My contributions to the last two publications of The MacTimes have been directed at how to use some of the items selectable under the Menu. Those items discussed so far, the Alarm Clock and Key Caps, are mini applications provided as Desk Accessories (DAs) with every Macintosh system package and are available whenever the Mac is operating regardless of whether you are in an application or not. In effect, DAs have given the Mac, since its origin, the ability to perform a second task while keeping an application open and associated data displayed.
Being able to perform a second task can be very helpful while you are in the midst of an activity when you must access information the current application does not readily yield. A common need of this sort is when you are using your word processor or favorite draw/paint program and suddenly realize that some math calculations need to be performed. It’s not necessary to save and quit the current application since there is a DA in the Menu called “Calculator” which is available immediately. Selecting Calculator causes an image of a hand-held calculator to display superimposed over the data window on the screen. this calculator offers the basic arithmetic functions of add, subtract, multiply and divide and can be keyed by using the mouse and cursor to make selections or the numeric keypad on Macs so fitted. You can conduct your math calculation and enter the results into the document open in the application just that easily. However, there are some more profound capabilities the Calculator can perform for those who need them. By typing the equation you want to have calculated and using the copy and paste capabilities of the Mac with the Calculator, you can calculate directly from your text without having to hand-enter into the Calculator. There are some techniques involved here, though.
In spite of the fact that we might have two windows open – for example, a word processor document and Calculator – on the Mac concurrently, only one of them can be active and, in this case it is Calculator. The other, inactive, window is still open but is not active and is “behind” the active one. Since the dimensions of Calculator are smaller than the word processor document, Calculator, while it is active, displays in the foreground – “on top of” – the word processor window while you can still see everything in the other window behind. However, as soon a you click on the word processor window area, it becomes active and comes “to the front.” Since the word processor window is typically larger in dimension than Calculator, you will see Calculator only when it is active and “on top of” the word processor window. That is, unless you do some arranging and sizing of the windows. All you have to do is shrink the window of the word processor to be able to see some background area, select Calculator from the menu, drag Calculator on the screen so some part of it is in the background area you have displayed, and you can then alternately use your document and Calculator. With this setup on-screen, you can type the equation in your word processor document, select the equation, copy it (using “Copy”in the Edit menu), make Calculator active by clicking anywhere on its display, paste it (using “Paste” in the Edit menu) and Calculator does the rest and displays the result. At this point, if you want the result of the calculation in your document, simply execute “Copy,” click your document with the insertion point flashing where you want the result to go and execute “Paste.” For example, there is the calculation of the equation 14+8-6*3+2 resulting in 50. All I did was type the numbers and operators for the calculation, selected the set, copied it, selected Calculator, pasted to Calculator, copied the result, selected the document with the insertion point flashing where I wanted the result in the text, executed paste -- and that was it! If I had several calculations, I would have re-sized the document window for some background area to be displayed on the screen, selected Calculator and moved it for part to display on the background area, and alternately selected and copied the calculation text in the document and pasted and copied with Calculator, pasting back to the document. You can do this sort of work with any numeric text while in any application on the Mac.
Many people seem to feel that Calculator is a novelty or toy to play with on the Mac. That’s certainly not true and I hope this explanation of how to use this DA encourages your use of this tool. My plan for the next edition of Mac Times is to discuss Scrapbook and Clipboard for your continued improved uses of the Mac. As I have stated before, your comments on these discussions are welcomed and suggestions for subjects in the future will influence what is included.
Hey, novices! Are these articles helpful to you? Please tell Jack , Paul, or Barry what topics you wish to see covered in these pages. It's your user group, so let's shape the groups' newsletter to help you! - ed.
