Archive-name: spreadsheets/faq
Author: casfaq@locutus.ofB.ORG (Russell Schulz)
Comp-apps-spreadsheets-archive-name: faq
Posting-Frequency: biweekly
Last-modified: 1996-Oct-19

comp.apps.spreadsheets     == cas
Frequently Asked Questions == FAQ

========================================================================

Contents:

   1. Disclaimer
   2. Can you answer my spreadsheet question?
   3. How can I add a FAQ and its answer to the FAQ list?
   4. Where can I learn about spreadsheets?
   5. For the masses: Lotus 1-2-3
   6. For the masses: Quattro
   7. For the masses: Excel
   8. Spreadsheet runtimes/compilers
   9. Obscure: File formats
  10. Obscure: Free spreadsheets, and source code
  11. Obscure: Commercial spreadsheets for UNIX
  12. Obscure: Legal issues
  13. Miscellaneous
  99. Credits

========================================================================


1. Disclaimer

Read at your own risk.  The current, previous, or original authors
make no claim as to fitness for any purpose or absence of any errors,
and offer no warranty.  Do not eat.


========================================================================

2. Can you answer my spreadsheet question?

Probably not.  Please don't mail it to me.  There is no reason to assume
I, personally, have ever even USED the spreadsheet you're wondering about.

Read the FAQ, and the materials pointed to by it, and if you can't find
an answer there, by all means post to the newsgroup.

A FAQ list is intended to reduce traffic on a newsgroup, not eliminate it.

My personal interest is in obscure, technical and/or historical trivia,
like source code, free spreadsheets, and file formats, but not with how
to do things which are documented in the manuals.  I assume that future
maintainers will rectify this imbalance.

In the mean time, the whole of section 4 lists pointers to other places
you can look which will probably have what you want.


========================================================================

3. How can I add a FAQ and its answer to the FAQ list?

Mail BOTH of them to me.  Then I can add them to the FAQ and it should
help people who have that same question later, as well as everyone who
reads the group, because they won't see it asked and answered so often.

I do not work on this FAQ every day, but I will try to get updates
incorporated in a timely manner.

  
========================================================================

4. Where can I learn about spreadsheets?

                                 More entries are always helpful!
                                 Have any moved?  Please let me know.

Here are some places to look on the Internet I've seen suggested:

  John Walkenbach's "The Spreadsheet Page"
    http://www.cts.com/browse/jwalk
    http://www.j-walk.com/ss/

  Baarns Publishing's web site:
    http://www.baarns.com

  IUPUI's web site with 1-2-3 FAQ:
    http://www-lib.iupui.edu/toolbox/winhelp/lotusfaq.html

  Unofficial Microsoft Excel Page:
    http://www.io.org/~negandhi/excel.html

  Finding and Removing Excel links:
    http://www2.kalanit.co.il/nachum

  DIF file format problems seen:
    http://www.wco.com/~3d5d1wsw/Apple.III.info/DIF.txt

  spreadsheets in mathematics, statistics, and science education
    http://www.smc.univie.ac.at/~neuwirth/spreaded/spreaded.html

  spreadsheets and statistics
    http://seine.inapg.inra.fr/~fahmy

  spreadsheets and statistics
    http://www.cm.deakin.edu.au/~rodneyc/xlstats.html

  spreadsheets and differential equations
    http://www.sci.usq.edu.au/staff/robertsa/home.html
    (look for spreadsheet.sea.hqx)

  Richard Warr's spreadsheet page
    http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/rdw

  xlSTAT (a data analysis toolbox for Excel) home page
    http://seine.inapg.inra.fr/~fahmy

Official product web pages:

  Official Lotus web site:
    http://www.lotus.com/123/
    http://www.lotus.com/csswww/123.htm
    http://www.lotus.com/csswww/FAQWIN.htm

