341 replies to this topic

[CrimsonCasio]

(I had this on the Classpad forum, but I think it will be better to have it here.)

ok, here is your chance to tell casio what you would like to see on the classpad, just post any suggestions you have and I will send the whole list off to casio. here are the things I have already suggested:

1) Have GetKey and GetPen not cause the program to hesitate for a moment (potentially giving the user time to hit a button/touch), run this code and you will see why, just hold down a key or touch the screen:

for xmin=>t To xmax Step .1 
PlotOn t,0 
GetPen a,b 
Next

as you can see, its extreamly slow when you dont hit any thing... the effect is redundant since the Wait command does excatly the same thing.

2) fix the Step command so that when you select it from the menu it will insert a space before it.

3) MAKE FUNCTIONS ABLE TO RETURN VALUES! We should be able to do:Code:
funct()=>var
or

if funct()=1:then:Print funct():IfEnd

4) One word: sprites. we should be able to store pictures of any size and be able to position them on the screen. wouldn't that be great?

5) A complier for basic programs. the "Compress" function is nice, but I dont see why they didn't make it compile the programs. (they agree with me on this, I already asked)

6) make the string comparisons simpler, "string1"="string2" should be valid.

7) have the DelFolder command be able to deleat non-empty folders, that would allow for output files where the content can be diffrent (so that a list of everything in the folder doesn't have to be kept by the program so that it can deleat everything).

8) Allow a program to change the size of the screen (like the resize button), and allow it to be able to indicate the state of the windows, example: Window "GRAPH", "Maximized", "Top" or Window "OUTPUT", "Hidden" or Window "TEXT", "Minimized", "Bottom". the first parameter is the name of the window, the second is the state of the window, and the third is the location (which can be omitted). This is the thing I get asked about the most, right now people are forced to pause the program and instruct the user to position the screen correctly, several people have asked me if there is a way to do this.

9) Have a Yes/No dialog, right now the user would have to enter "Yes" or "No" or something like that, this is very anoying and time consuming for the programmer and the user. An important thing would be that selecting No would not Break the program, it should just store a 1 (yes) or 0 (no) into a variable, unlike the (x) button.

10) Error checking: when an error ocures durring execution if the program could check the next line and see if there was an OnError command then instead of breaking the program could execute whatever was after that command. Example:

Lbl Start 
InputStr pict,"Store Picture As?","Store Picture" //user enters "Default" a reserved word. 
StoPict #pict //Causes an error, classpad checks next line for "OnError" command. 
OnError 
Message "That name is invalid, please enter another","ERROR!" 
Goto Start 
EndError

11) Operating modes: I was originally calling this Classic Mode but I think that doesnt quite fit any more. basically, the classpad could be set into diffrent modes that would limit its functionallity, an instructor that didn't want his students to use CAS in his class could dissable it for the remainder of the period. they could also disable any of the included programs, including the Program app and any Add-Ins... the professor would be able to quickly check if all his students calcs complied with his/her rules before tests and quizes. It would also allow ClassPads to be used on standardized tests. (I'm in the middle of discusing this with Casio/Saltire so I will update you later)

12) Help button for keyboard commands.

If you have any other suggestions, no matter how crazy, just post them and casio will hear about them.

[betoe]

Come on guys let your crazy ideas get free!!

I would like a PLC emulator in a calculator, it would be great. I went to a course of PLC the last week and the software for PLC dont have complete emulation(the PLC is required) and the user need the PLC for lear how to use it.

I think that the classpad needs more engineer functions. I didn't read the manual (lack of time) but one day i try to see the result of an operation in engineer mode, but i only see SCI and FIX modes, not ENG available.

Also, we can see another graphing calculators and see cool functions that we would like in our classpad's. By example, watch this:
Calculator's comparation

[Lovecasio]

I have an idea: Saltire should make an add-in called ?Quick note?, which you can use the stylus to write directly on the screen without using softkeyboarb. It will be great if the program can ?understand? the word that we write to change it into ?computer word? ( I don?t know how to say it). Do you think it is Ok?
I think that we cannot use program link that come with classpad to install sofware and OS update. Why didn?t they include it in the CDROM?

[CrimsonCasio]

I think you can (the manager), but I like the quick note thing, though I dont know about it recognizing the words but you could deffinately have a pen note. I'll tell them what you said.

[betoe]

One question everybody: do you think that write with the stylus is slow or is just me?

