Although TK-CALC contains an on-line tutorial program, there are a number of useful features that are not readily learned by using the software without the aid of this manual. Familiarize yourself with the contents of this manual so that you can refer to it as the need arises. The sections are:
| Getting Started | This section is for all first-time users whether you have used another electronic spreadsheet package or not. It provides some general rules to follow when using the menus and it also instructs you on the operations of the various keys on your keyboard. |
| Tutorial | This section is for the beginner. It walks you through the definition of a spreadsheet, how it is created, the screen layout, how to move around on the spreadsheet, how to enter data and formulas, and how to use some of the commands. It is similiar to the on-line tutorial and covers the same material. |
| Reference | This section provides a listing in alphabetic order of all of the features of TK-CALC and how they are used. The features are separated into two categories: commands and general operations. Although this section is not designed to be read from beginning to end, you may want to skim through it to become familiar with its contents. |
| Appendix A | This appendix provides information regarding the definition and maintenance of the operating system and terminal parameters required for successful operation of PG&A Toolkit software. |
GETTING STARTED
| The following section provides basic information to enable you to find your way around the TK-CALC software and use the keyboard. | |
Starting TK-CALC
![]() |
The main menu of TK-CALC is accessed by executing
the following MUMPS command:
D ^TKCALC If your particular system has TK-CALC already built into a menu system, you may call it up from that menu driver. NOTE: If your terminal has not been used for PG&A's Toolkit products before, you may be asked to identify the type of terminal you are using before starting. A list of the available types will be listed for you to use in making a selection. Enter the number next to your terminal type and press "RETURN". If the menu appears but is not displayed properly, your terminal may be incorrectly identified. See Appendix A for more information. |
Using The Menus![]() |
If your terminal has been correctly defined, you
should see the main menu of TK-CALC with the TK-CALC name at the top of the
screen, a list of options in the middle of the screen, and an instruction
line at the bottom.
You may select the desired option from the menu in two ways: 1. Move the selector pointer ( --" ) up or down to the option with either the up and down arrows (cursor keys) and then press "RETURN" to select the option. You can also use the SPACE bar to move the selector down. Notice that the selector wraps around to the top when it reaches the bottom. 2. Type the first letter of the desired option and then press "RETURN". In some systems, the "RETURN" is not required and only the letter need by typed. (See Appendix A for more information regarding the use of the optional "RETURN".) |
Using The Keyboard
![]() |
Once you have entered the text editor, you will be
able to use other keys on the keyboard besides the standard typewriter
keys. We will refer to these keys as editing keys. Since TK-CALC can be
run on a wide range of ASCII terminals, we cannot refer to specific keys
for each. But we will mention a few commonly used keys and describe them
by their function.
TK-WRITER also allows you to tailor the editing keys of your particular terminal so that they will suit your own preferences. To do this, select the Terminal Configuration option to see the current definition of the keys for your terminal. It can be found under the Special Functions option of the main menu. The editing keys provide the following functions when entering and editing text: |
| Cursor Left | Moves the cursor one space to the left in the current field. If the beginning of the field is reached, then the cursor will remain at the first location. |
| Cursor Right | Moves the cursor one space to the right in the current field. If the end of the field is reached, then the cursor will remain at the last position. |
| Cursor Up | Moves the cursor to the beginning of the previous field. If the cursor is currently in the the first field, then the previous screen will be redisplayed without storing any changes to the current screen. |
| Cursor Down | Moves cursor down to the beginning of the next field. If the cursor is currently in the last field of the screen, then the screen will be stored and the next screen will be displayed. |
| Insert Character | The character under the cursor and all of the characters following the cursor in the same field will be moved one space to the right. A space character will be inserted at the cursor position. If maximum length of the field is reached, no action will be taken. |
| Delete Character | The character under the cursor will be deleted and the following characters in the field will be moved to the left one space. |
| Delete or Rubout | The cursor will move one space to the left and erase the character at that position. No action will take place when the beginning of the field is reached. |
Upper and Lower Case![]() |
You may type in upper or lower case or both. All
commands, menu selections, and text will work equally well in upper or
lower case. Generally you would enter your spreadsheet text in whatever
form that you would like to see when redisplayed or printed.