  Lotus information: ftp://192.216.79.100/pub/desktop/
    .../Symphony/technotes/standalone/technotes.zip
    .../Symphony/technotes/server_edition/technotes.zip
    .../SmartSuite/technotes/windows/standalone/technotes.zip
    .../SmartSuite/technotes/windows/server_edition/technotes.zip
    .../123/technotes/dos/standalone/technotes.zip
    .../123/technotes/dos/server_edition/technotes.zip
    .../123/technotes/windows/server_edition/technotes.zip
    .../123/technotes/windows/standalone/technotes.zip

  Lotus 123 User Discussion area at 
    http://198.114.68.13/123free/date.htm

  Lotus 123 Release 5.01 Support on the Web
    http://198.114.68.13/css/12396.htm

  Lotus Demos and Free Software
    http://www.lotus.com/home/free.htm

  Official Quattro web site:
    http://www.corel.ca/products/wordperfect/cqp/index.htm
    http://www.corel.ca/products/wordperfect/cqp7/index.htm
    http://wp.novell.com/qpro/qpdos/qprotoc.htm
    http://wp.novell.com/qpro/qpdos/qpro5toc.htm
    http://www.novell.com/busapps/dos/tocqp55d.htm
    http://www.novell.com/busapps/win/tocqp60w.htm

  Quattro Pro Manual
    http://206.116.221.5/products/wordperfect/qpr/manual/
    http://205.227.112.10/search/QP.htm

  Quattro Knowledge Base
    http://205.227.112.10/search/QP.htm

  Quattro Pro Discussion Board
    http://www.corelnet.com/corelnet/hyper/quattalk/index.html

  Official Excel web site:
    http://www.microsoft.com/msexcel/
    http://www.microsoft.com/msexcel/FreeStuff/fs_xl_mstools.htm

  Microsoft Knowledge Base
    http://www.microsoft.com/kb/

  Official Wingz web site:
    http://www.wingz.com

  Official Xess web site:
    http://www.ais.com

  Official NExS web site:
    http://www.xess.com

  Official Applixware web site:
    http://www.applix.com

  Official Let's Keep It Simple web site:
    http://www.emer.com/LKISS.html
    http://www.casadyg.com

  Official Improv web site:
    http://...?

  Official Mesa web site:
    http://www.plsys.co.uk/products/Mesa/

  Official Mesa for OS/2 web site:
    http://www.sundialsystems.com

  Official Quantrix web site:
    http://www.lighthouse.com/ProductInfo/Quantrix.html

  Official ParaSheet web site:
    http://www.lighthouse.com/ProductInfo/ParaSheet.html

  Official As Easy As and Alite web site:
    http://www.triusinc.com/
    http://www.triusinc.com/spread.htm

  Official @Risk web site:
    http://www.palisade.com/

  Official `The File Formats Handbook' web site:
    http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Guenter_Born
    http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Guenter_Born/file1.htm

  Byte review of Improv on the NeXT:
    http://www.byte.com/ART/9401/SEC6/ART1.HTM

Other:

  Mailing list: Excel General
    EXCEL-G

    for information, send mail with the line
    INFO EXCEL-G
    to LISTSERV@PEACH.EASE.LSOFT.COM

    to subscribe to the list, send mail with the line
    SUB EXCEL-G user@host.domain.edu Firstname Lastname
    to LISTSERV@PEACH.EASE.LSOFT.COM

  Mailing list: Excel Developer
    EXCEL-L

    for information, send mail with the line
    INFO EXCEL-L
    to LISTSERV@PEACH.EASE.LSOFT.COM

    to subscribe to the list, send mail with the line
    SUB EXCEL-L user@host.domain.edu Firstname Lastname
    to LISTSERV@PEACH.EASE.LSOFT.COM

  Newsgroups: Microsoft Excel
    (access via NNTP at msnews.microsoft.com)

    note that many of these are not legitimate RFC-1036-bis names, so
     they may not work with your particular newsreader

    microsoft.public.excel.123quattro
      Support for converting 1-2-3 or Quattro sheets
       into Microsoft Excel sheets.

    microsoft.public.excel.charting
      Support for building charts with Microsoft Excel

    microsoft.public.excel.crashesGPFs
      Post here for help with crashes or General Protection Faults. 

