range Transpose command.
Q. Will there be a function for TIME calculation?
A. There are several. @TIME returns the serial value of a time of
day. @TIMEVALUE returns a serial value of a time entered as a
string. There are also @HOUR, @MINUTE, and @SECOND, which will
accept a serial value, and return the corresponding time value.
Q. I'm using the range name "1st" in my worksheet, but Symphony
will not allow me to use @ functions involving that range.
A. Correct. For computational purposes, range names cannot begin
with a number, but Symphony will accept a range name like "1st"
for move, erase, and copy commands.
GRAPHING
Q. How do I explode the Pie Charts?
A. By assigning a B range for the graph settings, and giving a
value of 100 to 107 to the section you want exploded.
Q. How do I do a log/semi-log scale graph?
A. By hitting the daily double at Aqueduct! But
seriously...Symphony has built this into its graph
capabilities. Select Graph 2nd Settings X-Axis Type
Logarithmic. Do the same for the Y-Axis if appropriate.
FORMS/DATABASE
Q. What is the parse review range?
A. This is an area that Symphony uses to store any data that does
not match the criteria established by a form definition. An
example of such data would be the salutation and login sequence
which remains on the screen during a communications session
with a mainframe.
Q. Has the Data Distribution command been eliminated from
Symphony?
A. Not at all. It can now be found under Range Distribution.
Q. I'm creating a mailing list with Symphony, but it will not
accept the part of the formula I've used to reference zip
codes.
A. Symphony's string handling capabilities are one of its nicest
features, but it still sees numbers the same way as 1-2-3 does.
To create a formula that involves columns of numbers as well as
text, use the @STRING function for any numerical data.
COMMUNICATIONS
Q. Symphony's Settings Name Phone-and-Login sequence doesn't work
with my Hayes Smartmodem 1200.
A. Check to be sure that dip-switch number six is set to ON -- the
up position.
Q. Why does my monitor display two characters for every one I
strike?
A. Check your COMM Settings Sheet to be sure that Echo is set to
OFF.
Q. When I dial a remote computer, I hear the phone ring, and I
hear the high pitched sound that indicates that I've reached
the computer, but I can't connect.
A. You're transmitting at different baud rates. Find out the baud
rate of the computer you're trying to access and adjust your
own baud rate accordingly -- probably downward. The two most
common baud rates between computers are 300 and 1200.
SYMPHONY COMMAND LANGUAGE
Q. Can I turn my screen off while the macro is executing?
A. Yes. The new {paneloff} command will surpress the display of
the control panel, and the {windowsoff} command will supress
the window displays.
1-2-3 Macro Tips
Printing Mailing Labels
Printing mailing labels with 1-2-3 is simple if you prepare a worksheet on which
each address is entered as three or more rows of long labels:
James Wildman
100 34th Street
Oneonta, IM 03312
Unfortunately this does not allow you to exploit 1-2-3's /d commands (Data Sort
and Data Query) to rearrange or extract addresses by last name, city, state, or
other criteria. Storing addresses in a 1-2-3 database is much more useful for
reorganizing the information later:
James Wildman 100 34th Street Oneonta IM 03312
Ted Mayfair RR 1, Box 22 Hickton NN 77330
William Eggleston PO Box 3443 Helmsford FN 29214
Consult the 1-2-3 manual for a discussion on the uses of /ds and /dq
commands. Assume that your database has been established correctly,
with fields for first name, last name, street address, city, state, and zip
code. Unfortunately these addresses look nothing like mailing labels. What
comes next? Retyping each row to look like the address in the first example
comes to mind, but using the /c (Copy) command might require less effort.
By positioning the cell pointer on the first field of a record and issuing
the /c command, you can indicate a cell outside the database to be the
target for the copy.
To move each record using the Copy command, the following keystrokes would be
required:
/c <return><right arrow><right arrow><right arrow>
<right arrow><right arrow><right arrow>
<right arrow><return>
Since 1-2-3 leaves the cell pointer on the cell copied from, copying the rest of
the address requires moving the cell pointer to the next field (the `last name'
column), issuing the /c command, and pointing to the cell into which you want
that field copied.
