CALC 1 Focused Calculator Customization Tutorial
Today is a tutorial on how to customize a calculator with
CalcFxc’s CALC 1 iOS app. In case you
are new to the CALC 1 app, here is the product page:
For today’s tutorial, I am going to copy one of the
financial calculators and modifying a few keys using fairly simple techniques. My focus will be on focused calculators. Formula calculators can be created and
modified in a similar way, while form calculators cannot be modified.
Steps:
1. Bring up the list
of calculators. On the iPod Touch/iPhone
version, touch the Back button.
2. Select Focused
Calculators.
3. We will create a
copy of the new one. In my example, I am
going to copy the Financial: TVM IYR
calculator. To do this, touch
Edit. This will bring a plus sign ( + )
on top left hand corner, with each focused calculator now accompanied with a
red circle containing a minus sign ( - ).
Press the Plus sign. This creates
a copy of the top most listed focused calculator.
4. On the copy,
select the blue circle with the i (i).
5. To edit the
calculator, touch Edit on the top right hand corner of the screen.
In this tutorial, I am going to change the percentage total
(%T) key, and insert the exponential (e^x) function instead. To see the contents of any key, just touch
it. The Key Editor appears.
The Key Editor is divided into two sections: Labels and Hints, and Formulas. The example above is the square root (√) key in Key
Editor mode.
Labels and Hints:
Label: What is
displayed on the key
Hint: What is
displayed when you press and hold on the key to bring up the help text
Insert: What to
insert when the calculator is on Algebraic mode. It may be left blank if you want an immediate
calculation.
Undo: You can turn
the ability to undo the key’s actions on or off. The default is on.
Formulas:
Here is where you type the formulas that affect the
stack. In RPN, there are four stack
levels: x, y, z, and t. On your typical calculator, the display is the x
stack. This is where you affect your
output.
For instance, if your key want to calculate a function affecting
the number on the x stack, you would insert the formula in the form of f(rgx())
on the x formula.
So:
x Formula: output on
the x-stack (display)
y Formula: output on
the y-stack
z Formula: output on
the z-stack
t Formula: output on
the t-stack
To access the stack elements, use the functions rgx(),
rgy(), rgz(), and rgt() for the x, y, z, and t stacks, respectively. While editing your formula, you can press the
f() key to bring up the available functions for the key editor.
Also notice five other symbols on the bottom of the Key
Editor screen. They are:
Arrow pointing from paper to clipboard: Copy the key’s contents
Arrow pointing from clipboard to paper: Paste the key’s contents
Undo arrow: Undo
Trash can: Clear the
key’s contents
? in a circle: Help
6. Going back to our
example, we are going to change the percent total (%T) to the exponential key. I only want to change the x-stack, hence I
will leave the y, z, and t formulas blank.
Here is how I edited to the key.
Label: e^x
Hint: exponential
function
Insert: exp(
Undo: Provide undo
support.
x Formula:
exp(rgx())
y Formula: leave
blank
z Formula: leave
blank
t Formula: leave
blank
Changes are automatically saved. You can exit editing mode and test the keys
at any time. This will take practice,
testing, and maybe trial and error.
Two Additional Examples
Change to percent key (%) to the natural logarithm key
(ln). Here is my set up, it is going to
be the similar to the setup for the exponential key.
Label: ln
Hint: natural
logarithm
Insert: ln(
Undo: Provide undo
support.
x Formula: ln(rgx())
y Formula: leave
blank
z Formula: leave
blank
t Formula: leave
blank
Change the square root key (√) to a power (exponent)
key. For this key, we are going to use
two arguments (y^x). This will require
the use of both of the y-stack and x-stack.
To make the new key work in RPN mode like most RPN calculators (such as the
HP-15C, HP-41, etc), I will copy the contents of the t-stack to the z-stack,
while copying the z-stack to the y-stack.
Label: power
Hint: y^x
Insert: ^
Undo: Provide undo
support.
x Formula:
rgy()^rgx()
y Formula: rgz()
z Formula: rgt()
t Formula: rgt()
These are just some of the basics of modifying a focused calculator
for the CALC 1 iOS app.
Until next time,
Eddie
This blog is property of Edward Shore, 2016.