The one exception to this rule is when you are entering formulas and cell addresses. They are required to be in upper case. |
Using The Tutorial![]() |
TK-CALC is distributed with an on-line tutorial
program built into the software. The tutorial will walk you through the
elementary steps of creating and using a simple spreadsheet. For your
convenience, we have also included a tutorial in the following pages.
This tutorial walks you throught the basics of the TK-CALC spreadsheet software. You will learn how to create, edit and use spreadsheets in a step by step approach. The following tutorial includes some hands on exercises to assist you in the learning process. Use the TK-CALC software as you read -- it will help. |
What is an Electronic Spreadsheet?![]() |
Traditionally a spreadsheet is a ledger or oversized piece of paper made
up of columns and rows that intersect to form a pattern of boxes or
cells; each box generally
holds a numeric value. Rows and columns are often totaled across the
bottom and/or side. Since a number is often dependent upon other numbers
elsewhere on the sheet, changing one number means changing every one that
depends upon it.
Your check book might be considered to be a simple form of spreadsheet. Normally, it contains columns for deposits, checks and current balance. Each entry is made on a new row and the balance column is computed using the previous balance plus any deposits and minus any checks.
An electronic spreadsheet consists of such columns and rows which are stored in the computer. Because the computer knows the data which has been entered, as well as the relationships between the data items, it can automatically compute new values. In the sample shown above, the balance column would be computed automatically because the data required to compute it is all readily available. This gives the electronic spreadsheet remarkable power and allows the user to quickly generate complex relationships between numbers on the spreadsheet. As you move through the examples in this section you will be learning the basics of TK-CALC, including: Creating a new spreadsheet |
Creating a New Spreadsheet![]() |
From the main TK-CALC menu, select the CREATE
option. You will be asked to enter some basic information about the
spreadsheet to be created.
You will be given the opportunity to enter a description of up-to thirty characters, as well as your own name as the "author". These two items will make it easier to select this sheet from among the others when you want to edit or print it at a later time. You will also be given the opportunity to enter a password. This password will prevent unauthorized access to this spreadsheet. NOTE: It is very important to remember each password you use, because there is no means in TK-CALC for recalling them. You may just press "RETURN" at the password line, and opt for no password and no security. |
The Spreadsheet Window![]() |
After entering the description, author and
optional password, a blank spreadsheet will be displayed on the screen.
The sheet number is located at the top left corner along with other status
information. The top two lines of the screen are called the status
lines and will change according to the particular function being
performed.
The row numbers 1 through 20 are listed on the left edge of the screen. The column letters A through G are listed across the screen on line 4. These row numbers and column letters are your navigation aids for moving about the sheet, and will change as the window is moved about on the much larger sheet residing in the computer. Once you start entering data into the sheet, these rows and columns will take on meaning. The intersection of a row and a column forms a cell . Each cell may hold one data element and it is addressed by the column letter and the row number. The top left cell is called "A1", the next over to the right is "B1" and so on. Moving down the sheet from the top left is "A2", then "A3" down to "A999". |
Moving Around the Sheet![]() |
You generally enter and edit data in one cell at a
time. In order to indicate which cell you are
working with, you need to point to it. The spreadsheet has a handy pointer
which may be moved to the left, right, up and down with the cursor left,
right, up and down keys.
