Controlling Quattro Pro s Behavior

Controlling Quattro Pro's Behavior

In addition to controlling menus, toolbars, and workspaces, you can control other facets of Quattro Pro's behavior using the options available when you click the plus sign (+) beside Application in the Options dialog box (see Figure 16.6). Open the Tools menu and click Settings to display the Application choices in the Options dialog box. Table 16.1 lists the categories of options available and describes the types of choices you can make to control Quattro Pro's behavior.

Figure 16.6. You can control Quattro Pro's behavior using the options available under Application in the Options dialog box.

Table 16.1. The Kinds of Application Behavior You Can Control

Category	What You Can Control
General	Options that don't fit into any of the other categories
Display	Options that appear onscreen, such as the Input Line
Theme	Color scheme in all WordPerfect Office applications
International	Options that control the appearance of currency, punctuation, date and time formats, and language
Macro	Options about macros, including the name of the start-up macro
File Options	The locations for data files and backup options
Compatibility	Default file types opened and saved, and the size of notebooks

Let's look at a just a few examples of the types of behavior you can control.

Controlling Mathematical Formula Entry

Suppose that you're working on a spreadsheet and you need to enter a lot of dates. You want to use the slash as a date separator so that, when you type 12/4, Quattro Pro displays 12/04 in the cell.

By default, however, Quattro Pro uses the slash to divide values you type. So, if you type 12/4, Quattro Pro displays 3, the results of the division.

Use caution when working with dates. 12/04 usually means a date format in the form of MM/DD (Month/Day) for the current year, depending on your settings for dates in both Windows and Quattro Pro. For this example, if you look at the Input Line, you'll see the number 38690, assuming the current year is 2005. Quattro Pro assigned 1 to January 1, 1900 and sequentially numbered all successive days. A more detailed discussion of dates and settings is beyond the scope of this text.

You can change this behavior. If you place a check in the Mathematical Formula Entry box under General settings (refer to Figure 16.6), Quattro Pro will assume that you mean to divide when you enter 12/4, and Quattro Pro will display the result of 3 instead of a date. If you remove the check, Quattro Pro will assume you want to see a date and display 12/04.

Setting Folder Locations

You know where you want to store all of your Quattro Pro data files and you don't want to have to navigate to the folder every time you save a new notebook. You can set a default folder for your Quattro Pro data files.

Open the Tools menu and click Settings to display the Application choices in the Options dialog box. Then, click File Options (see Figure 16.7).

Figure 16.7. You can control where Quattro Pro stores your notebooks.

Click the icon beside the Default Folder box to browse for a location where you can store your Quattro Pro notebooks. Quattro Pro displays the Select Folder window (see Figure 16.8). Use the Look In list to navigate to the folder where you want to save your Quattro Pro notebooks. After you highlight the folder, click Select. Quattro Pro saves your choice and redisplays the Options dialog box.

Figure 16.8. Select a folder in which to store Quattro Pro notebooks.

Tip

If you want to create a new folder, navigate to the folder in which you want to place the new foldersuch as My Documentsopen the File menu in the Select Folder dialog box, and click New Folder.

The Absolute Minimum

In addition to controlling menus and toolbars, you can control other facets of Quattro Pro. In this chapter, you learned:

• That workspaces enable you to use different sets of toolbars and menus with simply a few mouse clicks.

• To switch between predefined workspaces using the Workspace Manager on the Tools menu.

• To create a new workspace using the Workspace Manager on the Tools menu.

• To control other facets of Quattro Pro's behavior, such as the location where Quattro Pro stores your notebook files, using the options under Application in the Options dialog box.