![]() |
MathU Pro 4.2for Windows MobileUser's Guide |
IMPORTANT: If you do not see any images and are running Windows XP you need to extract the files from the .zip archive before viewing. Open the .zip file and select "Extract All Files".
What is in this Manual?
This manual contains information on how to use MathU Pro. It describes how to access the features of MathU Pro including the program editor. For information on the functions included with MathU Pro, see the Programming and Function Reference. See the MathU Pro Solver Guide for information on how to use the Solver.
Contents
- What is MathU Pro?
- What's new in Version 4.2?
- Compatibility
- System Requirements
- Registration
- Installation
- Bundled programs
- Basic Operations and walkthrough
- Menus
- Preferences
- Basic Functions
- Support for square and landscape screens
- International Number Formats
- Viewing the Stack and Registers
- Changing the Active Program
- Installing and Sharing Programs
- Running a Program
- Programming MathU Pro
- The Program Editor
- The Program Debugger
- The MathU Pro Language
- The MathU Pro Functions
- An example program
- Legal Stuff
- Buy MathU Pro
- Contacting Creative Creek
What is MathU Pro?
Thank you for evaluating MathU Pro. MathU Pro is a state of the art programmable Reverse Polish Notation (RPN) scientific and financial calculator for Windows Mobile based handheld computers. It is made for professionals like you. With MathU Pro, you can harness the numerical power of the Windows Mobile handheld computer to solve your computational problems.
MathU Pro has over a hundred built-in functions and more can be added via programs. It is so easy to program, you can fully customize the keyboard to fit the way you work. All calculations are done in double precision (about 16 digits of accuracy). Programs are easy to write using the included editor and debugger. You can share your programs with friends and colleagues.
Personalize your copy of MathU Pro. Choose from nine different keyboard color schemes (two for B&W devices).
Technical specifications
- Powerful solver and equation editor.
- 121 built-in functions (including 5 financial functions and 8 statistical functions)
- Double precision accuracy.
- Personalizable color keyboard.
- Quickly switch between programs via a pop-up menu on the main screen.
- Drag & drop programming in the editor.
- Visual debugger.
- Assign your program functions to any key on the keyboard.
- Beam your programs to friends.
- Pop-up list of all the built-in functions on main keyboard
- 16 element stack
- 1044 memory registers (20 are global and 1024 are persistent and local to each program).
- Programs can contain up to 32000 lines, 255 labels, 255 strings (for CONST and SHOW) and can access up to 1024 variables, 20 global registers and the 16 element stack.
Comes bundled a units conversion set and calendar function set.
What's new in Version 4.2?
MathU Pro 4.2 adds a new layouts for tall, wide and landscape devices. The menu fonts have also been increased to make them easier to select using your finger. A minor bug was also fixed in the AND, OR, and XOR functions acting on negative numbers, the functions now correctly truncate to the chosen wordsize.
MathU Pro 4.1.5 was a bug fix release to improve the support for QVGA devices (320x320) devices like the Palm Treo.
MathU Pro 4.1.2 added support for more high resolution Windows Mobile devices including 320x320 screens.
MathU Pro 4.1 is a major release and includes all the changes made to MathU Pro for version 3.0 and version 4.0. With this release, the Palm OS and Windows Mobile versions are the same allowing easy sharing of programs between the two platforms. Also includes better support for the Mortage Program v1.1.
Programs from previous versions of MathU Pro are supported. Programs will be converted to version 4.0 programs after editing. Version 4.0 programs will work with MathU Pro 4.1 or higher but not earlier versions.
Thanks to everyone who submitted suggestions! Please keep them coming! Send any suggestions/comments you have to
.
Compatibility
There are no compatibility problems with running MathU Pro 2.3 or higher programs with MathU Pro 4.2
System Requirements
MathU Pro works on most devices running Windows Mobile 5.0 or higher. In general, MathU Pro works on any handheld device that is running Windows Mobile 5.0 that has a touch screen. MathU Pro will not run on devices running the Smartphone version or the Windows Mobile Standard edition (usually found on devices without a touch screen).
Registration
MathU Pro features a free 15 day trial. All the features of MathU Pro are available during the trial. The only difference between the trial and a registered version is that the registration screen no longer displays on startup. After the 15 day trial, the five key (5) becomes disabled. If you decide that you like MathU Pro, purchase a registration code to unlock it.
A registration code can be obtained by purchasing MathU Pro from Creative Creek, LLC. You must provide the user name shown in the registration screen to obtain a valid code. The code will be e-mailed to you a few days after registration.