This pointer, which is really the cell displayed in reverse video, should be located at the top left hand corner of your screen covering cell "A1". You may go ahead and move it around with the cursor keys if you like. Notice that the top status line lists the cell address, and watch it change as you move about the sheet (screen). If you move far enough to the right, you will notice that the entire sheet is shifted left one column. This is called scrolling . Anytime you bump up against the right edge of the sheet, the sheet will be scrolled one column to the left. Generally you will loose one column on the left and gain one on the right. If the new column is wider than average, it may force more than one column off of the left edge. Bumping the pointer up against the left edge will then scroll the sheet back to the right. This will continue until column "A" is scrolled back into view. More bumping against the left edge will not do anything since you have reached the far left edge of the sheet. You can do the same scrolling at the top and bottom with the sheet being moved up and down one row at a time. |
GOTO Command![]() |
The cursor keys provide an easy way of moving the
pointer around the spreadsheet, but there are times when you might find it
tedious to move from one place to another of some distance. The "TAB" key
can assist us and moving more quickly. Press the "TAB" key and you will
notice that TK-CALC will ask you for the address of the cell to which you
want to move. Enter the column letter followed by the row number. Press
"RETURN" and the pointer should jump to the desired cell. If the cell is
not in the current window, the screen will be repainted with the desired
cell in the top left corner.
Pressing the "TAB" key calls the GOTO command into action. Although it is a simple command, we can learn some basics from it that we can apply to all commands. First, you will notice the GOTO command indication on the second line of the screen. It provides additional instructions which will help you understand the input required. In this case it asks for the address. Second, you will notice that your address that you type in is displayed on line three. Or at least until you press the "RETURN" key. This third line is called the EDIT line and it is where you type while you are interacting with TK-CALC. You may use the delete or rubout key to erase any of your input and enter it again until it's right. Then you press the "RETURN" key indicating that you are satisfied with typing and that it is ready to be acted on. If you press "RETURN" without entering any address, the GOTO command will be canceled and the pointer will stay where it is. If you type in an address and then delete it with the "DELETE" or "RUBOUT" key, and then press "RETURN", it too will cause the GOTO command to be cancelled. NOTE: To cancel a TK-CALC command before it executes, press the "RETURN" key without entering any data. If you have entered data and then decide to cancel the command, use the "DELETE" or "RUBOUT" to delete it before pressing "RETURN". |
Entering Data
|
The main purpose of moving around the spreadsheet
is to enter or modify data in the cells. There are two kinds of
spreadsheet entries...
LABELS such as... January ...and NUMBERS such as... 12.56As you would expect, NUMBERS are the most common type of data. After all, calculations can only be accomplished with numbers. NUMBERS are defined as any data which consists of the following characters: 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 . + - * / \ @ #Notice the +-*/\@# are included in the numbers. These are numeric operators and are used in formulas which evaluate to a single value. The meaning of these operators are as follows: + additionLABELS are used as titles, captions, or special text of some kind and may begin with any character other than those listed above for NUMBERS. It is the labels that provide information about the numbers that are on the spreadsheet and they help define rows and columns. TK-CALC decides the type of the data on the first character entered. If it is a number or +-*/\, then it assumes a NUMBER type. If it is a letter, then it will assume a LABEL type. TK-CALC needs to know the type of data because it displays labels differently than numbers. Generally a number is displayed right-justified in the column (meaning that it is shifted all the way to the right) while the labels are left-justified. Sometimes your label may begin with a number, such as: 2nd QuarterSince TK-CALC judges the type of data by the first character, it will incorrectly assume these are numbers and display them right-justified within the column. You can force them to be a LABEL data type by preceding your entry with a " (quotation mark). TK-CALC will then assume it is a label but will not display the quotation mark. |
Entering Labels
|
Move your pointer to A6 and let us begin our first
sheet by entering the label "Blue Cross Days". As you enter the label, you
will notice that the mode indicator on the top line will display the word
LABEL. Your entry will be displayed on the edit line.
NOTE: If you make a mistake while entering in the label, use the"RUBOUT" or "DELETE" keys to remove the mistake and then retype it. When finished entering the label, press "RETURN". You will notice that the label will be removed from the edit line and will be displayed in the current cell and also on the status line. If you now notice that you made a typing mistake, you can retype the entire label and press "RETURN". It will replace the original data. You may change the data in a cell as many times as you would like. Now, move the pointer to the following cells and enter in the following labels just as you did on the first one: 1. Enter Medicare Days in cell A7What would have happened if the label we entered was longer than the cell. TK-CALC permits entry of up to 55 characters, but you will notice that the cells in column A are only 15 characters wide. Therefore, you will only see the first 15 characters in the cell and the rest will not be displayed. To display more of the label, increase the width of the column. |
Changing the Column Width![]() |
In order to make the column wider or narrower we
will need to use a TK-CALC command called LENGTH.
