Editing - Old dog new tricks?

[GuyB]

I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm finding it difficult to do basic editing in Prime. Changing the navigation keys has really affected my productivity on a sheet. I just spent ~45 min transcribing a sheet that I'm sure would have taken me 15 min or less to recreate in ver11.

On the other hand, I don't know to what level I can or should complain. If backward compatibility were a goal then this would be an obvious failure ... but I don't think that's the intent.

I think Prime is _meant_ to be a departure from the previous interface, and I support that. But I question my ability to judge its effectiveness - years of hard-wiring my keystrokes to execute Mathcad tasks will be hard to undo no matter how intuitive it may seem to a new user.

In English there is a saying about how impossible it is to teach an old dog new tricks. I'm feeling a little gray around the muzzle,

- Guy

[IRstuff]

Well, I think they made it worse. Stuff that was easily accomplished via the keyboard must now go through the menu. Case in point, to format a result as a percentage now requires using a menu selection, whereas before, a % in the units placeholder would have done the job.

TTFN,
Eden

[StuartBruff]

On 8/17/2009 11:31:02 PM, eden_mei wrote:
== Well, I think they made it worse. Stuff that was
easily accomplished via the keyboard must now go
through the menu. Case in point, to format a result
as a percentage now requires using a menu
selection, whereas before, a % in the units
placeholder would have done the job.

I'm not sure that's it's supposed to work like
that. I've got a few problems with keys that I
think should work but don't. I can't get the
double quote key to let me enter a string, either.
I don't have a problem entering " or % (QED) on
other apps.

Stuart

[TomGutman]

What happens when you type in a "? I get an empty string (opening and closing quotes) into which I can type a string.

The % is no longer a unit or a character, but is now a postfix operator that requires an operand. Phooey.
__________________
� � � � Tom Gutman

[StuartBruff]

On 8/18/2009 5:26:13 AM, Tom_Gutman wrote:
== What happens when you type in a "?

Nothing.

== I get an empty string (opening and closing quotes) into which I can type a string.

I don't get that.

What OS are you running?

Stuart

[TomGutman]

I'm running Windows XP SP2.

Does the ' character (function derivative) work for you?

What are your keyboard and language settings? I use a US keyboard with the US settings. Other countries may have different keyboard layouts and that can affect the coding. Where is the " on your keyboars? Is it the shifted '?

Ah, here we go. Good thing I still have my DOS manual. It shows a UK keyboard with a quite different layout. If you have one of those you should have an @ above the ', and that may be your enter string code. Depends on whether MC' analyzes the key scan codes as sent by the keyboard or the characters to which they are translated by the language drivers.
__________________
� � � � Tom Gutman

[StuartBruff]

On 8/18/2009 6:14:38 AM, Tom_Gutman wrote:
== I'm running Windows XP SP2.

Same here.

== Does the ' character (function derivative) work for you?

Yes.

== What are your keyboard and language settings?

UK.

== I use a US keyboard with the US settings. Other countries may have different keyboard layouts and that can affect the coding. Where is the " on your keyboars? Is it the shifted '?
== Ah, here we go. Good thing I still have my DOS manual. It shows a UK keyboard with a quite different layout. If you have one of those you should have an @ above the ', and that may be your enter string code. Depends on whether MC' analyzes the key scan codes as sent by the keyboard or the characters to which they are translated by the language drivers.

Yes, I've got @ above ', and " above 2. I'll give your suggestion a try when I get back to my Spirit PC. Thanks.

Stuart

[StuartBruff]

On 8/18/2009 7:22:30 AM, stuartafbruff wrote:
== Yes, I've got @ above ', and " above 2. I'll
give your suggestion a try when I get back to my
Spirit PC.

Sadly, I get the @ and not double quote. Which is
interesting as that should give a plot in a blank
part of the worksheet ... which is what shift-2
gives.

I've tried several other key combinations, but
haven't found the right combination yet.

Stuart

[Fred_Kohlhepp]

Interesting. WHen I typed a double quote, it inserted a string in italics. . .

Fred Kohlhepp
fkohlhepp@sikorsky.com

[Fred_Kohlhepp]

How many of you can remember the last major shift in editing? Remember version 6(?) with the blue box around the character instead of the vertical flashing cursor? This is the same kind of change; I'm not saying better or worse, just different and frustrating.

Fred Kohlhepp
fkohlhepp@sikorsky.com

[SteenGroðe]

I find it very problematic that the intelligent shift from math to text is missing. I honestly believe this alone to be sufficient to kill off Prime.

Steen Gro�e

[mthackst]

I would agree that the new editing procedures for math are different but not better than those in 14. They are different enough to make it take longer to enter an expression. One aspect that bothers me is that the cursor direction can no longer be as easily reversed.

I also agree that the older way of being able to just start typing text was easier. I don't know why previous advances would be taken away.


Mike