100 Uniplex Tips
		c2000 ~ uniplex ~ tips

Details taken directly from the Centreline 2000 RAPID-RESPONSE HELP-LINE and available to you. You can subscribe to the HELP-LINE here. CARD INDEX: Configuration of ring menu CARD INDEX: How do you merge two card indexes? CARD INDEX: Limit to number of cards CARD INDEX: Problems pasting CARD INDEX: Unable to set labels CONFIGURATION: Adding new shortcut utilities. CONFIGURATION: Changing directory in softkeys CONFIGURATION: Problems re-compiling general.fn CONFIGURATION: Remove clock from menu bar CONFIGURATION: Tcap configuration not updated. DATABASE FORMS: How many fields per form? DATABASE FORMS: Invoking forms directly DATABASE FORMS: Restricting values in custom forms. DATABASE: "Invalid SQL statement" on find. DATABASE: After tape restore database is not working DATABASE: bcheck not found in V8.00 DATABASE: Database only outputs 50 records. DATABASE: Database syntax error after updating Uniplex DATABASE: Date function not working correctly. DATABASE: Engine receive error DATABASE: Many tables in database DATABASE: Preventing access to the shell from Database DATABASE: Wild card searching. DOS: Out of memory messages. FOLIOS: Core files being found in folders FOLIOS: V8.00 has better folios GENERAL: Automatically starting Uniplex at Login GENERAL: Can I print a file from a shell script? GENERAL: Cannot Fork Errors GENERAL: Frozen Screen GENERAL: How do I remove keytapes? GENERAL: Login direct to Uniplex. GENERAL: Popup limits GENERAL: Terminal not working properly GENERAL: Too many users GENERAL: Turning off time display on menu bar GENERAL: Uniplex languages GENERAL: Uniplex running very slowly GENERAL: Updating licences while live GRAPHICS: Is it possible to print PC graphic files? KEYTAPES: Keytapes available to all. KEYTAPES: Macro to run keytapes KEYTAPES: Running keytapes on startup MAIL MERGE: Deleting lines when it should not. MAIL: Cannot see all aliases in list MAIL: Problem sending binary files by mail MAIL: Problems printing mail messages. MAIL: Umd_clean does not run properly. MAIL: You Have Mail shuts down Uniplex PRINTING: Is it possible to have a local printers file PRINTING: Is printer "such and such" supported? PRINTING: Making print pages match WP page breaks. PRINTING: Print always has a blank page at the end. PRINTING: Printing current date PRINTING: Unable to print documents PRINTING: Unable to print documents PRINTING: Uprop error with Easi-Print PRINTING: Using APP4 with Uniplex V6 REPORT WRITER: Centreing fields SCREEN BUILDER: "No write permission" error messages SCREEN BUILDER: Calculations in formfill? SCREEN BUILDER: Limit to fields, "more validation than label SCREEN BUILDER: Long format dates SCREEN BUILDER: More validation than labels error SCREEN BUILDER: Repeating screens SCREEN BUILDER: Syntax errors on set statement SPREADSHEET: Calling Unix commands SPREADSHEET: Columns C and R cause problems. SPREADSHEET: Long formula problems SPREADSHEET: Merging multi-cells from database SPREADSHEET: Prevent shell escape from spreadsheet SPREADSHEET: Problems with cell references C.. not working. SPREADSHEET: The @if function not working properly. SPREADSHEET: Transferring spreadsheets to 1-2-3 and Excel SPREADSHEET: Unable to protect cells in spreadsheet SPREADSHEET: Using comparisons in spreadsheet TIME MANAGER: Alarms not delivered, mail not picked up. TIME MANAGER: Alarms not delivered. TIME MANAGER: Changing working hours TIME MANAGER: Diary permissions problem. TIME MANAGER: Limiting diary lists TIME MANAGER: Public holidays WORD PROCESSING: Boxes breaking over pages. WORD PROCESSING: Calculations in WP WORD PROCESSING: Calling WP from a shell script. WORD PROCESSING: Changing the default ruler setting. WORD PROCESSING: Core files when deleting files WORD PROCESSING: Files not saved when disk is full. WORD PROCESSING: How do I enter foreign characters. WORD PROCESSING: How do you print a "1/2" symbol? WORD PROCESSING: How do you set hard returns? WORD PROCESSING: Long page lengths seem to be ignored. WORD PROCESSING: Removing all effects WORD PROCESSING: Save file leaves core dump WORD PROCESSING: Screen freezes with decimal tabs. WORD PROCESSING: Spell check not using languages WORD PROCESSING: Spell checker and single letters. WORD PROCESSING: Unable to re-format a document WORD PROCESSING: Using V6 dictionaries with V7 WORD PROCESSING: Where can I find a list of special characte WORD PROCESSING: Wide document problems. Last Updated: 04-03-1996 CARD INDEX: Configuration of ring menu Q: Is it possible to configure the ring menu in card index? A: Unfortunately not. Return to index CARD INDEX: How do you merge two card indexes? Q: I have two separate card index files which I would like to join. A: The card index program has dump and load options. ucard -d <file> will output the contents of a card index. ucard -l <file> will append the contents of a text file in the dumped format. Return to index CARD INDEX: Limit to number