Introduction

Ft/In Calculator can be used stand-alone or in conjunction with other Windows programs. For example you might use Ft/In Calculator to calculate material quantities for a house plan in your Windows cadd program.

Following this example, you could create and name seperate memory cells for concrete volume, exterior wall perimeter, interior wall length, floor area, sheetrock square footage, lot size, and so on. Then you could drag the concrete volume value to the converter to see how many cubic yards to order or drag the square foot value of the lot size to the Converter to calculate acreage.

Features

All forms "stay on top" so you can use Ft/In Calculator within other apps

Numbers can be entered with the mouse or from the keyboard

Supports linear, square, and cubic measurements

Accuracy to 1/16" or 1/32"

Multiple drag & drop  memory cells that can be named for convenience

Drag & drop converter for easy unit conversions

Drag & drop from calculator to memory or from memory to memory

Drag & drop from calculator to converter or memory to converter

Keys can be hidden to use less screen space

Formulas for circumference, area of circle, and volume of cylinder


About
Ft/In Calculator

from Attention to Detail

copyright 1995 by Brian A. Bilodeau

Attention to Detail
795 Stony Point Road
Castleton, N.Y. 12033
Compuserve: 70571,1300


Using Memory
Memory Menu

see also... Using Memory

New Memory

Select this menu item to create a new memory cell with a title of Memory # where "#"  is replaced with a sequential number (eg. Memory 1, Memory 2, etc.).

Named Memory

Selecting  this menu item will display a dialog box prompting you for a name to be displayed in the title bar of the new memory cell. If you have several memory cells open, memory names can make it easier to keep track of what each cell contains.

You can rename existing memory cells by double clicking on the grey background area of the memory cell you wish to rename. Enter a new name in the dialog box and press Enter or click OK.

Clear All

Select this menu item to set the value of all open memory cells to zero.

Erase All

Select this menu item to close all open memory cells.


Using the Converter
Converter

Ft/In Calculator includes a drag & drop converter that allows you to quickly view a measurement in many different formats. The number and type of conversions displayed depends on the format (linear, sq, or cu) of the number dropped on the Converter.

Displaying the Converter

Select the Converter item from the Display Menu to display the Converter. Select the same menu item again - or - double click on the background of the Converter to hide the Converter ( hiding the Converter does not erase any values stored in it ).

Moving & Resizing the Converter

The Converter is displayed at the default width and height. You may need to widen the Converter if it contains a value too large for the display (this will show up as either a blank or truncated display). The height of the Converter cannot be changed.

The Converter can be moved by pressing and holding the left mouse button over the title bar of the Converter, dragging it to it's new position, and releasing the mouse button.

Using the Converter

To use the Converter simply drag a value from the Calculator display or a memory cell and drop it in the top box of the Converter. The converted values will automatically be displayed in some or all of the remaining boxes.  The number and type of conversions displayed depends on the format (linear, sq, or cu) of the number dropped in the Converter.

Linear measurements

Linear foot and/or inch measurements will be converted to and displayed as feet/inches, decimal inches, decimal feet, decimal yards, and miles.

Square measuements

Square foot and/or inch measurements will be converted to and displayed as square feet/inches, decimal square inches, decimal square feet, decimal square yards, and acres.

Cubic measurements

Cubic foot and/or inch measurements will be converted to and displayed as cubic feet/inches, decimal cubic inches, decimal cubic feet, and cubic yards.

Clearing the Converter

It is not necessary to clear existing values from the Converter before dropping in a new value. Old values are automatically erased before the new values are displayed. You can manually clear the Converter by double clicking on the Converter's drop box.


Contents
Ft/In Calculator

Contents

About

Introduction/Features

How to....

Enter measurements

Use memory cells

Use the Converter

Use formulas

Set display accuracy

Menu Commands

File Menu

Memory Menu

Display Menu


Using Memory

Creating Memory

Ft/In Calculator supports multiple memory cells. The number of different memory cells you can have open is limited only by the amount of system memory available. Each memory  cell is totally independant of the others. This means that you can keep track of several different totals at one time, and you can even add or subtract between different memories.

To use memory you must first create one or more memory cells by selecting either New Memory or Named Memory from the Memory Menu. When you create a new cell it is always displayed below the Calculator form.  If there  is an existing memory cell it may be hidden by the new cell. To avoid this stacking you should move new cells away from this area after they are created.

Selecting New Memory  will create a memory cell with a title of Memory# where # is replaced with a sequential number. Selecting Named Memory will  bring up a dialog box prompting you for a name to be displayed in the title bar of that memory cell. If you have several memory cells open, memory names can make it easier to keep track of what each cell contains.

Renaming Existing Memory Cells

You can rename existing memory cells by double clicking on the grey background area of the memory cell you wish to rename. Enter a new name  in the dialog box and press Enter or click OK.

Sizing and Moving Memory Cells

New cells are displayed at the default width and height. You may need to widen a cell if it contains a value too large for the display (this will show up as either a blank or truncated display). The height of a memory cell cannot be changed.

Memory cells can be moved by pressing and holding the left mouse button over the title bar of the cell to be moved. Drag the memory cell to it's new position and release the mouse button.

Calculator to Memory

To enter a value from the Calculator into memory ... position the cursor over the value in the Calculator display and press & hold the left mouse button. The cursor should change to a hand with file folder shape.

Still holding the left button down, drag the cursor and position it over the desired memory cell.  Position the cursor over the RIGHT half of the memory cell to ADD to memory or over the LEFT half to SUBTRACT from memory. The cursor will change to either a plus or minus sign depending on the location of the cursor over the memory cell. Release the left mouse button to complete the drag & drop.

