Quattro Pro contains spreadsheets in a notebook. Once you have created a spreadsheet, you can enter data and perform calculations. For example, you can enter a list of items and the cost of each item and then calculate the total cost of all items.
In this section, you'll learn about
creating and opening notebooks
entering labels and special characters
entering values
filling cells and spreadsheet tabs automatically
creating a series to fill cells
restricting and annotating cell data
creating simple equations
calculating data in rows and columns
performing running calculations
For more information about creating spreadsheets, see "Reference: Creating spreadsheets."
Creating and opening notebooks
When you start a new spreadsheet in Quattro Pro, you must first create a notebook. You can create a notebook from a list of project templates or from the default template. Project templates prompt you for data and then format and calculate it automatically. When you create a notebook from the default template, you must format the data yourself and perform your own calculations.
For information about using project templates, see "Working with project templates."
You can also open a notebook or customize the start options to automatically open a specific notebook every time you start Quattro Pro.
For a complete list of custom start options, see "Using startup switches."
To create a notebook
Click File New.
To create a notebook using a project template
1 Click File New from project.
2 Click the Create new tab.
3 Select Quattro Pro from the Categories list box.
4 Choose a project from the Projects list.
5 Click Create.
6 Use the PerfectExpert panel to modify the project.
To open a notebook
1 Click File Open.
2 Choose the driver and folder where the notebook is stored.
3 Click a filename
4 Click Open.
Note
Quattro Pro version 10 and 11 files use the .qpw extension. Earlier versions use .wb3, .wb2, or .wb1 extensions.
To open a specific notebook when starting Quattro Pro
1 Click Start Run on the Windows taskbar.
2 In the Open box, type the Quattro Pro command with its path, followed by a space, and a notebook filename.
For example, qpw.exe "C:\My Documents\MYFILE.QPW starts Quattro Pro and opens MYFILE.QPW.
Note
When you open a file that contains a PerfectScript or Quattro Pro native startup macro, the macro launches as soon as you open the file. However, macros may contain commands that can alter, remove, or corrupt data or files on your system. This type of macro is often referred to as a virus. For your convenience, Quattro Pro displays a message alerting you that the file contains this kind of macro.
Entering labels and special characters
You can create labels in a spreadsheet which, unlike other cell data, cannot be calculated in formulas. A label can be text (address), text with numbers (145 Howard Street), or numbers seen as text (202-555-1212, a phone number). A label can begin with any letter, punctuation mark, or symbol, except the following characters:
Character Description
/ forward slash
+ plus
- minus
$ dollar sign
( opening parenthesis
@ at sign
# number sign
. period
= equals
If you type one of these characters, Quattro Pro treats the information as a formula or value. You can force Quattro Pro to read values as labels by typing an alignment character before the value. For example, to enter (Before Taxes), you would type: "(Before Taxes).
You can insert special characters and symbols that are not on your keyboard, such as icons, phonetic characters, and characters in other languages. Quattro Pro also lets you repeat characters or a series of characters in a cell.
To create a label
1 Click a cell.
2 Type alphanumeric characters.
3 Press Enter.
To create a label from a value
To create Do the following
Left-aligned label Type ' before a value.
Right-aligned label Type " before a value.
Centered label Type ^ before a value.
Tip
You can also type an alignment character before a backslash, if you want a label to begin with a backslash, but don't want to repeat the character after it.
To insert special characters and symbols
1 Click a cell.
2 Click Insert Symbol.
3 Choose a character set from the Set list box.
4 Choose a character from the Symbols list.
5 Click Insert.
Tip
You can also insert special characters and symbols by clicking the WP characters button on the property bar.
To repeat a character
1 Click a cell.
2 Type \ (backslash character), and type a character.
3 Press Enter.
To repeat a series of characters in a pattern
1 Click a cell.
2 Type \ (backslash character). and type the set of characters to be repeated.
For example, \abc.
Entering values
A value is a number, formula, date, or time. Quattro Pro determines that data is a value from the characters you type. The data type displays in the application bar.
For information on entering formulas see "Working with formulas."
Numbers entered in cells can consist only of the following:
numerals (0 to 9)
minus sign (-) for negative numbers
plus sign (+) for positive numbers
currency symbols; for example, $
one decimal point
a trailing %
an E for scientific notation
When entering numbers, be aware of the following restrictions:
Use a minus sign (-), not parentheses, to indicate a negative number. However, if you change the numeric format to currency or a value with a decimal, negative numbers appear in parentheses.
Do not include spaces in the entry.
