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@node Main "Table des matières"
============================================================================
                                 ACalc 1.60

                 Copyright (C) 1993-2002 by Denis GOUNELLE
============================================================================

Summary : 

    @{" Introduction         " Link "Introduction"}
    @{" Legal informations   " Link "Diffusion"}
    @{" Installation         " Link "Installation"}
    @{" Running ACalc        " Link "Arguments"}
    @{" Standard usage       " Link "Usage"}
    @{" Using the keyboard   " Link "Keyboard"}
    @{" Using the AREXX port " Link "ARexx"}
    @{" Program history      " Link "History"}

@endnode
@node Introduction "Introduction"
ACalc is a calculator that may be used both in floating point mode (double
precision IEEE) and in based mode (decimal or hexadecimal). It may appear on
any screen, and can be installed as a commodity. 

Criticisms and suggestions will always be welcomed. Contact me at: 

                               Denis GOUNELLE
                            27, rue Jules GUESDE
                          45400 FLEURY-LES-AUBRAIS
                                   FRANCE

                         denis.gounelle@wanadoo.fr

             http://perso.wanadoo.fr/denis.gounelle/index.html

@endnode
@node Diffusion "Legal informations"
ACalc is a "freeware" software. 

Any commercial usage or selling without author's written authorization is
strictly forbidden. You can copy and spread this program under the following
conditions: 

    1. All the files must be provided 
    2. No file must be modified 
    3. You can't charge more than $6 for the copy 

In spite of several tests, no warranty is made that there are no errors in
ACalc. YOU USE THIS PROGRAM AT YOUR OWN RISK. In no event will I be liable
for any damage, direct or indirect, resulting of the use of ACalc. 

Thanks to Stéphane "SADA" Anquetil for the icon. 

@endnode
@node Installation "Installation"
Use the Installer script included in the archive. 

You will probably want to install ACalc as a commodity, so copy it in the
"SYS:WBStartup" directory. 

If you want to use the Euro convertor, you have to set the "EURO"
environment variable to the change rate between your locale currency and
Euro. As an example, the rate is "6.55957" for French Franc. 

@endnode
@node Arguments "Running ACalc"
ACalc detach itself from the Shell. The list of possible arguments is shown
below. For each argument, the first line shows the Shell syntax, while the
second one shows the Tool Types syntax. 

CX_PRIORITY/K n 
CX_PRIORITY=n 
    Set the commodity priority 

CX_HOTKEY/K key 
CX_HOTKEY=key 
    Set the commodity hotkey. Default key is "ctrl esc". 

CX_POPUP/S 
CX_POPUP 
    Opens the window at startup time. 

NOCOMM/S 
NOCOMM 
    Prevent ACalc to install itself as a commodity. The program will
    terminate as soon as you click on the close gadget. 

SAVEVAR/S 
SAVEVAR 
    Ask ACalc to save expression results in an environnement variable,
    instead of the clipboard. The variable name is "ACalcResult". 

REXXPORT/K name 
REXXPORT=name 
    Name of the AREXX port. Default name is "ACalc." 

PUBSCREEN/K name 
PUBSCREEN=name 
    Name of the public screen to use. By default, ACalc use the front-most
    screen. 

LOCALECUR/K name 
LOCALESUR=name 
    Name or symbol of your locale currency, for the Euro conversion. Only
    the 3 first characters are used. Default value is "FRF". 

Mx/K value 
Mx=value 
    (x = 0 to 7). Set the initial value of the specified memory. By default,
    all memories are set to zero at program startup. 

@endnode
@node Usage "Standard usage"
When called, ACalc opens a window on the frontmost screen. This window has a
display area, and a 36 keys keyboard. Most of these keys are
self-explanatory, so this section only describe some of them. 

Mode key (FLT,DEC,HEX) 
    ACalc has three working modes: floating point mode (FLT), based decimal
    mode (DEC) and based hexadecimal mode (HEX). In the two based modes,
    ACalc use 32 bits unsigned integers. Depending on the current mode, some
    keys may be disabled. 

EUR 
    In FLT mode, activates the conversion from your locale currency to the
    Euro currency. The change rate is read in the "EURO" environment
    variable. 

FRF 
    In FLT mode, activates the conversion from Euro to your locale currency.
    The change rate is read in the "EURO" environment variable. 
    The default text for this key is "FRF", but this can be changed with the
    LOCALECUR argument (see @{" Running ACalc " Link "Arguments"}). 

d 
    In HEX mode, allow to specify that the immediatly following number is a
    decimal number. 

h 
    In DEC mode, allow to specify that the immediatly following number is a
    hexdecimal number. 

STO 
    This key allow to store the currently displayed result in one of the 10
    available memories. After having selected this key, click on one of the
    digits (0 - 9) to select the memory number. 

    By default, all memories are set to zero when the program start. It is
    however possible to set the initial value of memories M0 to M7 (see
    @{" Running ACalc " Link "Arguments"}). If ACalc is installed as a commodity, memory contents
    is preserved between two invocations of the program. 

    Note that M8 and M9 memories respectively store the EURO change rate and
    the last computed result. 

