In this article I'd like to just pass along a few helpful hints I have learned from various sources concerning the use of Multiplan. When I first purchased my Multiplan package, I dutifully made a back up copy, only to find that it would not run. Chuck at the Computer Bug helped me out on this problem by reminding me that the disk containing the Multiplan files must be named TIMP.
From the Decatur 99er's User Group newsletter, I learned that the time it takes to initialize MP and the response time when it is working with the overlay file is affected by the location of the files on the disk. You can load the files in the desired order by copying them one at a time to a newly initialized disk named TIMP. The best order seems to be: OVERLAY, MPHLP,MPCHAR,MPDATA,MPINTR, and then MPBASE.
Although two drives are recommended for MP, it is possible to run it with only one drive. Before I purchased my second drive, I found it helpful to eliminate the help file from my working disk, thereby freeing up 158 sectors for a data file. I simply made a new disk for each application of MP that I wanted to use in order to eliminate having to switch disks.
If you do have two disk drives, please note that Multiplan will load automatically from any disk drive. Therefore you may put your MP disk in drive 2 and use drive 1 for your data disk as this is the default in the program. If you choose to use drive 1 for your MP disk, you have two options. You must either use a sector editor to change the defaults or upon entering MP, select the Transfer Options command by pressing T, then the letter O. Advance to the set up field by using control A and designate the data file drive as DSK2. Press enter and you're ready to go. If you prefer to change the default, I suggest you copy the file MPINTR onto a new disk. Load up your favorite sector editor and edit sector 22 which will be the first data sector. Shift into ASCII screen mode and find the words DSK1. Change this to DSK2 and it will automatically load from drive 2. Note that it will not show up in the Transfer Option as DSK2, just as DSK1 did not show up. While you are in the sector editor, you may want to change the default for your printer to PIO if you have a parallel printer. Simply replace the words RS232 with PIO. The RS232 data after that should be blanked out by using the space bar. Now write the sector back to disk and you are in business.
TI has released some enhancements for the Multiplan disk that speeds it up a little and also gives you auto repeat when moving the cursor around the screen. If you do not have these, I will be glad to furnish them to you.
I like to print out most of my spreadsheets in condensed print and was disappointed there was no way to do this from within MP. I made a small program to initialize the printer and tried to remember to run it first. Then one day I saw an ad in Micropendium for a Fairware Program called TIMP PRINT by J&B Mathis that allowed you to enter print controls from within your spreadsheet. It works great using the
xternal copy command. I will be putting a copy of this in our library.
Next month we'll take a look at setting up a template. If you have any hints you'd like to share please send them in.
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Just wanted to say 'I'm glad I found you!' Pulled out my TI and have started to play with it again. I forgot how much fun it was. Wish there were more people out there still using it!
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