CatsBack User Guide

Startup and appearance

When you start CatsBack for the first time, default application settings apply. Making changes to the window location, window size and visibility of content will be saved as your preferences and used when you start CatsBack again.

To get started initially, you may want to see some examples. Using the menu, select "Help", "Online examples for download". After downloading a file, use "File", "Import/Export", "Import formulae" to see what you have downloaded. For multiple sets of formulae you may want to switch to another database using "File", "Database".

If you don't want the formula list to appear on the right, simply use the menu, select "View", "Show formula list". This operation can be repeated to toggle the visibility of the formula list.

Hotkeys

Entering a formula or calculation

Simply type the numbers, brackets and operations into the formula text area. If you want a number to be more descriptive it can be augmented using an underscore, e.g. 1.455_meters will be evaluated as 1.455.

Adding a cross-reference

While editing your formula, make sure the cursor is at the correct place for inserting the reference. Using the menu, select "Edit", "Insert cross reference" and then select a formula from the list. The syntax of a cross-reference is "{Formula name}" and this may be typed in directly if you prefer.

Using a mathematical function

Make sure the cursor is at the correct place for inserting the function. Using the menu, select "Edit", "Insert function" and then select a function from the list. The syntax of a function is "FUNCTION()" and this may be typed in directly if you prefer. If you had selected a part of your formula prior to inserting a function, the selected text will be placed inside the () braces of the function.

Adding date and times

To perform a date/time calculation, use the date/time brackets, «», and insert any valid date or time between the brackets. The easiest way to do this is to press Ctrl-Alt-D, the hotkey that makes «» appear. Valid entries are «NOW», «TODAY», «12 Jan 2001», «01 01 2000 00:00», «15:30», «28» (where the last example is in fact interpreted as 28 days). Additions and subtractions can be done and the result can be formatted as Date/Time or as one of the time-span formats. If you had selected a part of your formula prior to using the Ctrl-Alt-D hotkey, the selected text will be placed inside the «» braces.

Adding constants to your database

To add a constant to the database, use the menu, select "Options", "Add/modify constant". A dialog will appear where you can specify the constant identifier, value and unit.

Adding a constant to a formula

Make sure the cursor is at the correct place for inserting the constant. Using the menu, select "Edit", "Insert constant" and then select the constant from the list. The syntax of a constant is "[CONSTANT_ID]" and this may be typed in directly if you prefer.

Changing the format of the result

The default result format of "Numeric" does not suit calculations for date, time, currency etc. To change the format of the current selected formula simply select the desired format from the "Format" menu. If a secondary format is desired, select the desired format from the "Format" / "Extra format" menu.

Using multiple windows

For advanced problems, you may need multiple calculation windows open. Using the menu, select "Window", "New". Then select the formula using the mouse or using the Ctrl-Up or Ctrl-Down hotkeys. Making a change to a formula will automatically update the formulae and cross-references of other windows.
You may change various aspects of the new window (window size, window location, visibility of content), but keep in mind that changes to secondary windows are not saved as user preferences.

Advanced functions

Most functions are mathematical and expect a single numeric parameter, e.g. SIN(0.44).
Some new functions need more explanation and here they are:

• MIN() and MAX()
  Use these with 2 or more parameters to return the minimum or maximum value.
  E.g. MAX(1, 4, 12, 3) will give 12.
• IF()
  This uses 3 parameters. The first parameter evaluates to true or false (non-zero or zero). If true, the function returns the 2nd parameter. If false, the function returns the 3rd parameter.
  E.g. IF(2>5, 10, 20) will give 20 because 2 is not greater than 5.
• CHOOSE()
  Expects three or more parameters (must be an uneven number of parameters). The function performs a lookup using the first parameter as the key. The key value is compared to the 2nd, 4th, 6th (etc.) parameter and when a match is found the corresponding 3rd, 5th, 7th (etc.) parameter is returned.
  E.g. CHOOSE(4, 1, 89, 2, 99, 3, 105, 4, 203, 5, 311) will return 203 because the key of 4 matches the 8th parameter value.

Known problems