Manual for the Metric Conversion Calculator
(version 1.1)

1- Description
2- Summary of features
3- Registration
4- History

1- DESCRIPTION

You hold in your virtual hands (on the computer screen) version 1.1 of the
Metric Conversion Calculator (MCC).  This program allows simple calculator
functions, and conversion between the numbers on the display and a 
wide variety of units in the metric and non-metric (imperial?) systems
of measurements.

To run MCC 1.1 you will need:
- Windows 3.1
- the file vb40016.dll in your Windows\System directory
(NOT included with this package, but it is available from the better 
download sites or from Microsoft free of charge)
- a video display (no minimum requirement)
- 1 MB of free memory
(the program itself takes 40K, but vb40016.dll may require more elbowroom
than that.)
- a compatible input device like a mouse or touchpad.

To run the program, do the following steps:
- ensure you have all the above requirements met in your system
- place the executable (calc1_1.exe) in a directory on your hard drive, or
run the program from a floppy diskette.
- From the File Manager, double click on the calc1_1.exe filename.
- OR From the Program Manager, click on the File menu and select the 
Run option, then enter the drive and directory path name and the executable
name, example:  C:\windows\utils\calc1_1.exe
- OR Create a new program item in a group in the Program Manager and double 
click on the new icon (see the Windows manual for instructions on how to do so)



2- SUMMARY OF FEATURES

MCC 1.1 allows basic mathematical operations to be done, letting it work as a
simple calculator. To enter numbers into the display box at the top of the 
main screen, there are two options: type the numbers with the keyboard, or
click on the appropriate buttons on the display.  Valid keyboard input
includes the digits 0-9 and the decimal point, while the screen also includes
buttons to switch the value between negative and positive values.

Once the number has been entered in the display box, you can perform simple
mathematical operations on it.  MCC provides buttons for addition, subtraction,
multiplication, and division, all of which are accessible both from the 
keyboard (strangely enough, using the "+", "-", "*", and "/" keys) and from
buttons on the screen.  There is also an Inverse function, available only
on the screen with the button labeled "1/X".

In the lower right-hand corner of the main screen, there are other simple 
options that are only accessible by clicking on the buttons on the screen 
(or alternately using the TAB key to cycle to them and pressing ENTER). These
options include the following items:
- Clear, resets the display and the pending operations to the neutral initial
state, ie the display reverts to blank.  Use the button labeled "C"
- Clear Entry, erases the current value in the display but keeps pending 
operations, with the button labeled "CE".  For example, enter 6 + 5 and then
hit the Clear Entry button.  The display reverts to blank. Then enter 1
and hit "=".  The display now shows 7 (that is 6 + 1)
- Memory Set, which stores the current display in memory for later retrieval.
This button is marked "Ms"
- Memory Clear, which erases the value in memory. This button is labeled "Mc"
- Memory Return, which re-displays the value that has been stored in the
hidden memory, just by pressing the button labeled "Mr"
- Memory Add, which adds the value in the current display to the memory value,
without changing the display value.  Use the button "M+" for this.

The above features provide basic, simple calculator functionality. But the 
while point of this system is to provide the capability to see how much this
would be in another measurement unit and system.  To do this, you must 
identify the units you are working with.  Click on the button marked "Set
Units" to call up a dialogue box with lots and lots of units from which to
select.  The default unit every time you run the system is <None>, which
obviously has nothing into which you might convert it.  But in the Units
dialogue box, you get to select among temperature, volume, area, distance and
weight divisions, with metric units listed on the left of each division and
on the right are the non-metric or imperial or US measures.  Select one
unit from the entire set of options and click OK, or Cancel to leave without
changing the current selection.  Whatever unit is selected will appear beside
the display box on the main calculator screen, and the Show button will have
its label and accessibility updated accordingly.

If there are no units selected (ie "<None>"), the Show button will be disabled.
Otherwise, the button will be able to be clicked, and will pop up a screen
with the value and currently selected units displayed in bold at the top of
the screen, and the converted units in plain font beneath it.  There may
be as few as one line (eg Celsius to Fahrenheit) or up to 6 lines in 
calculating non-metric distance measures.  The raw numbers are displayed
in this Conversions box, just as they are calculated, meaning they may have
many decimal places, or they may have automatically switched to scientific
notation if the number is too large or too small.  There is a button labeled
"Cleanup" at the bottom of the dialogue box, which formats the values in the
display into a more visually pleasing format.  Currently this means that
commas are inserted between every 3 digits, and the decimal part is rounded
to at most 3 places.  If demand is strong enough, I will give the person
using MCC 1.1 more control over the number of decimal places to include
and other formatting things.



3- REGISTRATION

Metric Conversion Calculator is written as shareware.  That means I encourage
you to pass it on to all your friends and use it for free for a limited trial
period of 1 month.  After that time, I request that you either stop using
it or delete it from your system, OR PREFERABLY send me the registration
fee.  It is a reasonable $10 for version 1.1, and will encourage me to keep
creating new software and to listen to your bug reports and suggestions for
improvement.  It also means I will let you register any other of my program
creations for HALF the requested registration fee, as a valuable repeat 
customer!  See register.txt for more details.



4- HISTORY

V 1.0 - Nov 1996
Simple math operations (+-*/= and invert) and other useful calculator functions
like memory (set, clear, return and add), and clear display and clear entry.
Also allows units to be set and equivalent values in all units in the other
system to be displayed.

V 1.1 - Nov 21 1996
Minor spelling mistakes fixed (how embarrassing!)




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