of cards Q: Is there a limit to the number of cards in a card index? A: Uniplex data sheets report this as 100,000 records as the limit. Any testers? Return to index CARD INDEX: Problems pasting Q: When pasting into card index the last record is lost. A: Add an additional blank line to the end of the file being pasted. Return to index CARD INDEX: Unable to set labels Q: Trying to set labels in a system wide card index but cannot. A: Only the card index owner is allowed to set labels on a card index. Return to index CONFIGURATION: Adding new shortcut utilities. Q: A telephone directory utility has been developed in-house. Is it possible to call this utility by using an escape sequence? A: Enter a new command in uniplex.cmd in the pseudo commands section (we suggest that it should be F243). Use ESCAPE-CNTRL-T to call the application. Access the file wpgeneral.fn and add a new command F243 to reflect the softkey sequence. Return to index CONFIGURATION: Changing directory in softkeys Q: Is it possible to change directory in softkeys. A: You cannot change the directory for the calling application, although you can use the X() command to run external processes with a change directory. Return to index CONFIGURATION: Problems re-compiling general.fn Q: When trying to re-compile general.fn the error message "No default main menu" is displayed. A: This file cannot be directly compiled. Instead it is automatically included when compiling other softkey files and contains standard definitions used through Uniplex. Return to index CONFIGURATION: Remove clock from menu bar Q: Is it possible to remove the clock from the menu bar? A: Edit the uniplex.sys file and remove the letter C from MODE= line. Recompile with syscomp. Return to index CONFIGURATION: Tcap configuration not updated. Q: Having updated the Tcap file to show effects definitions on screen there has been no change in the Uniplex display. A: Firstly, the Tcap file must be re-compiled using the command: syscomp [term-name] Secondly, Uniplex must be re-started for the changes to take affect. Return to index DATABASE FORMS: How many fields per form? Q: In database forms, user selects the table but then gets the message "Too many columns in table". A: Database forms has a limit of 255 fields per form. Return to index DATABASE FORMS: Invoking forms directly Q: Is it possible to run a custom form directly from our own special menus? A: Yes, you can invoke uform with values for database, table and formnames. You can also specify specific menu actions which should be run on startup. To invoke a specific form use: uform -d<database> -f<formname> -xc <database> is the database name, <formname> is the specific form. Note <database> must be in your current directory or in your database search path. Return to index DATABASE FORMS: Restricting values in custom forms. Q: Is it possible to restrict the choices available in a customised form field? A: Yes, in the same way that Screen Builder does. Use reply="one!two!three" in the field definition to only allow a choice of those three fields. For example: label = type char, reply="Yes!No", Prompt="OK to pay?"; Return to index DATABASE: "Invalid SQL statement" on find. Q: When using "find" option in database forms the user gets the message "Invalid SQL statement specified". A: One of the column names is an Informix reserved word. A common one is "name" which is both a useful column name, but also a reserved word. Return to index DATABASE: After tape restore database is not working Q: We had to re-install our system from tape and now the database does not work, with error "0409 - SQL not found". A: Caused by /usr/informix directory or sub-directory not being restored because one or more sub-directories are empty. Check for folders "bin", "lib", "msg". Make sure all three are created and read/write all. Return to index DATABASE: bcheck not found in V8.00 Q: I used to be able to go to an Uniplex shell and run bcheck to test the folios file. This no longer works. A: V8 has moved the location of bcheck and also no longer sets a full database environment. The quickest way is to start database forms and then do a shell escape. Alternatively set INFORMIXDIR, DBLANG and PATH to include the new database directories. Return to index DATABASE: Database only outputs 50 records. Q: After upgrading to V7.01 the database only outputs 50 records. What happened? A: The 50 record limit is the Uniplex demonstration mode for the database. This is caused by version 7.01 having a stricter method of checking if the Uniplex database or Datalinks is being used. If your system already has informix installed on the machine and you do not have the Datalinks module then Uniplex will disable the key for the database. You will need to re-install V7.01 without your existing informix system being on-line or in the PATH variable. Return to index DATABASE: Database syntax error after updating Uniplex Q: Database under V6 worked fine, but now gives syntax