The Calculator value will be added to or subtracted from the memory value and the new memory total will be displayed. The calculator and memory values must be in the same format (linear, sq, or cu) otherwise you'll get an error message and the drag & drop will not be completed.

Memory to Memory

You may also drag & drop values from one memory cell to another. Follow the same procedure as Calculator to Memory drops remembering that the values in each cell must be in the same format (linear, sq, cu).

Clearing Memory

To clear a single memory cell simply double click anywhere in that cell's display area or drag & drop a zero value from the calculator or another memory cell. To clear all open memory cells select Clear All from the Memory Menu.

Closing Memory

To close a single memory cell, double click on it's control box. To close all open memory cells, select Erase All from the Memory Menu. All memory cells are automatically closed when you exit the program.


EnterNumbers
Entering measurements

Using the mouse

The Calculator keys must be visible to enter measurements with the mouse. If the keys are not visible, select the Show Keys menu item from the Display menu or double click on the grey area of the Calculator to turn them on.

The on screen keys include the ...
number keys (0-9)
decimal point (.)
space (next to the decimal point)
operators (+, -, x, / )
Equal key  (=)
Ft  - adds a foot mark and a following dash
In  - adds an inch mark
Sqr - squares a number
Sqt  - calculates the square root of a number
Pi - enters the value of Pi  (it is not necessary to press Equal after entering Pi)
Bksp - backspace key to edit entries before equal is pressed
CE - cancel entry
C - clear the Calculator

Using the keyboard

Use the number keys, space bar, foot key, inch key, period, Enter , Backspace, and the +, -, x, / keys.
The asterik (*) key may be interchanged with the x key for multiplication.
Press ESC once to cancel the current entry or press ESC twice to clear the Calculator.
There are no keyboard equivalents to the Sqr, Srt, or Pi keys.

Rules for entering measurements

Enter foot and/or inch measurements the same way you would write them down on paper. In most cases, if there are no indicating marks the units are assumed to be inches.

To begin using the Calculator...
Enter a measurement with the mouse or keyboard and press "=".
Select an operator  (+, -, x or *, /, Sqr, Sqt).
Enter a second measurement and press "=" to display the result.
(It is not necessary to enter a second number when Square (Sqr) or Square Root (Sqt) is
selected as the operator.)

With the result displayed you can either...
Clear the display
- or -
Act on the result by selecting an operator and entering another measurement.

Following are a few simple rules to follow when entering measurements....

A dash is added automatically to seperate feet from inches whenever  the foot key is pressed.

In most cases inches are assumed if there are no indicating marks (exceptions are when multiplying or dividing a foot and/or inch measurement by a number).

Fractions MUST be seperated from whole numbers by a space character !

Multiplying or dividing a foot/inch measurement by a number will yield a foot/inch measurement.
(eg:  6"  /  2  =  3"  or  6" x  2 = 12")

Dividing a foot/inch measurement by another foot/inch measurement will yield a number.
(eg:  6" /  2"  =  3)

Multiplying or dividing a square or cubic foot and/or inch measurement by a number will yield a square or cubic foot and/or inch measurement.  (eg:  6"sq  /  2  = 3"sq   or   6"cu  x  2 = 12"cu)

Multiplying a foot/inch measurement by another foot/inch measurement will yield a square foot/inch measurement.  (eg: 6" x 6" = 36"sq)

Multiplying a square foot/inch measurement by a linear foot/inch measurement will yield a cubic foot/inch measurement.  (eg: 12"sq  x  6" = 72"cu)

Dividing a square foot/inch measurement by a linear foot/inch measurement will yield a linear foot/inch measurement.  (eg: 12"sq  /  6" = 2")

Dividing a cubic foot/inch measurement by a linear foot/inch measurement will yield a square foot/inch measurement.  (eg: 12"sq  /  6" = 2"sq)

You cannot add to or subtract from square or cubic values in the Calculator. You can however add and subtract square and cubic measurements in a memory cell of the same format.


Display Menu

Accuracy

Display accuracy can be set to either 1/16" or 1/32" by selecting the desired setting from the Accuracy sub-menu. The current accuracy setting is displayed with a check mark in the menu.

Show Keys

This menu item toggles display of the onscreen keys on and off. When the keys are not displayed you can only make entries from the keyboard. Show Keys can also be toggled by double clicking on the grey background area of the Calculator.

Converter

see also... Converter

Select this menu item to toggle display of the Converter on and off. Hiding the Converter does not erase the values contained in the converter.

Zoom

At startup the calculator is displayed at 100% zoom with ShowKeys on. Click on 75% in the Zoom  sub-menu to shrink the size of the Calculator. Click on 100% to restore the Calculator to it original size.

This command does not affect the Converter or any open memory cells.


File Menu

Formulas

Ft/In Calculator includes three built in formulas. When you select one of these formulas from the menu, you'll be prompted to enter the required information and then the program will automatically calculate and display the result. Prompts are displayed above the Calculator readout, and results are displayed in the Calculator readout.

Circumference

Select this menu item to calculate the circumference of a circle. Enter the diameter of the circle when prompted and press "=" . The result will be displayed in the Calcultor readout.

Area of circle

Select this menu item to calculate the area of a circle. Enter the radius of the circle when prompted and press "=". The result will be displayed in the Calculator readout.

Volume of cylinder

Select this menu item to calculate the volume of a cylinder. Enter the radius of the circle when prompted and press "=". Then enter the length of the cylinder and press "=" again. The result will be displayed in the Calculator readout.

Exit

Select this menu item to exit Ft/In Calculator. All forms including all memory cells will be closed and any values in them will be lost.