Numbers are entered and stored in a Quattro database as a series of numerals, for example, 295842.42949 and -0.45611. They can have up to 15
significant digits (including both integers and decimal places), and do not include commas, dollar signs, or percent signs.
When you enter a number in a cell, it is automatically formatted according to the default display format setting. Initially, this setting is General, which displays numbers more or less like you enter them. You can change this to any of 10 other display formats.
Quattro displays commas, dollar signs, percent signs, or other characters according to the display format you choose. It also lets you change the way dates and time are displayed.
Display format does not affect the way numbers are stored in Quattro, only the way they are displayed. For example, many formats limit the number of decimal places displayed. This does not diminish the accuracy of Quattro calculations, however, which still rely on the original number (up to 15 significant digits). This original number is also what is displayed on the input line or descriptor line when a cell is selected.
When you enter a number into the spreadsheet, it is displayed in the format specified with the Default Formats Display menu (initially "General"). (See page 136). You can overwrite this default by assigning a different format to a block of cells.
To change the format of numbers or dates in a block:
1. Press IBD to select Display Format from the Block menu. The Display Format menu is displayed (see Figure 4.7).
2. Select the format in which you want numbers or dates in this block displayed.
a. If the format you choose allows a variable number of decimal places, Quattro prompts you for the number of decimal places you want displayed. Press Enter to use the default precision setting (2), or enter another number (0-15). Remember that whatever you specify, Quattro will still use up to 15 significant digits in calculations.
b. If you select the Date or Time format, you must select a specific Date or Time format from the displayed menu.
3. When you've specified all the format details, Quattro prompts you for the block to be modified. Press Enter to change the format of the current cell only, or specify a different block.
Quattro immediately adjusts the display of numbers or dates within the specified block. Label entries in the block are affected only if you specified
76 Quottro User's Guide
Hidden format. Any numbers you now enter in the block will appear in the chosen format.
If the format you choose makes a number too long to be displayed in the current column, a string of asterisks appears in the cell. You can redisplay the number by widening the column (see page 103).
When you select a cell that has been formatted with the Block Display Format command, the format is indicated in parentheses on the descriptor line. The first letter of the format name appears next to the number of decimal places specified. For example, (C2) indicates the Currency format with two decimal places.
Caution: Although it is tempting to pre-format large areas of the spreadsheet in the format you intend to use, doing so consumes quite a bit of memory space. It is much more efficient to format only the cells you are currently using. Or better yet, change the default display format to the format you use the most (see page 136).
Display Format Fixed
Scientific Currency
J [Financial]
General +/-Percent Date
Text [Show Formulas]
Hidden Reset
Figure 4.7: The Display Format Menu
Table 4.2 describes each of the format choices listed on the Display Format menu.
Table 4.2: Examples of Display Formats
Format Description Examples
Fixed Displays no more than the specified 46 number of decimal places. Leading 0.56
zeroes appear. -34.00
Scientific Uses scientific notation. Allows only 2.35E+2 one digit in the integer portion of the 476E+9 number.
Currency Displays numbers as currency, in $3,467.00 the format specified with the £35 Default International command ($56.24) (see page 132).
Comma Separates thousands with commas, 15,120.25 (Financial) and shows negative numbers in (2,456)
parentheses.
General Displays numbers basically as 456.9452 entered (deleting trailing or leading -365 zeroes). If too long to fit current cell, 0.41 they are rounded (if fractional) or 1955E+6 translated into scientific notation.
Trailing zeroes are suppressed; (4.3000) leading zeroes are displayed. (0.124) +/- Transforms values into a bar graph,
with + for each positive integer, +++++
- for each negative integer, and. for zero.
Percent Displays numbers as percentages. 13.40%
-56.44%
Date Displays numbers as dates or time in the format you choose:
DD-MMM-YY 09-Apr-87
DD-MMM 09-Apr
MMM-YY Apr-87
Long Intn'l (see page 47) 04/09/87 87-09-94 04.09.87
78 Quattro User's Guide
Table 4.2: Examples of Display Formats, Continued
Short Intn'l (see page 47)
HH:MM:SS AM/PM HH:MMAM/PM
Long Intn'l (see page 134)
Short Intn'l (see page 134)
Displays formulas instead of their results. Numbers entered in the block are displayed in General format.
Suppresses display of both value and label entries. Entries will still appear on descriptor line when the cell is selected.
Returns the display format for this block to the default format (specified with the Default Format Display command). Redisplays entries hidden
To display a value as a time, you must first select Date, then Time, then the time format you want.
Dates can be entered directly in date format when preceded by the date prefix (etr/-D). If you enter dates using the @DATE, @DATEVALVE, or
@NOW function (described in the Quattro Reference Guide), you must reformat the cell(s) to a Date format. Otherwise, the results will be displayed as a date serial number.
If you've hidden the contents of cells with the Hidden format, you may want to use the protection commands to prev~nt the cells' entries from being accidentally overwritten (see page 93).
Numbers are rounded off to the specified decimal place in the case of Fixed, Scientific, Currency, Comma, Percent, and +/- formats. General format rounds off fractional numbers as necessary to fit in the cell. The original numbers (as entered) are still displayed on the descriptor line when selected, and it is these numbers that Quattro uses in all calculations.
The format you assign to a cell stays with the cell, even if you delete its contents. If you move the contents, however, the format moves with the data and is removed from the original cell. If you copy a formatted cell, the copy takes on the format of the original cell.
To return to the Block menu without changing the format of a block, select Quit.
To change the display format setting for the entire spreadsheet, use the Default Formats Display command (see page 136).