To register your software, select the Display->Registration menu item to bring up the registration screen.
Use popup keyboard to enter the registration code you received in the mail into the field following "Reg. code:" and tap OK. If the code you typed in is accepted, a confirmation dialog will appear and the MathU Pro keyboard will be displayed. If you make a mistake in entering in the code, a dialog will indicate that the code wasn't valid and you will be given a chance to edit the code.
If for any reason you have trouble registering your software please contact
for assistance.
Installation
To install MathU simply unzip the archive you downloaded and use the install tool (or equivalent) to install all the .prc and .pdb files on your Palm device. On most systems, you can just double click the files to move them to the install tool.
You might also consider assigning the calculator button to bring up MathU Pro instead of the default calculator after syncing. To do this, go to the Prefs application, select Personal, and then Buttons. Select MathU Pro from the list next to the button you wish to reassign.
To uninstall MathU Pro, simply delete MathU Pro via the Palm applications screen.
Bundled programs
MathU Pro comes bundled with two programs: A unit conversion program (Units) and a calendar program. Use the Palm Desktop install tool (or equivalent) to install both mthUUnits.pdb and either Calendar.pdb (for DD/MM/YYYY style dates) or Calendar_US.pdb (for MM/DD/YYYY style dates) on your Palm device.
Units
The units conversion program supports eleven pairs of conversions:
- °F to/from °C
- ft to/from m (meters)
- in to/from cm
- miles to/from km
- sq ft to/from acre
- lbf (pound-force) to/from N (Newtons)
- lb (pound-mass) to/from kg
- oz to/from g (grams)
- BTU to/from J (Joules)
- atm to/from Pa (Pascals)
- gal to/from liters
Example: How much is 10 kg in lbs?
Ans: 10 f 4 produces 22.046 (to three digits)
The conversion factors are known to at least 6 significant digits and are embedded in the program. If you find more accurate conversion factors you can update the constants yourself. Please send us what you have found (to
) and we will update the constants in future versions of the Units program.
Calendar
The calendar program was written by John R Beasley. It provides calendar functions for MathU Pro similar to those available on other calculators. Here are his notes about the program:
Functions are provided that, given two of the following three factors, will calculate the third: one date, a second date, period between the dates. The same keys are used to enter a factor as to calculate that factor. This is achieved by using the input flag to detect whether or not a number has been entered.
Dates are entered as dd.mmyyyy in CALENDAR or as mm.ddyyyy for CALENDAR US.
The period between dates can be given either as a number of days or as a number of weeks & days as w.d. It is possible to convert to/from days from/to weeks & days as well.
Given a date, the day of the week can be calculated. 0 indicates Sunday, 1 Monday, etc.
Invalid dates of certain types are "corrected". For example, if 32 January 2000 is entered it will be converted to 1 February 2000. Dates should lie between 1 March 1900 and 28 February 2100. Beware that no error will be indicated if dates outside this are used.
The primary and secondary registers not used in the implementation. Registers A, B, C, D, M, T, U and Y are used.
Usage and examples
It is advisable to set the calculator display to 6 digit, fixed mode. These examples assume a dd.mmyyyy format for the dates.
- To calculate the period between 12 April 1961 and 21 July 1969.
- Type 12.041961 and press "D.MY1", the display will return with 12.041961 and show DAY 1.
- Type 21.071969 and press "D.MY2", the display will return with 21.071969 and show DAY 2.
- Press "Days" and read the result 3022 days.
- Press "W.DAY" to see this result as 431 weeks and 5 days (431.5). (Note these last two keys can be pressed in the reverse order if required.)
- To find the day of the week for a given date enter the date and press
- "->DOW". (To use one of the dates already entered above, just press "D.MY1" or "D.MY2" first then press "->DOW". For example, what day of the week was 12 April 1961? Press "D.MY1" and then "->DOW" to read 3 (i.e. Wednesday).
- To find the day of the week for another date just type it in an press "->DOW". For example, what day of the week was 1 January 2000?
- Enter 1.012000 and press "->DOW" and read 6 (Saturday).
- To find the date 200 days after 31 December 1999 proceed as follows:
- Enter 31.121999, press "D.MY1"
- Enter 200, press "DAYS"
- Press "D.MY2" and read 18.072000 (18 July 2000).
- What day of week is 18 July 2000? P
- press "D.MY2" and then press "->DOW" and read 2 (Tuesday).