This method of pointing to a range is inefficient, as previously named ranges
may be supplied to the /c command. Using named ranges for operations such as
copying take a bit more time to establish initially, but make automating routine
tasks much simpler.
Start by creating range names for each cell into which you are going to copy
each field of an address. Assign range names which represent the information in
each area of cells. The cell that will hold the first name in the formatted
address might be named `first' or `firstname', the cell that will hold the last
name might be named `last' or `lastname', and so on.
Use /rnc (Range Name Create) to name the cells in a block outside of your
database. Now when you issue the /c command and 1-2-3 prompts for the cell to
copy to, instead of pointing, type the range name of the appropriate cell.
Using range names is just one way of making 1-2-3 work harder for you. Your
work will be done faster if you put all of the previously discussed steps into a
macro. Here's a macro named \F which will format an address for you:
\F /c~FIRST~{right}
/c~LAST~{right}
/c~ADDRESS~{right}
/c~CITY~{right}
/c~STATE~{right}
/c~ZIP~
To invoke the macro, put the cell pointer on the first field of a record, hold
down the <Alt> key, and press the F key.
When the macro has finished, you will have to move the cell pointer to be able
to see the finished product. Use the goto <F5> key with the range name NAME.
The formatted address will look like this:
James Wildman
100 34th Street
Oneonta IM 03312
If the first name or the city name of the address are particularly long, they
will run into the last name or state name when the address is formatted. Choose
the address with the longest first name or city name to format first, then use
/wcs (Worksheet Column-width Set) to increase the size of the first column until
everything fits. This makes the column wide enough to fit each address
formatted subsequently.
Printing the Formatted Address
Since 1-2-3 normally expects to be printing on eight and a half by eleven inch
pages, it automatically spaces down five lines before printing the first line of
text (unless you have changed the default settings or have already printed
something during this session using different print options). To print a label
exactly where you want it, start by typing:
/ppoouq (Print Printer Options Other Unformatted Quit)
This set of commands instructs 1-2-3 to print without page breaks, heading
space, and footing space. Your text will be printed beginning on the line where
the print-head of your printer is when you later type g (Go). The Print menu
will still be displayed and you will want to type r (Range) and highlight the
formatted address. Make sure to cover all three columns and all three rows of
the address when marking the range to print.
Check that the printing head of your printer is on the paper label on the line
where you want the typed address to begin. Finally, type g (Go). 1-2-3 will
print the formatted address onto the address label.
If you wish to format and print another address label, q (Quit) out of the print
menu, position the cell pointer on the first field of a different record, invoke
the macro, adjust the printer so the print head is on the next label, and type
/ppg (Print Printer Go). Since 1-2-3 remembers all the print settings, when you
format a new label into the same cells as the first, you do not have to reset
the print options.
If you wish to print a number of labels, this procedure becomes tedious and time
consuming. The macro should be rewritten so that it automatically formats and
prints every address in the address database, or so that it pauses after
printing an address, allowing the user to select which address it will print
next.
Here is a macro which formats an address, prints it on a label, and pauses to
select a new address for printing. The cell pointer should be on the first
field of a record when the macro is invoked, and the print-head should be at the
very top of the address label:
\P /ppoouqrALL~q
LOOP /rncSTART~~
/c~FIRST~{right}
/c~LAST~{right}
/c~ADDRESS~{right}
/c~CITY~{right}
/c~STATE~{right}
/c~ZIP~
{goto}START~
/rndSTART~{down}
/ppgq
{?}
/xgLOOP~
Before you invoke this macro, make sure you have used /rnc (Range Name Create)
to name the cells you will be copying into. Also, you might have noticed the
range name ALL at the beginning of this macro. This is very important. It is a
range of cells that contains exactly the number of lines which can be printed on
each paper label, and which surrounds the cells into which you are formatting
the address.
The above example assumes that you will use tractor fed paper labels which fit
nine lines of text from the beginning of one label to the beginning of the next.