First, make sure your pointer is on the column that you want to change.
First, press the "/" key to begin the command sequence. As you press it,
notice the Command Menu appear on the third line of the screen just as it
does in the following example.
Pressing the "?" will cause the second line of commands to be shown. Once the commands are displayed on the screen, you may select a command by entering the first letter of the command. Select the LENGTH command by pressing the letter "L". Pressing "RETURN" without an entry will cancel the command mode and return you to editing mode. After you have entered the "L", the current length of the current column will be shown and you will be given the opportunity to accept it, or change it as shown below:
|
Entering Titles
|
There are times when you want one label to be
displayed wider, but you do not want the entire column to be changed. A
title or heading of the spreadsheet is an example. To do this you have two
options.
First, you can enter parts of the label in more than one column. In other words, the label would be spanning two or more columns. The problem with this approach is that it takes trial and error in lining up the characters to make the label space accross correctly. Also, if you ever change the column width of any of the columns within the title area, your title also changes. A second approach is to use the TITLE option found under the FORMAT command. With this command we can change the format of the cell so that it will spill over into the adjacent cells to the right. As we mentioned before, the data is normally chopped off at the right edge of the column if it is too long. The TITLE format tells the computer not to chop it off, but rather to display the entire contents. Here is what you do to enter a long title at the top of the sheet. First move the pointer to the cell where you want the title to start. Type in the title as you want it to appear. Press "RETURN", and the title will be moved into the cell indicated by the pointer. Press "/" to enter the command mode, "F" to select the FORMAT command. You will see the following FORMAT options:
Press "T" to select the TITLE format. The entire title that you entered will now be displayed in as many columns as is necessary. You will also notice that the format displayed on the Status Line has been changed to read "Title". |
Entering Numbers
|
Now that we have entered some labels on the sheet
and have possibly typed some sort of title at the top of the sheet, we are
ready to enter the numbers.
Numbers are entered the same way as the labels. Move your pointer to the cell where you want to enter the number, in our case the cell B6. Enter in the value 125. Notice that the word NUMBER comes up on the second line when you enter the first digit. That indicates that TK-CALC is assuming the entry is going to be number and it will therefore right-justify it within the cell by default. When you press the "RETURN" key, the value will be transfered to the cell. Enter the remaining values in the same way: 1. Enter 136 at C6 |
Editing Spreadsheet Data![]() |
As was mentioned before, if you make a mistake
when entering a data item, it can easily be edited.
Sometimes, particularly when the data item is rather long, it is more advantageous to correct the original than to retype the entire entry. To do this, we must first pull the item back out of the cell and place it on the EDIT line. This manuever requires the use of the EDIT command. First move the pointer to the cell which is to be edited. Select the EDIT command by entering "/E". Don't press "RETURN" yet. You will notice the original data is displayed on the EDIT line with the cursor sitting on the first character. You may now edit this item, and when satisfied, you may press "RETURN" to save it away again in the cell. You may use the following keys while editing: Right cursor - Moves to the rightTry editing a data item that you have entered on your spreadsheet. |
Formulas![]() |
Formulas are a key element of the electronic
spreadsheet. They perform both simple and sophisticated mathematical
operations. Formulas enable you to relate cells to one another.