    microsoft.public.excel.datamap
      Support for the Data Map feature 

    microsoft.public.excel.interopoledde
      Assistance with OLE - DDE and other cross application issues.

    microsoft.public.excel.links 
      Support for using links in Excel. 

    microsoft.public.excel.macintosh
      Support for Excel issues on the Macintosh Operating System Platform 

    microsoft.public.excel.misc
      Post general questions or questions that do not fit
       one of the other categores.  

    microsoft.public.excel.printing
      Support for printing spreadsheets with Microsoft Excel

    microsoft.public.excel.programming
      Programming Excel using VBA or XLM.

    microsoft.public.excel.queryDAO
      Support of the Microsoft Query Tool and
       using Data Access Objects (DAO) in Excel.

    microsoft.public.excel.setup 
      Setup and Installing Microsoft Excel.

    microsoft.public.excel.templates
      Assistance with the Village templates and other XLT files.

    microsoft.public.excel.worksheetfunctions
      Support for Worksheet functions only like =Lookup(), or =Linest().


========================================================================

5. For the masses: Lotus 1-2-3

5.0 1-2-3 history


========================================================================

6. For the masses: Quattro

6.0 Quattro history


========================================================================

7. For the masses: Excel

7.0 Excel history

    http://www.microsoft.com/msexcel/productinfo/macintosh/xlhistry.htm

7.1 Why would anyone want to convert Excel 4 macros to VBA?

    - so they are easier to understand
    - so they are easier to modify
    - so you can learn VBA

7.1.1 Is there a tool which will convert Excel 4 macros to VBA?

    not that anyone knows of -- if you find one, tell us all

7.2 How can I do a Save-As or Exit without prompting the user?

    VBA:

      You can suppress the messages with:
        Application.DisplayAlerts = False

      Don't forget to turn them back on when you are finished with:
        Application.DisplayAlerts = True

7.3 How do I put long, multiline text string in a message box?

    VBA:

      Sub msg()
        MsgBox "This will print on line one" & Chr(13) & _
           "this will print on line two"
      End Sub


========================================================================

8. Spreadsheet runtimes/compilers

8.0 References

8.1 Baler and Visual Baler

  http://www.techtools.com/vbaler.htm
  http://nyweb.com/lotus/visbaler.htm

8.2 xlsexe

   Compuserve:      71031,1123
   America Online:  RobertL469
               Centerline Software
               3351 Turner Plaza #108
               Abilene, TX  79606

  ftp://ftp.zdnet.com/pccomp/1001/xlsexe.zip

8.3 Formula One (available from Programmer's Paradise)

  http://www.visualcomp.com/f1net/download.htm


========================================================================

9. Obscure: File formats

9.0 General References

  File Formats for Popular PC Software
    by Jeff Walden
    ISBN 0-471-83671-0
    John Wiley & Sons
    Copyright 1986

    Spreadsheet file formats for:
      Lotus 1-2-3 1, 1A, 2.0
      Symphony 1, 1.1
      Ability
      DIF (Data Interchange Format)
      Multiplan (SYLK) 1.2
      IBM Plans+ 1.0
      Supercalc 3 Release 2
      SDI (Super Data Interchange) 2.0
      Visicalc 177Y2

  More File Formats for Popular PC Software
    by Jeff Walden
    ISBN ...
    John Wiley & Sons
    Copyright ...

    Spreadsheet file formats for:
      ...

  The File Formats Handbook
    by Guenter Born
    ISBN 1-85032-117-5
    International Thomson Publishing, London
    1274 pages
    Copyright 1995 (I think)

    Spreadsheet file formats for:

      LOTUS 1-2-3 WKS/WK1 file format
      LOTUS 1-2-3 WK3 file format
      LOTUS 1-2-3 FRM file format
      LOTUS 1-2-3 PIC format
      LOTUS Symphony format
      Data Interchange Format (DIF)
      Super Data Interchange format (SDI)
      Standard Interface format (SIF)
      Symbolic Link Format (SYLK)
      Excel binary interchange format (BIFF)

9.1 Tab-delimited format

  Stores:  Values

  Each column is separated by ASCII tabs (9).  Each row is separated
  by local end-of-line, be it ASCII LF (10) or ASCII CRLF (13,10).

  e.g.,
    First<tab>Second<tab>3<tab>Fourth, and Second-Last<tab>Fifth

9.2 CSV (Comma-Separated Values) format

  Stores:  Values

  Each column is separated by commas.  Each row is separated by local
  end-of-line, be it ASCII LF (10) or ASCII CRLF (13,10).

