[net.micro.cbm] Multiplan COPY Solution

stuart@adiron.UUCP (Master Mapper) (02/21/85)

I recently submitted a query to the net regarding Mulitplan.  Although
I never received any replies, I did find a way to accomplish my task.
For those who are interested, I am posting my solution. First, the 
original request.

>	I have been working with Microsoft's Multiplan on the Commodore 64
>	and have run into a snag.  Does anyone know how I can "include" a file 
>	on disk into a file resident within the computer.  I don't want to 
>	create an Xternal link to the file, I actually want to copy all the 
>	information into a specified location within my current file.
>	I've tried COPY, XTERNAL, MOVE, etc. and none of them seem to do what 
>	I want.	For example, on the left is an example of a 2x2 sheet which I 
>	have loaded through TRANSFER LOAD.  On the right is a file that, if 
>	loaded, would occupy the same row/column locations.  What I want to 
>	do is to copy the contents of the disk file (on the right) into a 
>	location of my choice in the sheet in the computer (say, for example, 
>	starting at row 3, column 2). 
>	
>	                COMPUTER FILE                        DISK FILE
>		COLUMN 1   COLUMN 2   COLUMN 3 |         COLUMN 1   COLUMN 2
>	ROW 1   100.00     200.00              |   ROW 1   700.00     800.00
>	ROW 2   300.00     400.00              |   ROW 2   900.00    1000.00
>	ROW 3                                  |   ROW 3
>	ROW 4                                  |   ROW 4
>	
>                                  NEW FILE
>		        COLUMN 1   COLUMN 2   COLUMN 3
>             	ROW 1   100.00     200.00
>            	ROW 2   300.00     400.00
>               ROW 3              700.00     800.00
>               ROW 4              900.00    1000.00
>	
Solution:
My solution does the trick but still is not without faults.
1. TRANSFER LOAD the source disk file and NAME the entire sheet with some 
bogus name (this can be deleted later), setting the total range of the 
area you want to copy as the limits.
2. TRANSFER SAVE this file.
3. TRANSFER CLEAR the working space.
4. TRANSFER LOAD the destination file.
5. GOTO location in file where you want to place the information.  This 
	area you are copying to must be blank and have the same shape as 
	the source file.
6. EXTERNAL COPY the disk file using the sheet name and location you
	have previously specified.  Specify NO link to other sheets.
7. edit your new file and TRANSFER SAVE it.

Problems:
The faults are that NO formulae are copied, just the values that are 
currently in each cell.  Also, the FORMAT CELL, FORMAT WIDTH, etc. commands
are not copied so you must reformat that portion of the sheet.

This is especially useful if you are copying large arrays of numbers 
that all have the same format.  In my case, I was copying highly-formatted
textual information combined with numbers.  Although it was a mess after I
copied the stuff, at least the basic part of the information was there -- it
just needed to be adjusted to my FORMAT specifications.

If anyone has a better way of doing this, I'd still like to know.

			duke!adiron!stuart
			Stu Shea