cave@randvax.UUCP (Jonathan Cave) (10/10/90)
Two aspects of Excel under windows... First, when creating a new chart using a multiple selection (i.e., one created with Shift+F8), I found that File New Chart just gives a blank screen. Copying and pasting doesn't work, since Excel won't let you copy a multiple selection. However, If you select the series you want to graph, then attempt to copy them, respond OK to the nagging "Can't do that to a multiple selection" "dialogue" box, *then* try File New Chart, everything is hunky-dory. Odd, eh? Second, I have found that the scope for multitasking is severely limited by Win3's "nonpreemptive" protocol. My Excel model takes a long time to recalculate (5 minutes or so per pass), and it has macros that run many cases. I have done what I can by way of splitting things up into different sheets, using Standard Mode, using Calculate documeNt, etc. but it's still very slow. The problem is that I cannot switch out of Excel while it is recalculating. When I installed a little On.Time() trapdoor to let me out, I found that Excel grabbed the whole machine when it started recalculating in background, and didn't relinquish its grip 'till it was done. Can anyone suggest a way around this? The only solution I have found so far is to use DesQview/386, and run Excel with run-time Windows in DV's "mo betta" multitasking environment.
ckinsman@eecs.wsu.edu (Chris Kinsman - EE major) (10/11/90)
I create graphs of non-contigous selections all the time. I don't use Shift+F8 however. I use the mouse with Ctrl. Chris