  Usually, if a comma is needed, the entire field will be surrounded
  by quotation marks.  Some packages enclose any string value (and some
  numeric values) in quotation marks.  I don't know of any standard
  way to represent a quotation mark, but doubling ("a ""quote"" char")
  is likely.

  e.g.,
    First,Second,3,"Fourth, and Second-Last",Fifth
    "First","Second",3,"Fourth, and Second-Last","Fifth"

9.3 DIF (Data Interchange Format)

  Stores:  Values, Equations

  This file format requires more explanation than just a simple example.

  _File Formats..._ says:

    And special thanks to Lotus Development Corporation for the foresight
    and kindness to place the information about their file format in the
    public domain.

    [ is this WKS only or DIF only or both or what? ]

9.4 Lotus-based formats

    9.4.1 WKS format

      Stores:  Values, Equations, Simple formatting

      File format descriptions can be found via the following anonymous
      ftp sites

      SITE: ftp://oak.oakland.edu/pub/simtelnet/
        OR ftp://ftp.coast.net/SimTel/
      DIRECTORY: msdos/spredsht/
      FILE: wksffmt.zip  SIZE: 22,575  DATE: 900626
      DESCRIPTION:
        Description of Lotus .WKS & .WK1 file formats

      Lotus File Formats For 1-2-3, Symphony and Jazz
        by ...
        ISBN 0-201-16824-3
        Lotus Books
        Addison-Wesley
        Published 1987

    9.4.2 WK1 format

      Stores:  Values, Equations, Formatting, Named Regions [?]

      Also See WKS format

    9.4.3 WQ1 format

      Stores:  Values, Equations, Formatting, Named Regions [?]

      [is this the same as any Lotus format?]

9.5 SYLK format

  Stores:  Values, Equations, Formatting, Named Regions, Charts [?]

9.6 Excel formats

    9.6.1 Excel 1.0 format

    9.6.2 Excel 1.5 format

    9.6.3 Excel 3 format

    9.6.4 Excel 4 format

      Stores:  Values, Equations, Formatting, Named Regions, Charts, ...

      Try to find the Excel 4 SDK (out of print) from Microsoft.

    9.6.5 Excel 5/7 format

      Stores:  Values, Equations, Formatting, Named Regions, Charts, ...

      Buy the Excel 5 SDK from Microsoft -- your bookstore can order
      it from Microsoft Press (1-800-MS-PRESS).

        Microsoft Excel Developer's Kit:
        Version 5
        MS Press:
        ISBN 1-55615-632-4

      Rumor has it that, because they are OLE compound documents,
      there are NO libraries to create them, except those provided
      by Microsoft on the MS-Windows platform.


========================================================================

10. Obscure: Free spreadsheets, and source code

10.1 sc

  Spreadsheet Calculator

  SimTel: sc621.zip
  ftp://ftp.coast.net/SimTel/msdos/spreadsh/sc621.zip [?]

10.1.1 ss

  interface additions to sc 6.2.1
  by: Art Mulder  (email: art@cs.ualberta.ca)
  latest version: 1.3.2
  [ftp address?]

10.1.2 xspread

  xspread was based on sc.

  The program xspread is a public domain spreadsheet which runs under X
  Windows or ascii terminals.  Xspread uses the X Window system if available
  or curses and term[cap/info] for ascii displays.  A manual is included.

  They are available from the usual X ftp places, and locally at  
  ftp://ftp.cs.uwm.edu/pub/soft-eng/         129.89.9.18

  soft-eng@cs.uwm.edu

10.2 oleo

  GNU spreadsheet
  ftp.prep.ai.mit.edu
  [exact address?]

