LUCID CONFERENCE - MODEL 100 SIG August 3,1986 Guests: Sam Redman and Michael Stanford Co-founders of Portable Computer Support Group (Q) How can I transfer files between Lucid and other spreadsheets? (PCSG) There are three ways to move data from Lucid to other spreadsheets: 1) Cut and Paste into a Text file 2) Translate into Visicalc format using DISK+ 3) Translate into DIF format using the Lucid utilities The first method is the easiest but loses the formulas, transferring only the information that actually shows on the screen. The second is the simplest and most effective. The latest version of DISK+ transfers DISK+ format files to DOS format at the touch of a key. It automatically recognizes a Lucid file and translates it to VC format which almost all desktop spreadsheets can read. EDITOR'S NOTE: Early versions of the Lucid Utilities are not compatible with SuperROM's Lucid. Also, DIF format will not capture formulas unless they are made into labels. Turning formulas into labels can also be used with the Cut and Paste method described above. (Q) Do you plan to offer the capability to create analytical graphics? (PCSG) The answer is not in the foreseeable future. We have had very few requests for this enhancement. We used to market a program called GRAPH+ but Tandy bought it and we cannot sell it ourselves anymore. It does pie, bar and line graphs. EDITOR'S NOTE: GRAPH+ is not compatible with Lucid files. (Q) The Lucid Data documentation is hard to understand. Are you planning to provide additional information or support? (PCSG) We agree Lucid Data's manual is not as clear as the other sections of the SuperROM documentation. We are considering a newsletter for SuperROM. There is a series of six articles on Lucid Data currently being published in Portable 100 magazine. We are also sponsoring a contest for the best SuperROM applications. All entries will be published in a book that will be distributed free to anyone that wants one. EDITOR'S NOTE: Information on the SuperROM contest is available as SUPER.WIN in DL6. Also available in DL2 is LUCID.TXT which discusses the Report Generator section of Lucid Data. (Q) Any suggestions on how to avoid moving Report Specifier Blocks when deleting records (rows) in Lucid Data? (PCSG) Never remove records by deleting them. Simply blank out the record with the spacebar and use Sort periodically to move the blank records to the bottom of the file. (Q) Following up on the last question - Using Sort can be very destructive and is prone to error. Have you considered allowing protection for the columns normally used for the Report Specifier Blocks (DR to DV)? (PCSG) A good suggestion but let us share with you some of SuperROM's design considerations: 1) Space in the ROM 2) Time 3) Generality vs. Specialization The first two points should be obvious - we could have kept squeezing the code more and more, adding more and more features and delaying the introduction further and further but the third point is the one that is at issue here. Choosing an arbitrary point in the spreadsheet and not letting row deletes affect columns past that point would be difficult to explain in the manual and could lead to complaints that the program is getting too complicated. Every feature we add has to be explained, and while it makes the program more powerful, it also means there is more for the user to assimilate. (Q) Would you consider adding the ability to "freeze" the first column and/or row like 1-2-3's Title command? (PCSG) Implementing the Title feature would have required a more complete redesign of Lucid's screen module than time would allow. However, there is a technique you can use to get around this problem. Use the Copy and Paste facilities of Lucid to copy the labels you want frozen. Go to the area where you will be working, insert a row and/or column and paste in the labels. When you have finished entering the data in that area, delete the extra row/column and move on to the next work area. Another method is using Lucid Data's View capability. It was conceived with the end in mind of leaving prompts on the screen permanently. Since you can have multiple views in the same file, you can effectively see your 'headings' throughout the spreadsheet. Simply create a View file with row/column headings as prompts. (Q) Could you add the capability to enter formulas via pointing like 1-2-3, i.e., without the Ctrl-W requirement? (PCSG) We have a difference in design philosophy. As you know, Lucid was modeled very closely on 1-2-3 but we made some changes we felt were improvements. In particular, we did not like the fact that 1-2-3 has two modes for entering formulas -- one for initial entry where pointing works and one for editing where you cannot point. We decided from the start to be in both entry and edit mode at all times which helps us toward the "mode-less" user interface that is the Holy Grail of user- friendly program designers. With Lucid, you can use 'Wander' whether you are entering a formula for the first time or editing, and you can use the edit keys even when entering data in a cell for the first time. With 1-2-3, you cannot. (Q) SuperROM's unique files are compatible with the Chipmunk and the Tandy Portable Disk Drive (TDD). Any chance of making it compatible with the Disk/Video Interface (D/VI)? (PCSG) Unfortunately, the D/VI is a victim of the whims of the marketplace. If more had been sold, there would have been sufficient demand to justify the development costs but as things are now, even if every D/VI owner bought TWO SuperROMs we would not recover the cost of creating D/VI compatibility. There are also some technical hurdles associated with the D/VI that do not exist with the Chipmunk or TDD. The most obvious is the screen but more important is the method used by the D/VI to read and write files. The D/VI Operating System requires .CO files to be relocated to their 'execution' address for transfer to the D/VI. SuperROM files appear to the Model 100 (and the D/VI) as .CO files with a 'Top' address of 65535 (the last byte of available RAM). It is, therefore, physically impossible for the D/VI to transfer SuperROM files accurately. (Q) Have you considered using integrated print routines for all four applications in SuperROM? (PCSG) A good idea, and one we would have used if Lucid and Write had been rewritten from scratch for SuperROM. It may well be implemented as a space saver if we issue another update. A general comment about updates... we certainly are not closing the door on improvements to SuperROM. It will depend, in part on the market response to the new Model 102 and the demand for software for it. (Q) A couple of contest-related questions -- Are you looking for applications only? Will the submissions be made available here on the Model 100 SIG? (PCSG) We are looking for any kind of usage or clever execution. For example, in Write ROM you can answer Form prompts with Library codes and create some very clever uses that way. All contest submissions will be made available on CompuServe.