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-
- **--Basic MACLIB Design--**
-
- The MACLIB Worksheet file is the holder or integrator for the entire
- set of worksheets on the Astrix Computer System. This file has been
- specially designed to work with these worksheets. However, there is
- no reason why you could not integrate one of your own or several of
- your own worksheets into the scheme, providing that you follow a few
- basic conventions and restrictions.
-
- The MACLIB Worksheet, once it is cleansed of the copyright notice in
- the upper left, neatly fits around any of the other worksheets on the
- system. The individual worksheets have all been designed to fit into
- the range A1..Z220. There is nothing magical about row 220 being the
- bottom, it was just the length of the longest worksheet in the original
- set of 21. This range has been named 'PAGE' in each of the 21 work-
- sheets. Although, PAGE is only as big as any individual model.
-
- The actual macros are located consistently in the range AA1..AA2048.
- This is done, so that an automatic renaming of the macros may be
- accomplished with a '/rnlraa1..aa2048' command.
-
- Let's look at the actual macro that is executed when you decide to
- use a menu selection, which is accomplished with {alt-m}.
-
- 1. You point the cursor at the worksheet name of your
- choice and depress the {enter} key.
-
- 2. The macro executed performs a '/frxxx~', a file retrieve
- of worksheet xxx.
-
- 3. The worksheet retrieved, has two macros defined. One is for
- saving the range named 'PAGE', and the other is for resetting
- all of the range names for the macros in MACLIB.
-
- 4. The second macro is executed by {alt-o}.
-
- 5. When the \o macro is executed, it positions the cursor
- to the {home} position, overlays the worksheet with the
- contents of the MACLIB Worksheet, (since they don't conflict,
- the model is not disturbed), renames the macros in Col AA,
- adjusts two column widths, and finishes by again positioning
- the cursor to the {home} position.
-
- The net of all of this is that you may flip from one worksheet to
- another very quickly and it provides a framework for future expansion
- and integration between worksheets.
-
- Completely AUTOMATIC execution may be accomplished should you desire
- by making just one or two changes in each of the worksheets.
-
- If you rename MACLIB to AUTO123, then the MACLIB Worksheet will be
- automatically loaded when you initially bring up 1-2-3. Further, you
- need to change the name of the second macro from \o to \0 (from
- backslash oh to backslash zero). This second change will make the
- macro execute automatically. If you were going to let an untrained
- novice work with these models, it may be desireable to make these
- changes, I choose not to, because I am not a novice and the automatic
- features get in the way of developement activities.
-
- The following graphic should help to further explain the MACLIB
- Worksheet and the areas that have been designated so far.
-
-
-
- MACLIB Layout
- ╔════════════════════╤══════╤═════════════════════════════════════╗
- ║A1 Z1│AA1 │ IV1║
- ║ │ │ ║
- ║ │ M │ Future ║
- ║ PAGE │ A & │ Macro ║
- ║ │ C │ Areas ║
- ║ │ R M │ ║
- ║ │ O E │ ║
- ║ │ S N │ ║
- ║A220 Z220│ U │ ║
- ╟────────────────────┤ S │ ║
- ║ │ │ ║
- ║ Global │ │ ║
- ║ Work │ │ ║
- ║ Areas │ │ ║
- ║ │ │ ║
- ║ │ │ ║
- ║ │ │ ║
- ║A2048 │ │ IV2048║
- ╚════════════════════╧══════╧═════════════════════════════════════╝
-
-
- If you do wish to expand these models with additional macros or
- with different worksheets, you will be compatible with any future
- expansion of the Astrix Computer System by retaining the meanings
- for these areas in the worksheet.
-
- To manipulate the Global Work Area, you will need a macro to swap
- the Global Work Area out of memory in the same manner as PAGE is
- currently saved. Then you'll need to bring in the new model, overlay
- it with MACLIB or it's equivalent, and then overlay the total so
- far with the saved copy of the Global Work Area.
-
- In the future, once the system has been shaken out a bit, I will
- be expanding these models and integrating some of them together.
- First, I would like some feedback on the existing 21 models.
- You can do this by leaving comments and messages on the board.
-
- When we finally have a good set of models that the general community
- seems to feel is 'the basic set', I plan on defining the contents
- of the Global Work Area with definitions for particular cells.
- Then you can enter information from one worksheet and the values
- will automatically migrate to other related worksheets and be
- used once the worksheets come into memory as inputs.
-
- I can see that one of the groupings will be in the area of cash
- management, the income statement and the balance sheet.
- ...
-