10.3 teapot

  Teapot (Table Editor And Planner, Or: Teapot!)
  http://cantor.informatik.rwth-aachen.de/~michael/projects/teapot-en.html

10.4 MicroCalc

  comes with Borland Pascal
  comes with Borland C [?]

10.5 Herb Schildt's sparse array code

  Herb Schildt's book C: The Complete Reference has a section on sparse
  arrays. His main example of where you'd use them is in a spreadsheet.

  [ISBN?]


========================================================================

11. Obscure: Commercial spreadsheets for UNIX

11.0 Section criteria

  I will happily include a pointer to any Internet resource (in
  Section 4) for any spreadsheet manufacturer.

  In this section, I will also put email addresses and a few
  telephone numbers (toll-free wherever you are, and
  internationally-accessible for the rest of the world) for ones
  which run natively on Unix.

11.1 WingZ

  wingz-sales@wingz.com

11.2 Xess

  info@ais.com, support@ais.com
  1-919-942-7801
  1-800-334-5510

11.3 NeXS

  nexs-info@xess.com
  1-919-387-0076


========================================================================

12. Obscure: Legal issues

12.1 Patents

  12.1.1 Natural Order Recalc

    see http://www.lpf.org/Patents/against-software-patents.html
    see http://www.lpf.org/Links/prep.ai.mit.edu/techrev.patent
    see http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~trent/gnu/bull/12/bull12.txt
    see http://www.hotwired.com/wired/2.07/features/patents.html

12.2 Interface Copyright

  12.2.1 Lotus vs. Borland and Paperback Software

    see http://www.lotus.com/corpcomm/27b2.htm
    see http://www.borland.com/ProgServ/US/legal/lawsuits.html
    see http://www.lpf.org/Copyright/look-and-feel.html


========================================================================

13. Miscellaneous


========================================================================

99. Credits

I expect most of the information in this FAQ to be supplied by people
other than myself -- it's just going to work better that way.  The
newsgroup readers have a LOT more spreadsheet experience than I ever
will (unless I multiply myself by a few thousand, which is not legal
with today's tax laws).


These people have contributed to the well-being of the FAQ:

  jwalk@cts.com (John Walkenbach)
  RussTiller@aol.com
  jolliffe@bbsrc.ac.uk (Lyn Jolliffe)
  negandhi@io.org (Neil Negandhi)
  cingram@gtri.gatech.edu (Chris Ingram)
  arthur@ais.com
  BaarnsDon@msn.com (Donald Baarns)
  nachum@netvision.net.il (Nachum Ginat)
  dtsmith@mindspring.com (Dale Smith)
  neuwirth@smc.univie.ac.at (Erich Neuwirth)
  hans@usit.net (Ed Hansberry)
  tkm@xess.com (Tom Miller)
  helberg@maddog.fammed.wisc.edu (Clay Helberg)
  booter@fea.com (Elaine Richards)
  76711.626@compuserve.com (Richard Warr)
  100322.1465@compuserve.com (Born Guenter)
  vlod@iisc.co.uk (vlod kalicun)
  steve@emer.com (Steve Wilson)
  fahmy@ulb.ac.be (FAHMY Thierry)
  steelera@pilot.msu.edu (Ray M. Steele)
  pjraval@ix.netcom.com (P. Raval)
  dsherman@iwaynet.net (David Sherman)
  Dave_Weintraub@jhuapl.edu (Dave Weintraub)
  michael@cantor.informatik.rwth-aachen.de (Michael Haardt)
  aroberts@usq.edu.au (Tony Roberts)
  eonsol@cix.compulink.co.uk (Jeff Hall)
  softbase@mercury.interpath.com (Scott McMahan - Softbase Systems)
  nlunger@epix.net (Norman Lunger)
  phillip@pm.cse.rmit.edu.au (Phillip Musumeci)
  bygwyg@aol.com
  the_mrs@geocities.com
  abarr@onramp.net (Allen F. Barr)

Thanks.

========================================================================

thus endeth the cas FAQ.