The range name ALL is assigned to a range covering nine rows of the worksheet
with the formatted address embedded as follows:
A B C D E
1
2
3
4 James Wildman
5 100 34th Street
6 Oneonta IM 03312
7
8
9
10
11
\P is the range name of the macro. A '\P is entered in the cell to the left of
the macro's first cell (Without the single quote the cell would have been filled
with p's. See the label prefix section of the 1-2-3 manual for an explanation),
then issued the /rnlr command (Range Name Labels Right) to assign this name.
Invoke the macro by holding <Alt> and pressing p.
Let's look at how the macro works:
/ppoouqrALL~q
(Print Printer Options Other Unformatted Quit Range ALL <Return> Quit) Sets the
print mode to unformatted and instructs 1-2-3 to print the range named ALL when
it encounters a /ppg command (Print Printer Go). This at the beginning of the
macro to establish print settings for the rest of the session. The macro will
be faster if this step is taken only once.
LOOP is the range name of the next line of the macro. This range name was
created in the same manner as the \P range name described above. This is where
the formatting and actual printing begins and the location to which the macro
loops after a label is printed.
/rncSTART~~
This assigns the range name START to the current cell (the `first name' cell of
the address being formatted). It is used by the macro as a place-holder. When
the address has been formatted, the cell pointer will be returned to this cell
(using {goto}START~), the range name START will be deleted, the pointer will be
moved down a cell, and the macro will pause until the <return> is pressed.
/c~FIRST~{right}
/c~LAST~{right}
/c~ADDRESS~{right}
/c~CITY~{right}
/c~STATE~{right}
/c~ZIP~
This is the macro developed earlier which formats the address to be printed.
{goto}START~
This moves the cell pointer back to the first field of the address as explained
above.
/rndSTART~{down}
The range name START is deleted because the macro will reuse it. Remember that
whenever a range name is used that has already been defined, 1-2-3 offers the
old range as the default range to name. You can avoid having to "back up" when
reusing a range name by deleting the old range name first.
After the range name is deleted, the macro moves the cell pointer down to the
next row. This is for convenience. The user will be able to choose this
address to print next by hitting <return>, or will be able to select a different
address by using the arrow keys.
/ppgq
The macro is telling 1-2-3 to print (which it does using the range ALL as
explained earlier).
{?}
The macro pauses. The user can stop the macro by pressing [BREAK], or move the
cursor to a different first name cell, or print the new current address by
pressing <return>.
/xgLOOP~
When the user presses <return>, this line causes 1-2-3 to continue reading
keystrokes in the cell named LOOP. LOOP is the line of the macro in which the
range name START is created. You can see that the macro will repeat its entire
routine, pausing again after it has printed the new address.
Many 1-2-3 users need the ability to automate a mass-mailing, sending letters to
every address in a database. Obviously it is inconvenient to sit at your
computer and press <return> after each address is printed.
The \P macro will be automatic with only slight modification. These
modifications assume that the user will position the cell pointer on the first
cell of a database, invoke the macro, and ignore the computer until all labels
are printed. The automatic macro will look like this:
\P /ppoouqrALL~q
LOOP /rncSTART~~
/xi((START)=-1)~/xq
/c~FIRST~{right}
/c~LAST~{right}
/c~ADDRESS~{right}
/c~CITY~{right}
/c~STATE~{right}
/c~ZIP~
{goto}START~
/rndSTART~{down}
/ppgq
/xgLOOP~
This macro is different in only two ways: It does not contain the {?} command
(Pause until <return> is pressed), and it has a line which checks to see if the
value of the cell named START is -1:
/xi((START)=-1)~/xq
This line (added right after the cell named LOOP) says, "If the value of START
is -1, quit execution of the macro. Otherwise continue reading keystrokes in
the next cell."
Before running this macro be sure to make one more change to your worksheet. Go
to the row below the last row of your database and enter a -1 in the first name
field. If you run the macro without having put a -1 at the end of your
database, it will continue to run to the bottom of the worksheet, spewing blank
address labels out of your printer until you stop it by pressing the <Ctrl> and
<Break> keys.
These macros should be useful to anyone who keeps a database of addresses. With
changes in the number of fields to be copied, you need only to add another range
name for a cell within the range ALL and add another /c~ command to the macro.
If your paper labels are larger or smaller than ours you can modify the printout
by changing the number of rows included in the range ALL.