errors with V7 A: A column in one table had been called "input" which is now a reserved word in V7 Return to index DATABASE: Date function not working correctly. Q: Trying to update a date field using the mdy function with the date 12/18/92. But, the date displayed is 20 December 1992, not 18 December 1992. A: This is a generic bug. Instead dates should be entered as 12/18/1992 to avoid this problem. Return to index DATABASE: Engine receive error Q: When trying to access a database the message "Engine Receive Error" is displayed. A: The wrong database type is set for the user or for the system. This is usually seen when the database type is set to "Informix 2.0" and it should be "Informix 2.1". Return to index DATABASE: Many tables in database Q: Client has 270 tables but cannot access them, Uniplex responds with just "press <RETURN> to continue". A: There is a limit of 256 tables in a database. The database forms package cannot handle more than this. This is documented in the Uniplex datasheets. Return to index DATABASE: Preventing access to the shell from Database Q: How can I stop users getting to the shell from usql? A: To disable shell escape from database (except V7.01) edit the file /usr/UAP/dbs/dbs.rc and remove the line: BANG=! In V7.01 this functionality was disabled (Uniplex say it will be returned in a future release). Instead edit uniplex.menu and modify the usql command line to read: 4 * 'USHELL=/bin/true; export USHELL; exec usql',,,C The shell escape works but instead of calling a regular shell it calls a 'do nothing' program. However this cannot be used to disable shell in other Uniplex applications, it is only valid for usql. Return to index DATABASE: Wild card searching. Q: Trying to use wildcard searches ("*" and "?") on date fields? A: It is not possible to use wildcard searches on date fields. Return to index DOS: Out of memory messages. Q: When running print or print to screen only a few lines are printed before an "out of memory" error message. This is on an 8MB PC. A: Uniplex is sensitive to memory configurations. Disable any standard use of extended memory. Return to index FOLIOS: Core files being found in folders Q: We are finding core files in WP work areas. A: Problem caused by corrupt folio files. Run: bcheck -y UAP/.ufo bcheck -y UAP/.ufopath See full tech tips sheet on folios maintenance. Return to index FOLIOS: V8.00 has better folios Q: I understand that V8.00 has an upgraded folios mechanism? A: Yes, in particular for users who have had problems with folios in the past there are new command line functions which will greatly help with folios. Firstly, you can check that your folios file is in step with your Unix system. ufomanager -u MODTIME Will check that your modification dates on the Unix system match those in the folios database. ufomanager -u FILESYSTEM Will check that for files in the folio system which are no longer on the Unix system. These entries are then removed. In both cases you can add the argument "-v" which will output the results of the comparisons. You can run both MODTIME and FILESYSTEM arguments at the same time. Secondly, you can now dump out folios information and re-build it. This means you have a cleaner and more efficient folios file. To dump the information out use: ufomanager -d <filename> then delete the folios files .ufo.* and .ufopath.* Then re-create the folios files with: ufomanager -l <filename> Running through these steps in sequence once will ensure a clean and efficient folio setup. Run the FILESYSTEM on a regular basis to keep things in step. Return to index GENERAL: Automatically starting Uniplex at Login Q: A new user does not go directly to Uniplex when logging in. A: Modify the users .profile and add at the end of the file: exec uniplex. The users .profile will be found in their $HOME folder. Return to index GENERAL: Can I print a file from a shell script? Q: Is it possible to print Uniplex files simply from a shell script? A: Yes. Use the command "pprint" to print the file (full details in Config guide volume 2). You can also call print to screen using pprint. Return to index GENERAL: Cannot Fork Errors Q: Occasionally we get errors "Cannot Fork" splatted onto the screen when trying to print. A: You are running out of system resources. You will need to amend your system configuration or possibly extend your hardware. Consult an expert before rushing in. Often a simple software switch can fix everything. Return to index GENERAL: Frozen Screen Q: The users screen is locked, not matter what keys are pressed the screen cannot be used until turned off/on. A: 99 times out of 100 user has pressed CTRL-S, the handshaking command for pause. Press CTRL-Q and this will "unfreeze" the screen. If you have spent any time at all with Unix, you probably know this, but I bet your users don't! Return to index GENERAL: How do I remove keytapes? Q: Is it possible to remove keytapes from the system? A: All keytapes are held in folders by user