Topic: Reporting

Online Help

Input forms


If you have long and complicated problem or you want to share your solution with others, it is a good idea to create an input form. It is very easy to do that with Calcpad. Just replace the values that need to be entered with question marks "?", e.g. "a = ?". Please note that after that, you will not be able to calculate the results directly by clicking Play. You must compile it first to an input form, using the Form button.

The code will hide and the form will be loaded into the "Input" box at the full width of the main window. All texts and formulas will be rendered in Html format, protected from modification. Input boxes will be generated at every occurrence of the "?" symbol except those in comments. The ready-to-use input form will look as follows:

Sample3

Now you have to fill the input boxes and click Play to calculate the results. They are displayed in the "Output" box.

Sample4

In order to return to input mode, click again Play to switch the button off. Input data will remain unchanged since the last input. If you need to modify the source code, you have to unlock it by clicking the Form button. The "Code" box will show again at the left side of the main window. Input data will be attached to the question marks. If you hover the mouse over one of them, you will see the respective value. Click on the question mark to change it. When you finish editing the code, you can compile it back to input form. The input values will be filled in the respective fields. Finally, you can save the document as a "*.cpd" file. When you open such file, it will be displayed directly into input form mode. This format is more convenient to use than a simple text file due to the following advantages:

  • The user can see clearly which parameters should be entered. You can also provide pictures and additional explanations. This is more comprehensible for the user, especially if the program is developed by someone else;
  • The rest of the source code is protected from modification, unless you unlock it on purpose. This prevents an inexperienced user to accidentally damage the calculation formulas.

If you save the document as a "*.cpdz" file, you will make the source code completely inaccessible. It will not be possible to unlock it inside Calcpad anymore. Also, no one could edit the file in external text editor, because it is encoded. That is how you can protect your source code from unauthorised coping, viewing and modification.

You can put question marks "?" not only in variable definitions, but at any place in the code e.g.:

2 + ?

2 +

Then, you can enter a value and calculate the result. This approach is not recommended for complicated problems, because the program logic gets unclear and difficult to understand.


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