I dont know if i need more practice but when I am writing something in the classpad i take a long time for it (in the AFX i am too fast writhing text etc...)

[Overlord]

note : the bigger is the program the slower is the modification

but it's very very very very very too slow with a "big" program (i must create a new program, type the modifications and copy-paste)

[CrimsonCasio]

yes, I've noticed that too with caspaint, heres a tip: convert it to a text doc, then its fast. when your ready to save and run it make it a program again.

[Lovecasio]

Another idea:
The Graph&Table app should have the chose: Automatic G-Solve and
Manual G-Solve.
If you chose Automatic G-Solve, the Classpad will automatically solve the problem (Roots, Intersect, Min, Max...) like it is now.
If you chose Manual G-Solve, the Classpad will ask you some thing before it perform calculation.
Eg: Find the roots of : y=sin(x)-cos(x) in Manual G-Solve
When you tap [Analysis],[G-Solve],[Root], the Classpad will ask for the bound of the root (Like Ti Calc). You may use the stylus to tap at the root without enter any bounds, and then the classpad can give the result very fast. The same for Intersect, max, min...
I hope it will be developed.

[betoe]

Maybe a shift button in the classpad's keyboard for more usefull function and a fastest access to them would be great, like sin, log etc...

[CrimsonCasio]

how bout having a way to use the keyboard in a program, with something like GetKBoard var that would show the keyboard and wait for a key to be pressed... better yet would be GetKBoard var [, #] which would wait for that many keys and put them in a string (or array?), it would also stop if you hit EXE.

[betoe]

I totally agree with you crimson, i want to make a little and funny program and i need a virtual keyboard (my idea was paint a keyb, and then put "some" if conditions for every key and store the values on lists).

[CrimsonCasio]

thats one of the things I'm considering for CP Word

[Andrzej]

I'm studying geodesy and many trigonometric operations are made on gradient scale (400grd=360dec=2rad)
Why classpad hasn't got it, when all previous calcs, have it???

[CrimsonCasio]

so thats what thats for... I dont know why but I'll ask

[Overlord]

I WANT :

all letters A-Z as exposants or indices

(useful in mathematical formulas but also as a minifont)

[CrimsonCasio]

all letters A-Z as exposants or indices

i dont understand...

[Overlord]

oops. i wrote in french.

exposant : math power (?)
indice : i don't know how to translate it, it's the "2" or the "4" in H2SO4 or in H2O

[CrimsonCasio]

superscript and subscript?

superscript: (the 2)

[Overlord]

yes.

[CrimsonCasio]

well, thats not far feched, brian tells me the classpad can be given more fonts (like the bold in the e-activitys)... is there some reason in particular you want it? (I have an idea... if its what I'm thinking...)

[Lovecasio]

I think the User-defined function should allow user to input some things more than a single expression.
Ex:
Function name: check(
Parameter: n
If n>0
Then:{1}
ElseIf n:huh:

[CrimsonCasio]

yeah, thats one of the things we have disscussed.

[Overlord]

- all maths/phys progs (x^q * I_n + y^v + F_ij) (to complete the library)
- mini font -> games ?
- periodic table in the minitable

[CrimsonCasio]

well, we have numbers: in the keyboard click abc, then MATH (at the bottom)

[Overlord]

i know but i want letters

[CrimsonCasio]

well, the best I know of for now is to make a funtion that will scan a string for a ^ and then print that string with the character after the ^ raised and the ^ not printed....

[DrCoyote]

Well, being a metrologist, I -really- need SI unit conversion capabilities like on the HP 49G or the TI 92 Plus, where the units can not only freely converted between each other, but can be combined to create new units.

I love my ClassPad. But the lack of this capability is the only reason it is not my primary calculator at work.

[CrimsonCasio]

Overlord, arnt you doing some kind of conversion program?

mabey casio will release an add-in for this kind of thing, it seems to be in demand.

[Overlord]

yes but i don't know if there are the units DrCoyote wants (there are not all SI units because if you must only do x10 or x1000 or x1000000, you don't need a convertor)

[CrimsonCasio]

do you have a link to it, he can take a look at it.