name within /usr/UAP/tapes. Go to this directory and look for the users tapes folder, for example: /usr/UAP/tapes/fredWP You can remove this whole folder to clear all keytapes. Alternatively, delete individual files from within the folder. Return to index GENERAL: Login direct to Uniplex. Q: I would like users to login directly to Uniplex and return to Uniplex when quitting. A: Edit the users .profile (found in their home directory). Add to the end of the .profile the line: exec uniplex This will meet both requirements. Return to index GENERAL: Popup limits Q: When trying to display many entries in a popup window the list is silently truncated. A: Various versions of Uniplex have various restrictions. V7.01 restricted to 500 lines or about 3200 characters. V8 is unlimited (anybody tested this?) Return to index GENERAL: Terminal not working properly Q: Having logged in the terminal is not working properly. The terminal does not respond properly to keystrokes and Fkeys. A: The user had logged in accidentally using uppercase characters, hence the terminal only accepts upper case. Leave Uniplex using ESCAPE-Q commands (because F4 doesn't work) and at shell prompt type CONTROL-D (because exit doesn't work) Return to index GENERAL: Too many users Q: "Too many users" message occurs when running Uniplex A: When Uniplex crashes or users are killed by sys admin ACTIVE entries are left in the MASTER process table. This can be seen by shelling out of Uniplex and running "upcs". Where terminals are connected via network and different tty, names are allocated for each login the number of ACTIVE users builds up until the license is exceeded. To tidy up remove all files from UAP/pc directory. Return to index GENERAL: Turning off time display on menu bar Q: User running on slow serial link wants to disable time display on menu bar. A: Modify UAP/uniplex.sys, remove the 'C' entry from the MODE='...' line. Recompile with syscomp. N.B. Will not affect users with local UAP/system.comp, remove this file also. Return to index GENERAL: Uniplex languages Q: How many languages is Uniplex available in? A: With V7.02 Uniplex was available in 11 fully supported languages. There are also other versions, not fully supported (typically no speller). There are also special versions for Israeli, Arabic and Chinese! Return to index GENERAL: Uniplex running very slowly Q: Uniplex is taking up to 30 seconds to process each keystroke. Other applications run fine. A: If TTYTIMING=Y and CHECKTIME > 12 in uniplex.sys then many systems will loop when reading from the terminal. Set TTYTYIMING=N and recompile uniplex.sys. Remember users may have local compiled system.comp files. Return to index GENERAL: Updating licences while live Q: Is it possible to add additional licenses while users are using the system? A: Yes, use the standard Uniplex menu function to do this. Existing users will not be affected. Return to index GRAPHICS: Is it possible to print PC graphic files? Q: We have a range of PC graphics software, can Uniplex print these graphics? A: If you have a PostScript printer then this is straightforward. Export the graphic from the PC in PostScript format. Transfer to the Unix host and use the graphic in the normal way using .GR. Do not print to non-Postscript printers - this will waste a lot of paper! Return to index KEYTAPES: Keytapes available to all. Q: Can I make keytapes available to everybody? A: Tapes are stored in the folder: UAP/tapes/<user><prodcode>/<file>. For example, UAP/tapes/djcWP/newruler for the saved tape "newruler". Tapes can be made global as follows: 1) Create a new directory, for example: UAP/tapes/global 2) Copy tapes from users tape directories into global. 3) Create file named _global in users personal tapes folder i.e. UAP/tapes/djcWP/_global To access these tapes you now use the command ESC-KL and select global from the library list. Now, whenever they do tape recall tapes in the global directory will also Return to index KEYTAPES: Macro to run keytapes Q: Is it possible for a spreadsheet macro to run a keytape? A: Sadly, no. Keytapes, macros and softkeys cannot interact with each other. It is possible to run keytapes from softkeys, or macros from softkeys, but not vice-versa. Return to index KEYTAPES: Running keytapes on startup Q: Is it possible to run a keytape when Uniplex is invoked? A: Yes this is possible. Use the following syntax:- uniplex -F "F185:'tape_name':F11:F185" document_name Return to index MAIL MERGE: Deleting lines when it should not. Q: I have two fields on the same line, both set to delete on blank. But even though one of the fields is not blank the line still deletes. A: The mail merge will delete any line on which the field is blank, even if there is other text or fields on the same line. Return to index MAIL: Cannot see all aliases in list Q: Individual user can only see a few entries in "List Users" in mail. A: User has created a personal alias list, which disables the master