Loadstar 15/015.d81/sheet text

Text File | 2022-08-26 | 14KB | 816 lines

       Steinman Spreadsheet


  If you are interested in

spreadsheets, you may want to make a

printout of this now--you'll need it

later.

  The inclusion of a version of the

Steinman Spreadsheet on this issue

begins a new chapter in the history

of Loadstar.  Each issue will feature

a program that's the equivalent of

software you'd have to pay $30 or

more for on the retail market.

  Future issues will include a word

processor, a data base, a file copy

utility, and a dungeon game.

  Spreadsheets, beginning with

Visicalc, enable the user to play the

simulation "What if".  The process

used in the simulation is called

"modeling".  A spreadsheet model can

analyze any problem that can be

reduced to numbers.  It can analyze

future events, keep track of the

present situation, or give new

insights into the past.

  There is one salient point to

remember about spreadsheet models:

their validity depends on the

accuracy of the data, the appropriate

use of formulas, and the quality of

the assumptions that are used in

building the model.

  The old saying that 'Figures don't

lie, but liars figure' never had a

more appropriate setting than when

looking at the results of a model.

With that caveat in mind, let's talk

about Steinman.

           The Display
           -----------

  The Steinman Spreadsheet consists of

four modules--the spreadsheet, a

dimension module, a report generator,

and a series of disk utilities.

Because space on LOADSTAR is limited,

we present here a reduced version of

the spreadsheet module.

  The reduction is significant.

In this version, you have 140 cells

in your spreadsheet, in the full-

blown version, you can have as many

as 2000 cells.  In addition, the

complete package has the extra

ability to change the size of your

spreadsheet.

  But the major difference is that

the complete package contains the

report generator module, the first of

its kind for a spreadsheet.  With it

you have total flexibility in

building reports based on your

spreadsheet models.

  You can still print out reports

from the version of Steinman on

Loadstar with the basic print routine

that is included within the

spreadsheet module.  You'll find this

routine adequate for the models you

can build.

  If you find this diluted version of

Steinman to your liking, you can save

$10 on the purchase of the complete

package by using the coupon included

with this issue.

  Even if you don't buy the complete

Steinman, you'll find this version

adequate to model several small

household tasks.

  With all that explanation out of

the way, let's get on to the task of

telling you how to use Steinman.

  The display is in two sections: the

main spreadsheet and a status

section.  The status section contains

the status bar, the cell locator, the

data entry line, and room for any

messages that may be appropriate.

          The Status Bar


  There are two lines to the status

bar, which is printed in inverse at

the top of Steinman.  On the first

line is the mode indicator, room for

function titles, and the name of your

file.

           Mode Indicator

  The mode indicator will usually

show "INPUT", meaning that you're

ready to enter data into the

spreadsheet.  The alternative mode is

"CONTROL", which indicates that

you're using some other function of

the program.  Usually when you are in

control mode, the name of the

function is displayed in the center

of the top line of the status bar.

       Recalculate Indicator

  The second line of the status bar

displays the current state of the

model.  If you've been entering data,

an asterisk * will appear at the left

to indicate that you need to

recalculate the spreadsheet.

          Paging Indicator

  Next to that, a "P" or "PP" would

indicate that paging has been

activated.

         Precision Indicator

  To the right of the paging

indicator is the precision indicator.

Precision sets the depth to which

your formulas are calculated and is

shown by the at sign, such as @3 for

calculate three decimal places. Legal

values are 0-6.

       Fixed Decimal Indicator

  Next to precision is the fixed

decimal indicator.  This sets the

number of decimal places that will be

shown on your display and is shown by

the letter "F" followed by a number

or X.  Legal entries are 0-6.  X

means to use the number of decimals

in each cell that you entered.

      Negative Number Indicator

  After fixed decimal comes the

indication of how negative numbers

will be displayed.  They can be

prefixed by a minus sign "-", or

surrounded by parentheses ().

          Comma Indicator

  Following the negative number

indicator is the comma indicator.

You can choose to have commas in your

large numbers for easier reading.


    Order of Calculation Indicator

  The next indicator is for order of

calculation.  You can choose to have

your model calculated either line by

line (horizontally) or column by

column (vertically).

           Size Indicator

  The final entry on the second line

of the status bar shows the size of

the spreadsheet, in this case 35x4.

         Other Status Items

  Near the top left of the screen is

the legend "CELL #".  What follows it

is the exact address where you are in

the spreadsheet.

  Under CELL # are the data entry

line and the data entry cursor.

        Cells and Addresses
        -------------------

  The basic unit of a spreadsheet is

a cell.  Each cell has a unique

address that represents the

intersection of the line and column

at the point of the cell.

  The cell at the point where line 6

intersects column 3 has the address

L6C3.  No other cell has that

address.

      Cursors and Data Entry
      ----------------------

  Steinman has two cursors, one above

the spreadsheet on the data entry

line and one in the spreadsheet.  The

data entry cursor indicates your

position relative to the data that

has been (is being) entered in the

cell.  It's activated during data

entry or editing.

  The cell cursor indicates your

position in the spreadsheet.

Whatever you enter on the data entry

line will appear in the cell on which

your cell cursor is placed.  You

accept the data you have entered by

pressing RETURN or by pressing a

cursor control key to move on to the

next cell into which you want to

enter data.

            Data Types

  A spreadsheet recognizes three

kinds of information: values, labels,

and formulas.

  Values are numbers.  They are

entered directly into cells or are

the results of the evaluation of a

formula.

  Labels are descriptors.  They

usually sit at the top of columns and

on the left of lines to indicate what

the numbers mean.

  Formulas cause manipulations to

values.  They contain references to

cell addresses and values.  All

formulas start with the plus sign +.

--------------------------------------

Commands from the Spreadsheet

  F1  Calculate the value of a cell
  F2  Calculate the entire model
  F3  Activate paging.
      "P" paging causes the display
      to move a section at a time
      when a boundary is reached.
      "PP" paging causes the display
      to move a section at a time
      without reaching the screen
      boundary. Paging is controlled
      by the right and down cursor
      control keys.

  F5  Edit (on the data entry line)

  F7  Enter the control mode

  F8  Erase a cell

  \   Go directly to a cell

  +   Start of a formula

  ..  Range (see formulas)

 LxCy Cell address


The cursor keys move as indicated and

the CLR/HOME key always returns you

to L1C1.

Commands accessed by pressing F7:

  Commodore A  Start new file

  B  Bytes (memory) remaining

  C  Copy a block of cells

  D  Delete (line or column)

  E  Erase a range of cells

  F  Change fixed decimals

  G  Go to a specific cell

  I  Insert (line or column)

  L  Set line spacing

  M  Move a block of cells

  O  Change order of calculation

  P  Print

  Commodore Q  Quit

  R  Replicate cell

  Shift R Replicate cell with
     choice of referencing

  S  Save

  T  Fix Titles (set labels to stay
     on the screen while you scroll
     the spreadshee