Formulas contain the references to individual cells (named by their cell addresses) and to the mathematical operations to be performed on the numbers in those cells. Formulas are entered into the spreadsheet just as you would for any entry - by typing it into the cell. A formula is a value and is considered a NUMBER data type. Therefore it must begin with the NUMBER lead-in characters such as: 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 . ( @ +The simplest formula is a reference to another cell, say "B6" on our sample spreadsheet. But since the cell address does not begin with the NUMBER lead-in characters, we need to preface it with a "+". So this simple formula would be: +B6Just for your sake, move your pointer over to E6 and we will see how the formulas work. Enter the formula "+B6", and then press "RETURN". You will see that the cell E6 now contains the same value as B6. Although you entered a formula, the evaluation of the formula is displayed on the sheet. But if you look up on the top status line, you will notice that your formula is displayed as you had entered it.
NOTE: Formulas are always evaluated before they are displayed on the screen, although the original formula is also kept and displayed on the status line and can be edited with the EDIT command. Now what would happen if the value of B6 is changed. Go ahead and change it yourself and find out. E6 will change also to reflect the new value. Formula with cell addresses create links between data on the sheet. To make our simple formula a little more complex, we can add some arithmetic operators and another value. Our operators that we can choose from are: + additionLet's start simple and only add some addition to our first formula. Make it +B6+100Now when you press "RETURN", the cell E6 will contain a value of 100 more than the current value of B6. Instead of adding a number, we can use another cell address such as: +B6+C6+D6Now we are adding the three columns B, C and D for row 6. We have just created the total that we were looking for in E6. Let's do the same in row 7 to create our total for second line. In this case our formula in E7 would read: +B7+C7+D7You may find that it is a little tedious entering the longer formulas. To help matters somewhat, TK-CALC has a number of shortcuts. One is the abbreviated form of the cell addresses. If all of your addresses in the formula share the same row as the cell where the formula is entered, you may skip the row number since it will be the same. Our shortened form of the formula would then read: +B+C+DThis same formula would apply to E6 and E7. |
@Functions![]() |
Another shortcut in writing formulas is by using
the @FUNCTIONS.
These are special purpose operators which are built into the TK-CALC
system. Whenever TK-CALC sees the @ character it expects the following few
characters to be the name of one of the built-in functions and it assumes
the value of the function will have a numeric result.
The @SUM functions is an often used function that will make a good illustration. In order to add up an entire row of values we could enter in the following formula: +C1+C2+C3+C4+C5+C6+C7+C8+C9+C10+C11+C12...but by using the @SUM function, this would look like: @SUM(C1...C18)...and is certainly shorter to type in. Each built in function, such as @SUM, perform some sort of calculation on a list of values given to it. The list is enclosed in parentheses and each value may be: 1) An expression, i.e., a series of numbers, cell references and/or @Function references separated by arithmetic operators and/or parentheses. 2) A range of entries, i.e., a series of cell addresses that are next to each other in a row or column such as A1, A2, A3, and A4, or D3, E3, F3, G3 and H3. A range is specified by typing (or obtaining with the pointer movements) the first and last entry separated by an ellipsis (3 dots in a row). For example, the ranges just mentioned would be specified by A1...A4 and D3...H3 respectively. 3) A range of entries covering more than one row and more than one column such as A1 through D4 which is represented by A1...D4. This range consists of 4 rows with 4 values in each and forms a rectangular shape on the spreadsheet such as: A1 ~ B1 ~ C1 ~ D1In the case of the @SUM function, the list of values within the parenthesis are added together and yields a single numeric value. Some examples of the @SUM function would be: @SUM(A1,C3,D20,B4) - single valuesYou can use any numeric result of the @Functions just as you would an ordinary number. The function reference can occur anywhere a number or a coordinate would appear. The @MAX and @MIN functions accept a list of arguments just like the @SUM function. The result is the maximum and minimum value in the list, respectively. The @CNT function accepts a list of arguments and returns the number of non-blank items. @AVG similarly accepts a list of arguments and returns the arithmetic mean of the non-blank items in the list. It is equivalent to @SUM(list...)/@CNT(list...).Try out a few of these functions on a clear area of the sheet. Change the range and watch how it affects the results of the calculation. You will see how the range capabilities of the @SUM function is far easier to type than typing in all of the cell addresses. Additionaly, the numeric calculations, table lookups, date conversion, and other functions performed by these functions add to the power of the spreadsheet software. |