alias list. Append the alias list to the master alias file. Return to index MAIL: Problem sending binary files by mail Q: Cannot send binary files by mail. A: Early versions of Uniplex mail required binary files to be exact multiples of 4 bytes. This problem is corrected in V7.02. Return to index MAIL: Problems printing mail messages. Q: When batch printing more than 30 mail items the user gets the message "copy failed". A: Actually in all pre-V8 systems there are numerous print problems. The most irritating is the failure to reset the headers, footers etc between mail items. Printing more than 10 items per batch can also cause the "copy failed" problem. V8 does resolve these problems. Return to index MAIL: Umd_clean does not run properly. Q: Umd_clean does not work properly, mail not cleaned and messages not being sent correctly. A: Problem caused by "uclock" alarm daemon not being executed with correct environment. For V7 and earlier systems you must set the following environment variables. Uredirect='/usr" (or wherever) Unode='/usr/UAP' Uniplex='/usr/UAP' PATH='/usr/UAP/cmds:/usr/UAP/bin:'$PATH Then run uclock as a root process. This sequence is best done as a standard boot time 'rc' script. Return to index MAIL: You Have Mail shuts down Uniplex Q: After receiving a "You have mail", Uniplex shuts down. A: The path name in the TEMP field in uniplex.sys is too long. Reduce the length of this path and create the appropriate directories. As a quick test, re-set TEMP to /tmp and try. Be sure to remove local system.comp files for all users if this is to be used. Return to index PRINTING: Is it possible to have a local printers file Q: Is it possible to define a user specific printers file? A: Set Uprinters environment variable in users .profile: Uprinters=fred; export Uprinters. This will pick up the file /usr/UAP/PRINT/fred. Return to index PRINTING: Is printer "such and such" supported? Q: User needs better printer support or has a new printer which needs configuring. A: Try the APP listing, current version is APP 5.0 which includes the Hewlett Packard HP IV Laserjet. Return to index PRINTING: Making print pages match WP page breaks. Q: Is it possible to make sure that printing gives exactly the same soft page breaks as the WP shows? A: Yes, amend your print style so the "FORCE WP PAGE BREAKS" is set to YES. This is usually set to "NO" to ensure full re-formatting of documents. Return to index PRINTING: Print always has a blank page at the end. Q: Every print ends in a blank page. A: Standard Unix spooler always appends a formfeed to the end of a print run to make sure last few lines are printed. However, Uniplex always prints to the bottom of the last page anyway (for footers, and to make sure page prints when not using a spooler). Modify the Unix spooler model to remove the final formfeed. There are a variety of methods for doing this depending upon your Unix system. You may also want to look at UAP/unsupported/uniplexLPmodel which can be used on most systems. Return to index PRINTING: Printing current date Q: How do you print the current date in a document? A: Add the field $DATE in the header or footer where you want the date to be printed. Please note this is the *print* date, not the creation date. Return to index PRINTING: Unable to print documents Q: When trying to select a document to print the user gets the message: "option -d requires an argument", "cannot access file". A: Caused by having over 300 documents within one folder in V7.01 and earlier. Other symptoms may include being able to edit the file if the name is entered directly, but not being able to see the file in the pick and point list. Return to index PRINTING: Unable to print documents Q: When trying to print a file user sees message "option -d requires an argument" and/or "cannot access file" A: Caused by more than 300 files in the current folder. This may also cause other errors, in particular not being able to find the file in the regular file lists. Reduce the number of files in the folder, either by deletion or moving to a new folder. Return to index PRINTING: Uprop error with Easi-Print Q: When trying to easi-print the user gets the error "Uprop error cannot open input file". A: Can be caused by giving uprop an invalid filename, but this is not usually possible from easi-print. In these circumstances the likely suspect is a lack of disk space in /tmp or the Uniplex temporary directory defined in Uniplex.sys. Return to index PRINTING: Using APP4 with Uniplex V6 Q: Are there any reasons why the hpIIIecma printer driver won't work on version 6.10? A: There were a number of modifications to uprop in V7.00 and in particular how fonts are specified. The hpIIIecma is not valid for V6. Other printer configurations may or may not be acceptable for V6. This gets even worse with V7.02 and V7.01, however APP5 onwards now supports both V7.01 and V7.02 installations as separate groups. Return to index REPORT WRITER: Centreing fields Q: Unable to centre a field in the report writer. A: You have to use the american spelling "center" rather than "centre". Return to index SCREEN BUILDER: "No write permission" error messages Q: Two groups share a folder containing several spreadsheets. When editing one spreadsheet a user gets frequent "No write permission" errors followed by a 3-second delay. This is very time consuming and frustrating. The user does have a read and write permissions on the spreadsheet. A: The spreadsheet being edited is linked to another spreadsheet which the user does *not* have access to. The error message relates to this other spreadsheet. Changing permissions on the linked spreadsheet resolves the problem. Return to index SCREEN BUILDER: Calculations in formfill? Q: Is it possible to do calculations in formfill? A: No, but since formfill output is handled by report writer at print time it is often possible to insert the calculations at the report writer stage. Consult Report Writer documentation or the Centreline 2000 Advanced Guide to Report Writer for further information. Return to index SCREEN BUILDER: Limit to fields, "more validation than label Q: How many fields can I specify in a screen builder form? A: Formfill supports 80 fields, as does Screen Builder. The Database Forms supports 255 fields. Return to index SCREEN BUILDER: Long format dates Q: How do you get a date to appear in the format: 27th August 1995? A: Define the field as a character type and enter the following syntax:- field=type char, default="*udate '+%o %k 19%y'; Return to index SCREEN BUILDER: More validation than labels error Q: When building a formfill I get the error more validation than labels. A: This is caused by having more than 80 fields in a single form. Technically it can also be caused by a mis-match between the number of fields in the screen and in the labels section, but in practice other errors show up first. Return to index SCREEN BUILDER: Repeating screens Q: How do you return to the same screen after the user presses F1? A: At the top of the COMMANDS section enter HOLD. This makes screen builder return to the screen, with all the parameters filled in. If you wish you can add on an extra line RESET. This restores all fields to their default, startup state. Return to index SCREEN BUILDER: Syntax errors on set statement Q: Get syntax errors from the shell when trying to set a variable. A: Shell does not like spaces around the '=' sign. Tricky to spot sometimes. For example: VAR = "hello" is invalid. VAR="hello" is valid. Return to index SPREADSHEET: Calling Unix commands Q: How do you execute an operating system command from within a spreadsheet? A: Use the syntax !command, for example: !who To carry out this command without clearing the screen enter: !!who. Return to index SPREADSHEET: Columns C and R cause problems. Q: Can't enter a spreadsheet formula which references column C and has an absolute row reference e.g. =A1+C$1 A: This problem is specific to version 7.01 and does not occur in 7.00 however other row and column referencing problems are present in 7.00. Uniplex have had many row and column problems over the years and each release attempts to fix some but manages to introduce others. V7.02 onwards should has resolved these problems once and for all. Note: workaround for V7.01 is to enter =A1+(C) Return to index SPREADSHEET: Long formula problems Q: I can type in a very long formula, but then it is not accepted, what's going on? A: The V7 spreadsheets have an internal limit of 255 bytes for the *internal* representation of your formula. This may or may not be anything like the number of characters you have typed for the formula. You will need to break the formula down into separate calculations. Return to index SPREADSHEET: Merging multi-cells from database Q: How can a whole table of data be merged from database into a spreadsheet. Using @pipe() function just gets one value. A: Use / Integrate Database Paste and enter select statement to read data at present cursor position. To make this automatic when the spreadsheet recalculates use function: @link("paste range db 'select statement'") Note: return values will be pasted into range - make sure number of columns in range match the number of columns returned by the query. Also set the column widths appropriately since spreadsheet does not do this automatically. Return to index SPREADSHEET: Prevent shell escape from spreadsheet Q: How do I disable shell escapes from the spreadsheet? A: Remove the SHELL and RSHELL entries from the COMMANDS section in UAP/uc/issidefs.rc. Recompile using ucbld. N.B. This often has the knock-on affect of disabling database links and graphics also. Return to index SPREADSHEET: Problems with cell references C.. not working. Q: Cell references cd8 to ct8 are not accepted. A: The various V7 releases of the spreadsheet have a number of problems with cell references with "c" and "r" entries. These can usually be worked round by using (cd8) or $ for absolute references. Return to index SPREADSHEET: The @if function not working properly. Q: With the formula: @if(a1=="BUG",a2,a3) the contents of a2 are always returned, regardless of the text in a1. A: This formula only works for numeric comparisons. (Despite what the documentation says). The way around this is to use: @if(cmp(a1,"BUG"),a2,a3) Return to index SPREADSHEET: Transferring spreadsheets to 1-2-3 and Excel Q: Is it possible to transfer Uniplex spreadsheets to PC packages? A: Uniplex spreadsheet supports export of data in a 1-2-3 format. Centreline 2000 provide a spreadsheet convertor, written by the ucalc author Dave Cockcroft. This convertor will output all data and formula into 1-2-3 (.WK3 and .WK4) formats. The 1-2-3 format can be imported by all leading PC spreadsheets, as well as a good number of PC WP and Database packages. Return to index SPREADSHEET: Unable to protect cells in spreadsheet Q: After protecting cells, users are still able to overwrite the cells. A: Protection mode must first be enabled using "Worksheet, Global, Protection, Enable". Afterwards protect cells in the usual way. Return to index SPREADSHEET: Using comparisons in spreadsheet Q: When using the formula @($A1=="A",5,0) the documentation says it returns '5' when then contents of the cell A1 are equal to "A". A: The documentation example suggests that this is valid but in fact the expression must be a numeric only. For a string comparison you must use @cmp0 which compares strings: @(@cmp($A1,"A"),5,0). Return to index TIME MANAGER: Alarms not delivered, mail not picked up. Q: uclock seems to have stopped processing. Alarms are not delivered to screen. Mail is not collected from Unix. Mail is not cleaned and forward mail not sent. A: Uclock may stop running for several reasons, typically though it can be cleared by: 1) Kill uclock process and restart with correct environment and run as root. 2) Check uclock alarms file, it may be corrupted, use "uclock -l" to list file, corruptions are usually apparent as information in fields does not look right. Delete UAP/diary/diary.alarms and recreate. 3) Mail files have become corrupt or mail process is hanging. Try disabling mail entries umd_clean and umd_runix in alarms file. Uclock may need killing and restarting also. If alarms then start, check mailboxes for errors. Return to index TIME MANAGER: Alarms not delivered. Q: Uclock keeps stopping. Either quits altogether or loops. A: Problem caused by corrupt diary.alarms file. Quite common in V7.00 and earlier systems. Check alarms file by running "uclock -l" from Uniplex shell. If the file is corrupted, print uclock listing and then remove and recreate the file. Return to index TIME MANAGER: Changing working hours Q: The working hours have been changed in diary.holiday but people's diaries have not changed. A: Changes in the working hours will only affect newly created diaries. Existing diaries must be changed manually using the Set Working Hours menu option. Return to index TIME MANAGER: Diary permissions problem. Q: Can I re-assign a diary to a new user, and make sure that mail notifications were delivered to the new user? A: 1) As old user, assign the full read write permissions to ALL 2) As superuser change ownership and group to new user, (chown, chgrp) 3) As new user change permissions to new settings (even if they are the same as before). Return to index TIME MANAGER: Limiting diary lists Q: Is it possible to limit the list of available diaries to those which the user has access? A: No, the Select Diary function returns all diary names, regardless of permissions set in the access rights database. Return to index TIME MANAGER: Public holidays Q: Bank holidays and company holidays no longer show up in our Time Manager. A: Edit the file UAP/diary/diary.holiday to add specific diary days for future years. Return to index WORD PROCESSING: Boxes breaking over pages. Q: Document has a line draw box which runs over the page break (deliberately). This worked fine in V7.00, but not in V7.01. A: This is a new feature in V7.01 which provides the normally useful feature of not breaking tables across pages. In order to work around this there must be a blank line in the boxes at the right point for the page break. Return to index WORD PROCESSING: Calculations in WP Q: Is it possible to automatically calculate a row of figures in WP? A: Using CONTROL-] will allow the user to perform basic calculations. This can then be incorporated into keytapes as required. Return to index WORD PROCESSING: Calling WP from a shell script. Q: Can I call WP to edit a file direct from a shell script? A: Yes. Use the command: uniplex -q <filename> If you wish to create a new file use: uniplex -q -c Return to index WORD PROCESSING: Changing the default ruler setting. Q: It is possible to change the setting of the default ruler for all users? A: The pre-defined rulers are set in uniplex.sys. Access this file and alter the first ruler to the required