An easy way to enter a series of numbers in the spreadsheet is with the Block Fill command (lB!=). This command automatically enters numbers in the block of cells you specify. You indicate the beginning and ending numbers and the interval you want between numbers. For example, a beginning number of 3, ending number of 21 and interval of 3 enters the numbers 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18,21 in the given block.
For more information on this command, see page 81.
Dates
Another type of value entry is a date. To enter dates in most spreadsheet programs, you need to use a special date @function, such as @DATE, then set the display format for that cell to Date. Quattro greatly simplifies the use of dates in your spreadsheet by including a special date prefix.
To enter a date, hold down Gtrl and press 0, then enter a date in any of the following formats:
• DD-MMM-YY (04-Jul-87)
• DD-MMM (04-Jul) (assumes the current year)
• MMM-YY (Jul-87) (assumes the first day of the month)
• the Long International date format-initially MM/DD/YY (07/04/87)
• the Short International date format-initially MM/DD (07/04) (assumes the current year)
You can change the International date formats with the Default International command (100.
A date prefix essentially translates the date value you enter into a date serial number, counting from January I, 1900, as 1. (These serial numbers are used in calculations.) It then changes the display format for that cell to Date, using the default date format (initially MM/DD /YY). You can change the date format to any of those listed above with the Block Display Format command (see page 76) or the Default Formats Display command (see page 136).
Date values can also be used in spreadsheet calculations. For example, subtracting 10/1/87 from 10/8/87 would result in a value of 7.
Formulas
Another way to enter a display value in a cell is with a formula. Formulas allow you to take advantage of one of the most powerful and time-saving functions of Quattro: automatic calculation.
Quattro instantly calculates all kinds of information for you. Using data entered in the spreadsheet, it can total columns of figures, calculate monthly profit, even determine the future value of an investment. And if the figures involved are changed, Quattro automatically recalculates the formula.
Quattro formulas are like any basic algebraic formula. They combine values and operators to calculate a single end value, for example:
/values~
57 + 985
\perator
As values, you can use actual numbers or the addresses of cells that contain numbers. For example,
+Al - A2
tells Quattro to subtract the value in cell A2 from the value in cell AI.
48 Quottro User's Guide
The result is displayed in the cell, just as if you had typed it in. The formula appears on the descriptor line when the cell is selected and on the input line when you're editing the entry.
Formulas can be up to 240 characters long. You can include spaces between operators and values, but they will be deleted automatically. A formula must begin with one of the following characters:
0123456789.+-(@#$*
To begin a formula with a letter, such as for a cell address or text entry, precede it with a plus sign (+). Otherwise, Quattro interprets the entry as a label instead of a value and does not calculate the formula.
The results of formulas are always aligned with the right side of the cell (unless the result is a string value). Their alignment cannot be changed.
Formula Values
Values in a formula can be any of the following:
• numbers (for example, 948,-84, 43.23)
• text surrounded by double quotation marks (for example, "PROFIT" or
"Dear Mr. ")
• addresses of other cells that contain either values or labels (for example, B12, G29)
• cell block names (for example, EXPENSES)
• Quattro @functions (for example, @5UM(Bl..B24»
When you use a cell address as a value, Quattro refers to the value contained in that cell. For example, the formula B6 + Cl adds the values in those two cells and displays the result.
You can also include blocks of cells in formulas by inserting two periods between cell addresses, for example, Bl .. B15. This tells Quattro to refer to Bl and B15 and all the cells in the block created by those coordinates. If you have assigned a name to a certain block of cells, you can refer to that block by name. Cell blocks and naming blocks are described more fully in the section "Specifying Cell Blocks" on page 55.
Quattro @functions are a set of standard formula commands used to simplify more complex calculations. For example, @SUM is used to total values of specified cells. @DATE calculates and enters the current date.
Using @functions is described in detail in Chapter II, "Using @Functions,"
on page 345. The individual @function commands are described in Chapter 2 of the Quattro Reference Guide.
Operators
Formulas use operators, or mathematical symbols, to express a relationship between two or more values, for example, C5 - D12. Often formulas contain several operators. For example:
+C5 - D12 + F24
*
0.123The result of a formula depends on the order in which the arithmetic operations are performed. To help Quattro know where to start, each operator is assigned a precedence, and operations in a formula are performed in order of precedence. For example, because multiplication has greater precedence than addition:
5 + 1 * 3 = 8, not 18.
Operations with equal precedence are performed from left to right.
Table 3.3 lists the operators allowed in Quattro formulas and the precedence assigned to each.
Table 3.3: Quattro Operators
Operator Description Precedence
& String combination 1
#AND##OR# Logical AND, Logical OR 1
#NOT# Logical NOT 2
= <> Equal, Not equal 3
< > Less than, Greater than 3
<= Less than or equal 3
>= Greater than or equal 3
*/ Multiplication, Division 4
-+ Subtraction, Addition 5
-+ Negative, Positive 6
1\ To the power of (exponentiation) 7
50 Quottro User's Guide
You can override the precedence of operators by including parentheses in your formula. Any operation surrounded by parentheses is given highest priority.