Copying Values![]() |
It will not take you too long entering data into
the spreadsheet when you will realize that it would be mice if some
formulas could be copied from one place to another. Take the following
simple spreadsheet as an example:
The formulas for the totals in column F would be: @SUM(B3...E3)...or in the shortened form they would all be: @SUM(B...E)Rather than typing the formula in 6 times, what would be best is to type it in once for F3 and then copy it into F4 through F8. This is exactly what the COPY command allows you to do. It allows you to copy: 1) a single cell to another locationIn our example we wanted to copy a single cell, F3, into a series of locations, F4 through F8. The following steps will illusstrate how the COPY command is used in this example: 1) Call up the COPY command with a /CNotice that the source and target areas are specified with a range. A range is defined in TK-CALC as the starting and stopping coordinates of a series of entries. If only one entry is to be specified, the starting and stopping address will be the same. The starting address should always be less than or equal to the stopping address, so you would specify the left coordinate first on the row or the top coordinate first on a column. You don't have to just copy formulas. You can copy numbers, labels, titles, formats or even a blank entry. Copying a blank entry to another portion of the spreadsheet will blank out that portion. Copying an entry with a special format will cause the target area to also have that format. |
Absolute and Relative Addressing![]() |
When copying formulas, it is important to remember that
TK-CALC changes cell addresses relative to
the target area. In this way the
formulas will make sense in their new home. When we copied the following
formula in F3:
@SUM(B3...E3)to the location F4 it automatically became: @SUM(B4...E4)That is what we had intended since we wanted the total of row 4 to placed in F4. But what if we had wanted one of the addresses to remain the same, even if it is moved to another cell? It can be accomplished using an absolute address. An absolute address differs from relative addresses in that the row or column address that is to remain unchanged is preceded by a $ (dollar sign). If both the row and the column cannot be changed, then they are both preceded by a $. For example: C4 is a relative address. Both the C and the 4 can be changed in a copyAbsolute addresses and relative addresses may be used together in the same formula as shown below: +B5+B8*$A$4Remember that when an aabsolure address is moved elsewhere on the sheet (as with the Copy, Move, Delete or Insert commands), it does not change. However, all relative addresses will be changed. |
Formats![]() |
We mentioned that each label was displayed
leftjustified within the cell, and the numbers were right-justified. That
is the most reasonable format for displaying data, since we usually want
our labels lined up on the left and the numbers lined up on the right.
But there may be times when you will want to modify these format rules and perhaps change the way they are displayed. You may want numbers to have a dollar sign and two decimal digits when you are working with dollars and cents. Or, perhaps you want to print a copy of the spreadsheet with only whole dollars and no cents. These changes are accomplished by changing the formatting rules of the spreadsheet. There are two ways to effect format changes. First, there is the Global Format command, which will change all entries on the sheet. And, secondly, there is the Format command which changes one cell at a time. Each of these commands will allow you to define the following formats: DollarsThe dollars and the fixed decimal formats are the same in that you may specify the number of places to be displayed to the right of the decimal point. The dollars format also includes a dollar sign to the left of the number. Integer format will enable you to remove any decimal fractions and display all values as rounded whole numbers. Left and Right justification formats allow you to override the default formats for number to the right and labels to the left. The Title format allows the label value to overflow into the adjacent cells to the right if it is longer than the column width. You should not have data in those cells to the right, or they may not be displayed correctly. The Title format allows you to enter headings and titles that may span a number of columns.
NOTE: These formats only change the visual representation of cell entries. Calculations will still be performed using the cell contents.
|
Printing a Spreadsheet![]() |
Although most of your work with TK-CALC will be
accomplished at the CRT, you will from time to time want to run off a copy
of all or a portion of the spreadsheet. This can be accomplished by using
either the Print
command while editing the spreadsheet, or by using the
Print Option from the TK-CALC main menu.