If a number does not fit into a cell, it is displayed in exponential format.
Use numeric characters, not letters, to represent 1 and 0. For example, do not substitute a lowercase l ("el") for 1 (one) or an uppercase O ("oh") for 0 (zero).
Quattro Pro also lets you enter numbers as fractions.
You can enter fractions in a cell. You can enter a date or time, including the current date, in a cell. While Quattro Pro reads dates and times as values, it applies specific formatting and calculation criteria to them depending on the date and time formats you set as defaults. Dates or times can be in many formats, such as 04-04-98, 04/04/98, and 01:42:30 PM.
For information on entering dates prior to 1900 and after 2000, see "Entering dates." You can also automatically enter the current date.
Quattro Pro stores all dates as serial integers and times as decimal fractions, so that it can calculate dates and times as values. The minimum serial integer is -109,571, which represents January 1, 1600; the maximum is 474,816, which represents December 31, 3199. The minimum decimal fraction for time is 0.99999 (for the time 23:59:59) and the maximum is 0.000 (for 00:00:00). The serial integer or decimal fraction appears in the input line when you select a cell.
A cell containing a serial integer mixed with a decimal fraction indicates the date and time. For example, 2.5 represents January 1, 1900 at 12:00 noon.
If a notebook includes many dates, you may want to force specific cells to accept only dates and times. This is particularly useful when you create notebooks that others will use. For information about restricting cell data, see "Restricting and annotating cell data."
To enter a number
1 Click a cell.
2 Type a number.
3 Press Enter.
Note
You can change the number of decimal places in a value. For more information, see "To change the number of decimal places in a value."
To enter fractions
1 Click a cell.
2 Type a number as a decimal.
3 Press Enter.
4 Click the cell.
5 Click Format Selection properties.
6 Click the Numeric format tab.
7 Choose Fraction from the Numeric formats list.
8 Choose a type from the Fraction list.
To enter a date or time
1 Click a cell.
2 Type a date or time.
3 Press Enter.
Note
For a list of available date and time formats, see "Default date and time formats."
To enter the current date
1 Click a cell.
2 Click Insert Date.
Quattro Pro inserts the short date format specified in the Windows Regional Settings on the Control Panel.
Tip
You can also enter the current date by clicking a cell and pressing Ctrl + D.
To enter a date using the spreadsheet DATE function
1 Click a cell.
2 Click Insert Insert function.
3 Choose Date from the Function category list.
4 Choose DATE from the Function list.
5 Click OK.
6 Type the date (year, month, and day) between parentheses.
7 Press Enter.
Note
For a list of available date formats, see "Default date and time formats."
Filling cells and spreadsheet tabs automatically
Quattro Pro lets you automatically enter repeated labels and functions. Once the initial letters or sequence you are typing is recognized, the data is automatically inserted. As you type a function, the likeliest function displays.
You can fill cells automatically. You can save time by automatically filling cells with a sequence that you start with a seed value.
You can also fill spreadsheet tabs automatically.
To automatically insert repeated data
1 Click Tools Settings.
2 In the list of categories, double-click Workspaces, Application, and click General.
3 Enable the QuickType check box.
4 Click OK.
5 Type text in a cell.
Note
The blank cells to be filled must be contiguous with the seed value, extending down the column or across the row to the right.
To fill empty cells automatically
1 Select the cells.
2 Click Edit Fill QuickFill.
3 Choose a series from the Series name list box.
4 Choose an element from the Series elements list.
5 In the Fill as area, enable one of the following options:
Columns-fills to the bottom of the first column of cells, and continues at the top of the second column
Rows-fills to the end of the first row of cells, and continues at the beginning of the second row
Tips
You can also open the QuickFill dialog box by clicking the QuickFill button on the notebook toolbar.
You can create a new series using part of an existing series by modifying the series and saving it under another name.
To fill cells automatically using seed values
1 Type a seed value in a cell.
2 Select the seed value cell and the blank cells you want to fill.
3 Click Edit Fill QuickFill.
Note
For a list of seed values and resulting sequences, see "QuickFill seed values."
Tip
You can also fill cells automatically by clicking the QuickFill button on the notebook toolbar.
To fill spreadsheet tabs automatically
1 Select an empty cell.
2 Click Edit Fill QuickFill.
3 Choose a list series from the Series name list box.
4 Choose an element from the Series elements list.
5 Enable the Tabs option in the Fill as area.
Tip
You can also open the QuickFill dialog box by clicking the QuickFill button on the notebook toolbar.