RCL 
    Recall the content of a memory. After having selected this key, click on
    one of the digits (0 - 9) to select the memory number. 

    Note that M8 and M9 memories respectively store the EURO change rate and
    the last computed result. 

BS 
    Delete the last character of the displayed expression or result. 

= 
    Start the evaluation of the current expression, and displays either the
    result or an error message. The result may be immediatly used: if you
    click on an operator (e.g. "+") ACalc will suppose that the result is
    the first operand. Otherwise, the result will be deleted because ACalc
    will suppose you want to compute a new expression. 

Each time an expression is evaluated, it's result is automatically saved in
the clipboard. This allow you to use this result in any program that also
use the clipboard. 

If you want to have the result saved in an environnement variable, rather
than the clipboard, you must call ACalc with the "SAVEVAR" argument (see
@{" Running ACalc " Link "Arguments"}). 

ACalc keep in memory the 64 last computed expressions. You can walk through
this list using the mouse's right button : a normal click will go up one
expression, a click with a SHIFT key down will go down one expression. 

@endnode
@node Keyboard "Using the keyboard"
You can use ACalc not only with your mouse, but also with your keyboard. If
you want to use the keyboard, you can either click on the display area and
edit the expression as in any string gadget, or just press the key of your
keyboard corresponding to the window's key label. In this case, you may also
close ACalc window by pressing the "ESC" key. 

Some operators are to be entered and displayed in a different manner (not as
the key label): for example, the "NOT" operator is displayed as '~' (tilde).
If you use ACalc with the keyboard, you must press the '~' key, and not the
'N', 'O' and 'T' keys. Here is how you must enter the other operators: 

    mode				TAB key
    NOT					~
    AND					&
    OR					|
    SHL					<
    SHR					>
    RCL					M (followed by a memory number)
    BS					BACKSPACE key
    convert to Euros			d (FLT mode)
    convert to locale currency		h (FLT mode)

The STO and CLR keys cannot be selected with the keybord. 

@endnode
@node ARexx "Using the AREXX port"
ACalc now has an AREXX port, which name can be specified by the REXXPORT
argument (see @{" Running ACalc " Link "Arguments"}). 

Any string sent to this port will be taken in account as if each character
of the string has been entered with the keyboard. This means that the string
must be terminated by a "=" in order to compute the result of the
expression. The result is then available in the standard RESULT variable.
Here is a sample script : 

    /* AREXX */

    OPTIONS RESULTS
    ADDRESS "ACalc"
    "35/7.2635="
    valeur = RESULT
    SAY valeur

As AREXX features a builtin expression evaluator, the most useful usage of
ACalc AREXX port is the Euro conversion: 

    /* AREXX */

    OPTIONS RESULTS
    PARSE UPPER ARG montant
    ADDRESS "ACalc"
    /* convert local currency into Euros */
    montant || "d"
    valeur = RESULT
    SAY "Amount in Euros:" valeur
    /* convert Euros into local currency */
    montant || "h"
    valeur = RESULT
    SAY montant "Euros make" valeur

@endnode
@node History "Program history"
v1.00, 15-Avr-93, 19904 bytes 
  o First released version. 

v1.01, 26-May-93, 20140 bytes 
  o Bug fixed: display wasn't good if the screen font was proportionnal 

v1.02, 29-May-93, 20148 bytes 
  o Supports the "Show" command of the "Exchange" program 

v1.10, 07-Jun-93, 21012 bytes 
  o Tries to open the window under the mouse pointer 
  o Better support of fonts: use the default text font for the window, and
    the screen font for string gadget and window's title. 
  o If ACalc is installed as a commodity, running it twice make it appeared
    instead of terminate. 

v1.20, 29-Jun-93, 20924 bytes 
  o Modified gadget handling, in order that enabling/disabling them when
    changing working mode is faster (was terribly slow on an A500/A2000) 

v1.21, 12-Sep-93, 20864 bytes 
  o Uses new version of the GetDefaultTextFont() function 

v1.30, 29-Oct-93, 21012 bytes 
  o Read and execute messages from the "Exchange" program even when the
    window is opened 
  o If you try to wakeup the program twice, the window will come in front of
    all windows 
  o The window now correctly opens under the mouse pointer, even if the
    screen is bigger than the display size (take mouse position in the
    Screen structure, instead of the IntuitionBase structure) 

v1.31, 30-Dec-93, 20148 bytes 
  o Added CX_POPUP argument 
  o Compiled with SAS/C 6.50 

v1.40, 02-Sep-01, 21680 bytes 
  o Added Euro convertion 
  o Compiled with SAS/C 6.58 

v1.50, 11-Nov-01, 23304 bytes 
  o Added rounding to Euro conversion 
  o Added the AREXX port 
  o Added the PUBSCREEN argument 
  o Added an Installer script 

v1.60, 11-May-02, 23632 bytes 
  o The M8 memory now stores the EURO change rate 
  o The M9 memory now stores the last computed result 
  o The initial value of memories M0 to M7 can now be set at program startup
  o Added navigation through the list of the 64 last computed expression
    with the mouse's right button 
  o Documentation now in AmigaGuide format 


@endnode