NOTE: Use the Print command "/P" when in the spreadsheet you want printed. However, printing can also be accomplished from outside of the spreadsheet. To print a spreadsheet, you will need to provide the following minimum information: 1) Spreadsheet numberYou may also specify the following items or accept the default values that are displayed on the screen: 1) Printer SetupThe Spreadsheet number is not an entry, but you select it from a table just as in the edit. Move the pointer to the spreadsheet you want to print, and then press "RETURN". Your printer number will be the number (or name) assigned to it by your operating system. Once you use this printer, TK-CALC will remember the printer number and it will become a default value the next time you go to print. |
Print Range![]() |
You instruct TK-CALC what portion
of the spreadsheet that you want printed by providing the top-left and
bottom-right coordinates. This is called the print range.
The rectangle
described by these two coordinates will be printed in one or more pages.
TK-CALC will print as many of the columns as possible on each page, with
continuation pages for additional columns if necessary.
If you leave the print range blank, the entire sheet will be printed. Note that empty areas of the sheet will not be printed, skipping instead to areas that contain data. So if there is data in rows 1 through 6 and then have nothing until row 73, you will not have 66 blank lines in the middle. It will print a couple blank lines, then a message indicating that it is skipping to row 73, and then resume printing with row 73. (You can suppress this skipping empty lines with the Empty line option in the Print Options selection) |
Print Margins![]() |
The margins are particular to your own printer and
preference. You have to indicate the margins for the left and right, top
and bottom. Enter the number of spaces from the left printing position to
where you want the first text to be printed. The default is 6. Enter the
last character position that you want to type in. The default is 75.
The Top margin is the number of lines that you want the paper scrolled before the first line is printed. The Bottom margin is the number of lines from the top where the last line is to be printed. All of these values depend upon the size of paper, number of characters per inch, number of lines per inch, and your own desire for the amount of space at the edges. |
Printer Setup![]() |
TK-CALC does not control the variety of special
features found on the printers today. Such options as compressed print,
variable spacing, automatic underlining and the like are not supported
except by what can be accomplished in the printer setup line. This option
allows you to enter a string of decimal values that are equivalent to the
ASCII sequences that is needed to be sent downline to the printer before
the printing begins. For an example, the line:
27,91,48,119...is used by many ANSI compatible printers to select 10 characters per inch, and... 27,91,52,119...would specify 16.5 characters per inch (compressed print). NOTE: Each of the numbers in the printer setup option are separated by a comma and there should be no embedded spaces.
|
Headers and Trailers![]() |
A header line is a single line of text at the top,
and the trailer line is a single line at the bottom. They are useful for
describing the printout, titling the spreadsheet, printing the date, and
number the pages.
If you want a header or trailor, enter your text in the fields corresponding to the either the header or trailor. You will notice that you can select what information will appear on the left, center and the right by separating it by the "\" (backslash) character. The following trailer line... First Quarter Sales\\1985...will be printed on the printer with "First Quarter Sales" on the left and "1985" on the far right. The line... \ANNUAL REPORT\page #...will print the title "ANNUAL REPORT" centered on the paper (or on the margins you selected since it doesn't know anything about the size of paper. The text "page" will appear flush right along with the current page number. TK-CALC will automatically change the page numbers for each continuation page. |
Row and Column Titles![]() |
You may also choose to have a row or column
included as the top row or left-most column of the printout for a
reference. This would be particularly important if the spreadsheet is
large and will require many pages.
By selecting Title Row or Column on the top or left side you will direct the software to print the selected row or column on each page of the printout. In many cases, this would be column A or Row 1 which contain headings to be repeated on subsequent pages. TK-CALC will ignore the title row or column if it already will appear on that particular page. |
Let It Print![]() |
For now, we will accept the other print options
the way they are and start printing. By tabbing down to the bottom of the
screen, you will indicate to TK-CALC that you are done editing the printer
options and are ready for the printer to begin.
The printer will print the spreadsheet and after completion you will be questioned about printing again from that same sheet. If you answer yes, you will be again shown the print options screen with all of your values that you had previously entered. You may modify them as needed, and print again. |