SYMPHONY QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS FILE HANDLING Q: I know that I can use 1-2-3 files with Symphony, but what about Symphony files with 1-2-3? A: No. A file saved in Symphony gets a .WRK extension and is not useable with 1-2-3. Since Symphony files cannot be read by 1-2-3, it is, therefore, a good idea to make a back-up copy of 1-2-3 files before you work with them in Symphony. The booklet "From 1-2-3 to Symphony," provided with Symphony to all 1-2-3 Exchangers, gives more detailed information. COMMANDS Q: I don't see Range Input or Range Justify on the Range command menu. Where are they? A: Range Input has been replaced by the Form window, and Range Justify has been replaced by Symphony's word processor. In early 1985, there will be a Range Input Add-In for Symphony, enabling use of this command with the Symphony Command Language. Q: Can I copy values generated by formulas without copying the formulas themselves? A: Yes -- via Symphony's Range Values command. Storing the values rather than the formulas uses memory much more efficiently. WORD PROCESSING Q: I created one document window, and restricted the range via the Window Settings Restrict command. Later I created another window, and discovered that it defaulted to the entire worksheet, A1..IV8192. Why? A: Because all windows in Symphony default to the settings of whichever window is current. Settings must be defined via [Services] Window Settings Restrict for each window. Q: How can I change the number of characters per inch printed by my Epson with Symphony? I want elite (12) type, not pica (10). A: There are several ways to select alternate typefaces and type sizes: 1) To change the default settings in Symphony's configuration (.CNF) file so that all files print in the "new" typeface, select [Services] Configuration Printer Init-String and enter the appropriate initialization string. For the Epson use \027\077 for elite, \015 for compressed. (Other printers will have their own control codes.) Follow with the Update command to write your choice to the program disk. 2) To change the default settings for printing a particular file, use [Services] Print Settings Init-String and the appropriate control codes. 3) To change the print size within a portion of a file, use an embedded initialization string in a SHEET environment: ||initialization string The command must appear above the text and be cancelled with another || and appropriate initialization string below the text. 4) In DOC mode, many print attributes, though not type size, can be easily specified. If, for example, you want certain text italicized, precede it with a Control B (for begin) and the one-character attribute code for italics, "i". Press Control E where you want the italics to end. A complete list of attribute codes is located on page 152 of the How-To Manual. Q: When non-text (e.g. format lines or page break indicators) is the source range of a copy command, it overwrites any non-text in the "to" or destination range. Why? A: Non-text overwrites other non-text. It is not inserted as is text itself. Q: I set the margins in my Print Settings Sheet for a right margin of 72 characters, but my printed document has a right margin of 60. A: Check the margins in any format lines you've placed in your document. Format lines in DOC mode override margin settings in both DOC and Configuration Settings Sheets. While we are on the subject of printing, note that Symphony adds the left margin on the Print Settings Sheet to the left margin you may have specified in the DOC window's format settings. FORMULAS/FUNCTIONS Q: If I've entered a column of numbers as labels, can they be used in a formula? A: Yes they can. Symphony's @VALUE function converts a string to its corresponding numeric value. Q: When I try to insert the formula @S(A12), Symphony beeps. Why? A: Several of the new Symphony functions -- like @S and @N which return, respectively, the string and numeric value of the upper left cell of a range -- require an indexed range, @S(A12..A12), even though that range is only one cell. COMMUNICATIONS Q: I know that Symphony uses the XMODEM protocol for file-transfer operations, but what does this really mean? A: The XMODEM file-transfer protocol is a means by which data exchanged between computers can be checked for accuracy before being written to disk. XMODEM uses the following interface settings: 1200 baud, 8 bit word length, no parity, and one stop bit. The XMODEM protocol's powerful error checking results in retransmission if data of receiver and sender does not match. GRAPHS Q: I have a list of daily stock quotations. How do I graph on the X axis the beginning and ending dates for the week? A: Select 2nd-Settings Skip to make the first and fifth labels appear along the X axis. Q: How can I suppress the parenthetical scaling label on the Y axis of my graphs? A: Select 2nd-Settings Y-Scale Exponent Manual 0. Q: I know what the information in my graph means, so I don't need to see labels or titles outside the borders. Is this possible? A: Certainly. Select 2nd-Settings Hide. The entire area of the current window now displays the graph itself -- no labels. FORMS Q: Can fields be added to or deleted from a Form after it has been generated? A: Very easily in a SHEET environment. Care must be taken, however, that those fields are added or deleted in all of the ranges created by the Generate command in the Symphony database. Q: Can more than one Form window be used to enter and access the same database? A: Absolutely. In fact, by using the appropriate protection scheme, one window could contain more or less "public" information and a second Form window (or page) could contain sensitive information hidden to all except those with password authorization. 