Introduction

If you are new to Quattro Pro X3 or to spreadsheet programs in general, this is the book for you. With clear, concise explanations and steps that show you how to perform various tasks, you will quickly learn everything you need to get the most out of Quattro Pro. I assume that you have no previous experience with spreadsheet programs, so you can start from the very beginning and work up to some pretty advanced features.

If you’ve used Quattro Pro before, you will be pleased to discover that version X3 retains the features that made previous versions so user-friendly—including fully customizable toolbars, keyboards, and menus. At the same time, this latest version does a good job of converting files from Excel and Lotus 1-2-3 and provides additional tools for working with these two programs.

Owners of new computers from Dell and other large computer companies will be pleased to find a free copy of WordPerfect Productivity Pack, which includes WordPerfect X3 (and, in some cases, Quattro Pro X3), on their computers. Certain models will come with a copy of the standard edition of WordPerfect Office X3, which includes WordPerfect X3, Quattro Pro X3, and Presentations X3.

Quattro Pro X3 contains features designed to make it easier for users to move between Quattro Pro and Microsoft Excel or Lotus 1-2-3. Besides improved file compatibility, Quattro Pro X3 includes toolbars and menus that imitate those found in Microsoft Excel and Lotus 1-2-3. The familiar look of the screen elements helps to ease the transition from these other spreadsheet programs to Quattro Pro. You can work in Quattro Pro using the commands of either of the other two programs, and you can open files created in the other programs and save files for use in the other programs.

Some Key Terms

To use Quattro Pro, you need to know the basic terminology used for common mouse actions:

• Point—Move the mouse on the desk to move the pointer onscreen. The tip of the arrow should be on the item to which you are pointing.

• Click—Press and release the left mouse button once. You use a click to select commands and toolbar buttons, as well as perform other tasks.

• Double-click—Press and release the left mouse button twice in rapid succession.

• Right-click—Press and release the right mouse button once. You can right-click to display a QuickMenu just about anywhere in the program.

• Drag and drop—Hold down the left mouse button and drag the pointer across the screen. Release the mouse button. Dragging is most often used for selecting and moving text and objects.

Things to Keep in Mind

You can customize many features of Quattro Pro so that it is set up the way you like to work. That’s one of the major benefits of using Quattro Pro. For consistency, though, this book makes some assumptions about how you use your computer. When working through steps and especially when viewing the figures in this book, keep in mind the following distinctions:

• Quattro Pro enables you to use many different methods to perform the same task. For example, for commands, you can select a command from a menu, use a shortcut key, use a toolbar button, or use a QuickMenu. This book usually mentions one method (the most common for that particular task) and may also include mentions of other methods.

• Your Quattro Pro screen might not look identical to the one used in this book’s figures. For instance, the Perfect Expert Tutor Window appears by default each time you open Quattro Pro in Quattro Pro mode. Most of the figures in this book don’t show the Perfect Expert Tutor Window. Don’t let these differences distract you; the figures might look different from what you see on your computer, but the program works the same way.

• Your computer setup is most likely different from the one used in the book. Therefore, you will see different programs listed on your Start menu, different fonts in your font list, different folders and documents, and so on. Again, don’t be distracted by the differences.

How to Use This Book

This book is divided into three parts, each part focusing on a different theme. The book builds on the skills you need, starting with the basics of understanding spreadsheets and how they function and then moving to more complex topics such as graphing and analyzing data. You can read the book straight through, look up topics when you have a question, or browse through the contents, reading information that interests you. Here is a quick breakdown of the parts.

Part I, “The Basics,” covers the essentials for understanding what spreadsheets are and how to navigate and edit in a notebook file. Everything is in this section that you need to know to understand the concepts of using a spreadsheet; work in the Quattro Pro window; switch between Quattro Pro mode, Excel mode, and Lotus 1-2-3 mode; and edit a spreadsheet. Chapter 1 is an introduction to Quattro Pro X3 and explains basic spreadsheet terminology and functionality. Chapter 2 covers working with windows. Chapter 3 focuses on moving around in a spreadsheet, entering information, and correcting mistakes. In Chapters 4 and 5, you learn editing techniques.

Part II, “The Intermediate Stuff,” explains how to print notebooks (Chapter 6) and manage notebooks (Chapter 7). Chapters 8 and 9 cover the techniques available to you to format notebooks for easy and elegant reading and Chapter 10 shows you how to use a spreadsheet for what it does best—making mathematical calculations.

Part III, “The Advanced Stuff,” focuses on the many ways you can use Quattro Pro to evaluate information. Chapter 11 shows you how to create graphs from numeric data in a Quattro Pro spreadsheet. Chapter 12 shows you how to set up and work in a database in Quattro Pro. Chapters 13 and 14 explain how to use many of the data analysis techniques available in Quattro Pro, such as creating a What-If table, preparing an amortization schedule, and solving for a variable. Chapters 15 and 16 focus on ways that you can customize Quattro Pro to make your working environment suit your needs.

I hope you enjoy your Quattro Pro learning experience!

Conventions Used in This Book

You will find cautions, tips, and notes scattered throughout this book. Don’t skip over these; they contain some important tidbits to help you along the way.

There are some other helpful conventions in the book to make your learning experience as smooth as possible. Text that you are going to type looks like this: type a filename. New terms being defined in the text are in italics. Keep these conventions in mind as you read through the text.