[Overlord]

here http://fcc.earthforg...topic.php?t=292 (version 2.01)

or here http://classpad300.fr.tc/ (basic section)

[DrCoyote]

yes but i don't know if there are the units DrCoyote wants (there are not all SI units because if you must only do x10 or x1000 or x1000000, you don't need a convertor)

Well, perhaps I didn't make myself clear. I find myself needing to do not only simple conversions like PSI to bar, or inches of mercury to millibars, but also more complex conversions like Newton meters to foot pounds. These conversions are quick and easy with the HP 49G, which has hundreds of built in units and can easily combine them to create new ones. This is possible on my TI 92 Plus as well, though it requires quite a bit more effort.

The only reason I mentioned SI is that all the units are based on SI, and this is vital to assure accuracy. I often take my calculations out to several places past the decimal.

[DrCoyote]

Oh, and here's another suggestion. I would like to be able to set my calculator so it does -not- turn on when I touch the touch screen. It would make it a lot easier to clean the screen. When I wipe it off now, I end up messing things up.

[CrimsonCasio]

yeah, thats quite annoying and (i think) pointless.

[DrCoyote]

It is annoying. I bought a pocket viewer some years ago, and it had the same 'feature'. About once a month, I would back it up on my PC, take out the batteries, and clean the screen.

[DrCoyote]

Oh, and one more thing. Engineering notation for displayed numbers would be great, too. My CFX-9850GB Plus does that very nicely, even diplaying the proper suffixes, such a m, M, p, and even the Greek letter mu.

And it would be a useful feature to engineering students, too. <_<

[CrimsonCasio]

yep, thats been mentioned more than once. I'm sure we will be seeing something for that.

[UserC300]

I`m using the Classpad since June(mostly complex calculations).
My Suggestions:
Most of the time the Input-Lines (in Main) and especially the results are larger than the screen, so I have to use the arrows(on the screen) to navigate. What I don`t like is that by pressing the arrow or moving the cursor, there is a half-screen-jump, plus the cursor dosn`t jump if I only press the arrow. So I would like scrolling instead.
If the hole screen is filled with input- and outputlines(all larger than the screen) and there is a long calculation history, it is not possible (by just looking at the screen) to distinguish between inputs and results. A thin line or more space between the calculations would be nice.
Sometimes the format of the results is not very good. If I only want results with two numbers after the point I could use Format "Fix 2", but problem with that for example: 1/500 = 0.00 on Classpad, I would like 2E-3 or 2.00E-3. So I could use "Sci 2" but then Classpad always shows the "E". "Normal 1 or 2" is no option because in Complex calculations I have a lot of irrational numbers, so the results always look like this:
compToPol(3+2.5i) = 3.905124838e^(0.6947382762i) (which brings me to my first point cause the results are always larger than the screen).

[tonyp]

Here's some suggestions/corrections:

1. The Greek keyboard is missing the final s (lowercase final Sigma). The lowercase final s is similar to the Latin s but not quite the same. The uppercase equivalent for lowercase final s is the same as regular s' uppercase (the sum symbol). The rest of the alphabet is there, although the font needs some work to make it look like real Greek (for example some letters seem distorted to a native Greek reader). Although the missing final s may not be much of a problem for math usage, it makes it practically impossible to use the keyboard for Greek text in eActivities for example. Using a Latin s instead looks funny in Greek so it's not a good workaround. There seems to be some empty space on the Greek keyboard page, so it could be added in there (even out of sequence, if re-ordering poses a compatibility issue).

2. The status line could be improved by letting you change the status simply by clicking on the corresponding item. So, to toggle between RAD and DEG click on the current setting. It saves a lot of keystrokes. The same with the rest of the items, e.g. toggle between REAL and CMPLX modes, etc.

3. The real keyboard could be re-configurable from some SETUP screen (except perhaps for the ON/OFF, arrow, and KEYBOARD keys to always let you maneuvre even if the rest of the keys are messed up). So, if I want an ANS key instead of the (-) key, I could change the layout. Besides, a (-) key is rather pointless since the regular minus sign is correctly understood as a unary operator where needed (at least in most examples I tried).

4. Be able to view a graph (and possibly completely use the calculator by pen) sideways so that the height of the screen is used for width. It gives some more room when needed.

The above is all from playing with the simulator. I'm still waiting for the real thing to come in, any day now.

tonyp AT acm.org

[CrimsonCasio]

you have some good ideas, especially #3, not only is (-) and - recognised as the same thing it actually is the same thing... if you do a GetKey on either of them it returns the same value no matter which one you pressed.