Creating a series to fill cells
You can create a custom QuickFill series, using your own sequences of values and labels, to use with QuickFill. You can modify, rename, or remove a QuickFill series from the series list. Quattro Pro also lets you add elements from a cell to a QuickFill series.
Quattro Pro also lets you specify rules for filling selected cells. You can create your own custom number and formula series. You can also create your own custom date series. To fill dates and times, you must know the date serial number. For more information about date serial numbers, see "Entering values."
To create a QuickFill formula series
1 Select an empty cell.
2 Click Edit Fill QuickFill.
3 Click Create.
4 In the Create/modify series dialog box, type a descriptive name in the Series name box.
5 Enable the Formula option in the Series type area.
6 In the Seed value box, type the first number in the series.
This value is used as a constant in the formula. A string seed value is evaluated as zero.
7 Type a formula in the Formula box.
Tips
You can also click Iteration, Seed, and Previous in the Formula definition area to insert the iteration number, seed value, and previous value into the formula. For example, the following formula produces a series that starts with 5 and increases by 5 (5, 10, 15, 20, and so on): #SEED#+(5*#ITER#).
You can also open the QuickFill dialog box by clicking the QuickFill button.
To create a QuickFill list series
1 Select an empty cell.
2 Click Edit Fill QuickFill.
3 Click Create.
4 In the Create/modify series dialog box, type a descriptive name in the Series name box.
5 Enable the List option in the Series type area.
If you want the series to start again when every element has been entered once, enable the Repeating check box.
6 Type the first element of the list in the Value box.
7 Click Add.
If you want to insert an element before an existing element, highlight the existing element, type the new element in the Value box, and click Insert.
Tip
You can also open the QuickFill dialog box by clicking the QuickFill button.
To modify a QuickFill series
1 Select an empty cell.
2 Click Edit Fill QuickFill.
3 Select a series from the Series name list box.
4 Click Modify.
5 In the Create/modify series dialog box, change any series options.
Tip
You can also open the QuickFill dialog box by clicking the QuickFill button on the notebook toolbar.
To rename a QuickFill series
1 Click Edit Fill Define QuickFill.
2 Select a series from the Series name list box.
3 Click Rename.
4 In the Rename series dialog box, type the new name in the Series name box.
To delete a QuickFill series
1 Select an empty cell.
2 Click Edit Fill QuickFill.
3 Select a series from the Series name list box.
4 Click Delete.
Tip
You can also open the QuickFill dialog box by clicking the QuickFill button.
To add elements from a cell to a QuickFill series
1 Select an empty cell.
2 Click Edit Fill QuickFill.
3 Click one of the following buttons:
Create-adds elements from a list in the notebook to a new series
Modify-adds elements from a list in the notebook to an existing series
4 In the Create/modify series dialog box, click Extract.
5 In the Extract values dialog box, specify the cells that contain the new series elements.
If you want to replace any existing elements with those in the notebook enable the Override existing values check box.
Tip
You can also open the QuickFill dialog box by clicking the QuickFill button.
To create a custom series to fill cells
1 Select the cells to fill.
2 Click Edit Fill Fill series.
3 In the Start box for the first cell, type a value or date or time serial number.
4 Type a step value in the Step box.
5 Type a stop value in the Stop box.
6 In the Order area, enable one of the following options:
Column-fills down the columns, starting with the left-most column
Row-fills across rows, starting with the top row
7 In the Static area, enable one of the following options:
Linear (addition)-adds the step value to the previous value (defined at first to be the start value)
Growth (multiplication)-multiplies the step value by the previous value
Power (exponentiation)-uses the step value as the exponent of the previous value
Year-increments the series by year
Month-increments the series by month
Week-increments the series by a 7-day week
Weekday-increments the series by week days only
Day-increments the series by day
Hour-increments the series by hour
Minute-increments the series by minute
Second-increments the series by second
Note
If you select a group of noncontiguous blocks of cells, Quattro Pro fills the cells in the order selected.
Tips
If you want the values to decrease, type a negative number in the Start box and type a stop value that is lower than the start value.
To find the serial number of the date or time you want to start the series, type a date or time in a cell on the spreadsheet using one of the recognized date or time formats, press Enter, click on the cell, and view the serial number in the input line. For more information about date and time serial numbers, see "Entering values."
Restricting and annotating cell data
You can restrict a cell so that Quattro Pro read the data in the cell as a specific data type, regardless of what the data is.