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, 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. Commonly Asked Questions and Answers Symphony FILE HANDLING Q: I know that I can use 1-2-3 files with Symphony, but what about Symphony files with 1-2-3? A: No. A file saved in Symphony gets a .WRK extension and is not useable with 1-2-3. Since Symphony files cannot be read by 1-2-3, it is, therefore, a good idea to make a back-up copy of 1-2-3 files before you work with them in Symphony. The booklet "From 1-2-3 to Symphony," provided with Symphony to all 1-2-3 Exchangers, gives more detailed information. COMMANDS Q: I don't see Range Input or Range Justify on the Range command menu. Where are they? A: Range Justify has been replaced by all of the word processing capabilities in Symphony. Range Input is available as an Add-In and can be downloaded from the Electronic Distribution option here on the World of Lotus. This add-in enables use of the Range Input command with the Symphony Command Language. Q: Can I copy values generated by formulas without copying the formulas themselves? A: Yes -- via Symphony's Range Values command. Storing the values rather than the formulas uses memory much more efficiently. WORD PROCESSING Q: I created one document window, and restricted the range via the Window Settings Restrict command. Later I created another window, and discovered that it defaulted to the entire worksheet, A1..IV8192. Why? A: Because all windows in Symphony default to the settings of whichever window is current. Settings must be defined via [Services] Window Settings Restrict for each window. Q: How can I change the number of characters per inch printed by my Epson with Symphony? I want elite (12) type, not pica (10). A: There are several ways to select alternate typefaces and type sizes: 1) To change the default settings in Symphony's configuration (.CNF) file so that all files print in the "new" typeface, select [Services] Configuration Printer Init-String and enter the appropriate initialization string. For the Epson use \027\077 for elite, \015 for compressed. (Other printers will have their own control codes.) Follow with the Update command to write your choice to the program disk. 2) To change the default settings for printing a particular file, use [Services] Print Settings Init-String and the appropriate control codes. 3) To change the print size within a portion of a file, use an embedded initialization string in a SHEET environment: ||initialization string The command must appear above the text and be cancelled with another || and appropriate initialization string below the text. 4) In DOC mode, many print attributes, though not type size, can be easily specified. If, for example, you want certain text italicized, precede it with a Control B (for begin) and the one-character attribute code for italics, "i". Press Control E where you want the italics to end. A complete list of attribute codes is located on page 152 of the How-To Manual. Q: When non-text (e.g. format lines or page break indicators) is the source range of a copy command, it overwrites any non-text in the "to" or destination range. Why? A: Non-text overwrites other non-text. It is not inserted as is text itself. Q: I set the margins in my Print Settings Sheet for a right margin of 72 characters, but my printed document has a right margin of 60. A: Check the margins in any format lines you've placed in your document. Format lines in DOC mode override margin settings in both DOC and Configuration Settings Sheets. While we are on the subject of printing, note that Symphony adds the left margin on the Print Settings Sheet to the left margin you may have specified in the DOC window's format settings. FORMULAS/FUNCTIONS Q: If I've entered a column of numbers as labels, can they be used in a formula? A: Yes they can. Symphony's @VALUE function converts a string to its corresponding numeric value. Q: When I try to insert the formula @S(A12), Symphony beeps. Why? A: Several of the new Symphony functions -- like @S and @N which return, respectively, the string and numeric value of the upper left cell of a range -- require an indexed range, @S(A12..A12), even though that range is only one cell. COMMUNICATIONS Q: I know that Symphony uses the XMODEM protocol for file-transfer operations, but what does this really mean? A: The XMODEM file-transfer protocol is a means by which data exchanged between computers can be checked for accuracy before being written to disk. XMODEM uses the following interface settings: 1200 baud, 8 bit word length, no parity, and one stop bit. The XMODEM protocol's powerful error checking results in retransmission if data of receiver and sender does not match. GRAPHS Q: I have a list of daily stock quotations. How do I graph on the X axis the beginning and ending dates for the week? A: Select 2nd-Settings Skip to make the first and fifth labels appear along the X axis. Q: How can I suppress the parenthetical scaling label on the Y axis of my graphs? A: Select 2nd-Settings Y-Scale Exponent Manual 0. Q: I know what the information in my graph means, so I don't need to see labels or titles outside the borders. Is this possible? A: Certainly. Select 2nd-Settings Hide. The entire area of the current window now displays the graph itself -- no labels. FORMS Q: Can fields be added to or deleted from a Form after it has been generated? A: Very easily in a SHEET environment. Care eted in all of the ranges created by the Generate command in the Symphony database. Q: Can more than one Form window be used to enter and access the same database? A: Absolutely. In fact, by using the appropriate protection scheme, one window could contain more or less "public" information annformation hidden to all except those with password authorization. ##