Lotus 1-2-3 in its various forms is possibly the best-known of all the programs intended for business use, and its capabilities are such that a knowledgeable user could use 1-2-3 as a word-processor, database and spreadsheet, needing no other programs. In the years since 1-2-3 was first introduced, its capabilities have steadily grown, but the most significant introduction was the use of keyboard Macros, later developed to the system of advanced Macros. The aim of this book is to introduce users, old and new, of Lotus 1-2-3 to the immensely powerful Macro facilities that 1-2-3 posesses, particularly in its latest versions. At its simplest, the Lotus Macro facilities allow any key combination to be designated to tasks like printing a phrase which will be used frequently, or carrying out the retrieval of files automatically. The more advanced use of Macros, however, amounts to a programming language in its own right, allowing the user to design customized programs that can utilize all the facilities of 1-2-3. This allows programs to be written for all kinds of specialized purposes, from simple accounting to medical diagnosis, if a suitable Macro program can be written.
The Macro is a miniature program, a set of commands, which is set into action by pressing a nominated key. By making use of Macros, it is possible to ensure that long names or descriptions are always entered flawlessly, that long and complicated procedures can be carried out by pressing one pair of keys, or that the spreadsheet can be turned into dedicated program for working on accounts, analyzing the results of water samples, predicting birth-date from external abdominal measurements, forecasting trends in share movements. All of these are uses to which Macros have already been put, and the possibilities are myriad. This book should provide some insights for 1-2-3 users who may at present be tolerating clumsy methods of solving their problems.

PC Memory

by Ian Robertson Sinclair

Published 11 May 1992




Hard Disks

by Ian Robertson Sinclair

Published 11 May 1992
This text concentrates on the reasons for using a hard disk, what is involved in installation, and the transfer of software from a floppy disk to a hard disk. The emphasis is then on the directory structure and maintenance of the hard disk and finally on utilities - all organized on a step-by-step pattern. This order is the time order in which a newcomer to a hard disk would approach the topics.