Adding comments to cells lets you add notes to explain data without cluttering the spreadsheet. Cells with an attached comment display a red triangle in the upper-right corner. By default, cell comments do not print with a spreadsheet, but you can set up the page view to show and print comments on the spreadsheet. For information about printing comments with the spreadsheet, see "To print cell comments."
Once you have created a cell comments, you can change its attributes.
To restrict cells
1 Select a cells to restrict.
2 Click Format Selection properties.
3 Click the Constraints tab.
4 In the Data input constraint area, enable one of the following options:
General-accepts both labels and dates
Labels only-accepts only labels
Dates only-accepts only dates
To add a cell comment
1 Click a cell.
2 Click Insert Insert comment.
3 Type the comment.
4 Click outside the comment bubble.
You can also
Read a cell comment Point to the small red triangle in the upper-right corner of the cell.
Edit a cell comment Right-click the cell, and click Edit comment.
Delete a cell comment Right-click the cell, and click Delete comments.
Tip
You can add a non-bubble comment to a cell by typing a semicolon (;) after a value and then typing the comment. You can see the comment on the input line when you click the cell.
To view all cell comments on a spreadsheet
Click View Comments.
To change cell comment attributes
1 Right-click the cell, and click Edit comment.
2 Right-click inside the comment bubble, and click Cell comment properties.
Creating simple equations
You can perform simple mathematical operations such as 1+1 directly in a cell. Quattro Pro interprets these equations as formulas and indicates cells with formulas by adding a blue triangle to the bottom-left corner of the cell. Quattro Pro also totals values for you.
To do simple math in cells
1 Type the numbers and math operators in a cell.
For example, type 4500+450.
2 Press Enter.
Note
Do not include commas in numbers.
To total values in a column
1 Click in the first blank cell below and one column to the left of the cells to be totaled.
2 Type total.
3 Press Enter.
Note
This feature is not case sensitive and is language dependent.
Tip
You can also total values in a row by clicking the first blank cell to the right and one row above the cells to be totaled, and typing total. Press Enter.
To have Quattro Pro identify the forward slash (/) as a division sign
1 Click Tools Settings.
2 In the list of categories, double-click Workspaces, Application, and click General.
3 Enable the Mathematical formula entry check box.
Tip
You can also identify the forward slash as a division sign by typing a plus sign (+) before the equation (for example, +4/12).
Calculating data in rows and columns
Using PerfectExpert, you can calculate data in rows and columns. For example, you can add a column, find the average of a list of figures, or find the middle value of either.
You can also perform calculations on individual cells.
Quattro Pro also lets you perform calculations on two rows or columns. For example, you could multiply a quantity column by a unit price column to find the total cost (5 units x $5.00 each = $25.00).
To calculate data in a single row or column
1 Click Help PerfectExpert.
2 Click Do simple math in the PerfectExpert panel.
3 Click Quick math.
4 In the Select a row or column box, specify the cells to calculate.
5 Choose a math operation from the Do math list box.
6 In the Insert answer in cell box, specify the cell where you want to display the answer.
Tip
You can also specify cells by clicking the Range picker tool and selecting the cells.
To perform a calculation on each item in a row or column
1 Click Help PerfectExpert.
2 Click Do simple math in the PerfectExpert panel.
3 Click More quick math.
4 In the Select a row or column box, specify the cells to calculate.
5 Choose a math operation from the Do math list box.
6 In the Insert answer in cell box, specify the cell where you want to display the answer.
The answer row or column must have as many cells as are in the list on which you're performing calculations.
Tip
You can also specify cells by clicking the Range picker tool and selecting the cells.
To calculate data in two rows or columns
1 Click Help PerfectExpert.
2 Click Do simple math in the PerfectExpert panel.
3 Click 2-column quick math.
4 In the Select first row/column box, specify the cells to calculate for the first row or column.
5 In the Select second row/column box, specify the cells to calculate for the second row or column.
6 Choose a math operation from the Do math list box.
7 In the Insert answer in cell box, specify the cell where you want to display the answer.
The answer row or column must have as many cells as are in the list on which you're performing calculations.
Tip
You can also specify cells by clicking the Range picker tool and selecting the cells.
Performing running calculations
Quattro Pro lets you perform calculations quickly by using preset calculations.
You can also total cells in rows or columns. For example, you can calculate totals in a single row, or multiple rows or columns. The row or column cannot contain blank cells, and any labels in the selected cells are treated as zero values.
You can also total all cells on multiple spreadsheets and total the subtotals in a column.