format. Save and exit and run "syscomp -s". Return to index WORD PROCESSING: Core files when deleting files Q: When deleting files in WP a core dump is created. A: Problem caused by corrupt folio files. Run: bcheck -y UAP/.ufo bcheck -y UAP/.ufopath See full tech tips sheet on folios maintenance. Return to index WORD PROCESSING: Files not saved when disk is full. Q: The normal message "Busy saving document" still appears on screen even when there is no disk space and the file is not saved. A: Sad, but true. V7.01 and earlier will only warn of low disk space during a "cut to file". However, Uniplex is not alone in corrupting files when disk space is low. Administrators are advised to always monitor disk space usage. Return to index WORD PROCESSING: How do I enter foreign characters. Q: It is possible to print u umlaut? A: You can enter foreign characters by entering a "compose" sequence followed by accent and letter pairs. The default compose sequence is ESCAPE-ESCAPE-0 (zero). So, for example: ESCAPE-ESCAPE-0-"-u creates u umlaut. See the file /usr/UAP/demo/SAMPLES/x.open.table for a full list of accents and other special characters. Return to index WORD PROCESSING: How do you print a "1/2" symbol? Q: How do you print a ½ symbol? A: You can enter the half symbol by typing ESC-ESC-0-1-2. The ESC-ESC-0 (zero) is the "compose" leadin sequence, 1-2 generates the half. You can also use 1-4 and 3-4 for quarter and three-quarters. Return to index WORD PROCESSING: How do you set hard returns? Q: How do you toggle hard returns and set system wide defaults? A: For a user in a WP doc, press 'esc O P' for the options menu and change field 2. For system wide setting, log in as root, and edit the file /usr/UAP/uniplex.sys. Edit the "MODE" entry. To disable hard returns, delete the 'letter 'R', to enable re-insert 'R'. After making alterations to uniplex.sys you must run syscomp -s to re-compile. Return to index WORD PROCESSING: Long page lengths seem to be ignored. Q: A second page length command, setting the length to 80 lines is ignored. A: Known Uniplex bug. If the page length setting is too far down the document it will be ignored. Either set the page length at the top of the document, or split the document into two where the new page length is required. Return to index WORD PROCESSING: Removing all effects Q: Is it possible to remove all effects from a document without doing each one individually? A: Use mark top and mark bottom over the whole range of the document. At the mark bottom select Other, and Remove effect. Return to index WORD PROCESSING: Save file leaves core dump Q: Saving a file leaves a core dump in the folder, the file is saved OK. A: Problem caused by corrupt folio files. Run: bcheck -y UAP/.ufo bcheck -y UAP/.ufopath See full tech tips sheet on folios maintenance. Return to index WORD PROCESSING: Screen freezes with decimal tabs. Q: When using decimal tabs in the ruler the screen freezes. A: Known bug in V7.00 and V7.01. Fixed in V7.02. Formatting under decimal tabs when "D" is set in the MODE= field in uniplex.sys causes Uniplex to hang. Remove the "D" option from uniplex.sys to resolve. Return to index WORD PROCESSING: Spell check not using languages Q: We have installed the Additional Dictionary Pack. The correct language dot commands have been inserted but the speller is not using the other dictionaries. A: This problem occurs because the Additional Dictionary Pack is not licensed. Return to index WORD PROCESSING: Spell checker and single letters. Q: The spell checker does not pick up lower case i, when only upper case I is valid. A: The spell checker does not check any single letter. This is because of their use in abbreviations, such as i.e., e.g. etc. Return to index WORD PROCESSING: Unable to re-format a document Q: Document with assorted single and multi-column rulers is not reformatted properly. A: Uniplex does not reformat multi-column areas with format document. You can re-format them specifically with re-format paragraph. Return to index WORD PROCESSING: Using V6 dictionaries with V7 Q: Is it possible to use V6 additional dictionaries with V7? A: Execute the script /usr/UAP/unsupported/dict.upgrade. Change folder to the users local UAP/dict folder and run the script as: dict.upgrade dict1. Return to index WORD PROCESSING: Where can I find a list of special characte Q: I know some of the commands for foreign characters, where can I find a list? A: Check UAP/demo/SAMPLES/x.open.table. This file contains all the default settings and the commands required. Return to index WORD PROCESSING: Wide document problems. Q: When creating a document more than 170 characters across sometimes WP will core dump. A: WP has a supported width of 254 characters. However, print effects and vertical lines take up two extra hidden characters. Tables with many vertical lines can severely restrict the actual supported width. Return to index

 

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