Calc As-You-Go lets you display several different running totals for cells you select; the sum, average, count, maximum value, and minimum value display on the application bar. You can disable Calc As-You-Go.
To perform preset calculations
1 Type values across a row or down a column.
2 Click the first blank cell after the values.
3 Open the QuickFunction flyout on the notebook toolbar, and click a function.
Note
The icon on the flyout varies depending on which calculation you select.
To total cells
To total Do the following
Cells in a row Select the cells and one blank cell to the right, and click the QuickSum button on the notebook toolbar
Multiple rows Select the cells and a blank column to the right, and click the QuickSum button on the notebook toolbar
Rows and columns for a grand total Select the cells with a blank column to the right, and a blank row below, and click the QuickSum button on the notebook toolbar
Rows or columns on multiple spreadsheets Select the rows or columns and a blank row and column around the data on each spreadsheet, and click the QuickSum button on the notebook toolbar
Note
You can total several cells in a column by selecting the data plus one blank cell below. For example, to total the values in the cells A1..A3, select A1..A4. The total appears in cell A4.
Tip
You can also total cells in a column or multiple columns.
To total all cells on multiple spreadsheets
1 Select the cells that you want to total on each spreadsheet.
2 Select the same cells on a blank spreadsheet.
3 Click the QuickSum button on the notebook toolbar.
To total subtotals in a column
1 Select the first blank cell below the column containing the subtotal cells.
2 Click the QuickSum button on the notebook toolbar.
To use Calc As-You-Go
1 Select the cells on which to perform running calculations.
2 View the totals on the application bar.
To disable Calc As-You-Go
1 Click Tools Settings.
2 In the list of categories, double-click Workspaces, Application, and click General.
3 Disable the Calc As-You-Go check box.
Reference: Creating spreadsheets
Quattro Pro has default date and time formats. As well, Quattro Pro has guidelines for entering years in two digits and entering dates prior to 1900 and after 2000.
Quattro Pro also has a lists of seed values and their sequences available for use with QuickFill.
Default date and time formats
While Quattro Pro reads dates and times as values, it applies specific formatting and calculation criteria to them depending on the date and time criteria you set as defaults. When you type a date, the cell formatting automatically switches to the date format you typed. You can enter dates and times in any default date and time format.
Format Example
DD-MMM-YYYY 28-Apr-1999
DD-MMM-YY 11-Nov-99
DD-MMM 11-Nov
MMM-YY Nov-99
M/DD/YY 5/15/99
MM/DD/YY 05/16/99
MM/DD 05/16
DD/M, assumes the current year 15/5
DD/MM, assumes the current year 15/05
DD-MMM, assumes the current year 04-Mar
MMM-YY, assumes the first day of the month Mar-99
MMM-YYYY, assumes first day of the month Apr-1999
HH:MM:SS AM/PM 04:10:45 AM
HH:MM AM/PM 10:45 AM
Notes
The short international date format is ordinarily MM/DD.
The long international time format is ordinarily HH:MM:SS (13:42:30).
The short international time format is ordinarily HH:MM (13:42).
A date or time can be changed to another format.
Tip
International date and time formats are set by clicking Tools Settings, and clicking the International tab.
Entering dates
Quattro Pro has specific rules for entering dates, including entering years in two digits, dates prior to 1900, and dates after the year 2000.
Entering years in two digits
If you enter a year using two digits, Quattro Pro assumes the century based on the following year ranges:
When you type the two-digit year Quattro Pro assumes
30-99 1930-1999
00-29 2000-2029
For example, the date 4/26/99 is interpreted as 4/26/1999. The date 2/2/25 is interpreted as 2/2/2025. To override the year assumption, enter all four digits for the year; for example, 4/26/1927.
Entering dates prior to 1900
If you enter a negative serial date value (for example, for a date before December 30, 1899) and reformat it as a date, to properly display century information you should set your system to the four-digit Windows default setting, click Format Selection properties and click either the Short date international (11/15/1899) or Long date international (Wednesday, November 15, 1899) date format.
Other standard and user-defined four-digit display options do not display the century information properly for negative serial date numbers.
About the year 2000
Quattro Pro has always stored dates typed in a cell (except dates entered as labels) as a unique date/time serial number or integer date value. Therefore, Quattro Pro has always provided for date storage which includes the century information.
It is best to enter all dates (in both numeric and label formats) in a four-digit year, or "explicit century" year, format (such as MM/DD/YYYY).
QuickFill seed values
When using QuickFill, sequences are available for specific seed values. These sequences allow you to automatically fill cells.