Disclaimer
This program is provided without charge, warranty or liability. When using it the user assumes all responsibility for any damages caused, directly or indirectly, by its use.
User contributed function sets
More function sets like John R Beasley 's Calendar are available for download from the User Contributed Programs page on the Creative Creek web site. If you have any function set you've developed that you would like to share with other MathU Pro users, simply follow the submission steps mentioned on the web site.
Basic Operations
MathU Pro is based on Reverse Polish Notation (RPN). RPN differs from standard mathematical notation in that the numbers to be operated on are pushed onto a stack and then executed upon by a function. Hence the operation
12.5 + 7
is keyed as
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
The enter key is used to separate the two values. Most buttons on MathU Pro can access three functions. The function or number on the top of each button is accessed without shifts. The function just above the button is accessed by pressing the f-shift key
before pressing the button. The f-shift indicator will light in the display when the f-shift is active. Similarly to access the functions on the front of the buttons use the g-shift key
. The g-shift indicator will light in the display when the g-shift is active.
Most functions remember the last x register value used during a computation. This value can be accessed via the
button.
MathU Pro has a 16 element stack. The first four elements of this stack are referred to by the names x,y,z, and t.
The value of the x register is what is displayed.
MathU Pro Walkthrough
(A guide to the MathU Pro interface)
Menus
Main keyboard menus
(keypad screen)
- New Program: Open up the editor with a new program.
- New Solver: Open a new solver equation in the equation editor.
- Edit Program: Open up the editor with the currently active program. Switches to the list screen if MathU Pro is the currently active program.
- Debug Program: Open up the debugger with the currently active program. If the currently active program is a solver program, the Trace Debugger will open instead.
- Program list: Display the list of currently installed programs.
- About: Display information about MathU Pro.
(keypad screen)
- Stack: Display the stack and registers screen.
- Preferences: Display the preferences screen.
- Registration: Display the registration screen.
Editor menus
(editor screen)
- New Program: Close the current program and open a new one.
- Program List: Close the current program and display the program list screen.
- About: Display information about MathU Pro.
List screen menu
(list screen)
- New Program: Open the editor with a new program.
- New Solver: Open a new solver equation in the equation editor.
- Edit Program: Open the editor with the currently selected program.
- Debug Program: Open the debugger with the currently selected program.
- Refresh List: Look for programs and rebuild the list. Select this if you suspect that one or more programs are installed on your device but are not displayed in the list. It is unlikely that you will ever need to use this feature since MathU Pro will typically rebuild the list when necessary.
- About: Display information about MathU Pro.
Debugger screen menu
(debugger screen)
- Clear All Breakpoints: Remove all the breakpoints from the current program.
- Preferences: Open the preference screen.
- About: Display information about MathU Pro
Solver menu
(solver screen)
- Undo: Undo last editting operation.
- Cut: Copy selection to clipboard and then delete selected text.
- Copy: Copy selected text to the clipboard.
- Paste: Paste text from clipboard into current field.
- Clear Equation: Erase the equation field.
- Open In Editor Edit the automatically generated program associated with the current equation.
- About: Display information about MathU Pro
Preferences
The preference screen is displayed when you choose Display->Preferences from the menu or when you tap the degree indicator on the screen (see walkthrough above).
- Skin: Choose your desired color scheme from the list. Lists all loaded skins.
- Format: MathU Pro can display results in either fixed, scientific, or engineering format.
- Fixed format displays results with a fixed number of decimal digits but will over- or underflow to scientific notation if the value is too big or too small.
- Scientific format displays all results in scientific notation with a fixed number of decimal digits. Numbers in scientific notation are displayed as
which is interpreted as the number 1.234567890 x 1099.
- Engineering format is just like scientific format except that the exponent is always a multiple of three.
- Digits: Number of digits or All if you want all the significant digits to displayed. The number of digits displayed depends on the format. In scientific and fixed format, it is the number of digits after the decimal. In engineering format one more than the number chosen significant digits are displayed.
- Angles: Angle domain for trigonometric functions (see the Programming and Function Reference for details). The state of this preference is also indicated on the display.
- Base: Number base. When set to something other than DEC, a base domain indicator is drawn after the value in the display. The number base can also be changed directly from the keyboard using the HEX, DEC, OCT, or BIN functions.
- Payment: Financial annuity mode. Payments can be due at the beginning of the pay period (annuity due) or at the end of the period (ordinary annuity). The state of this preference is also indicated on the display.
- Binary bits: Number of bits to use for integer base functions like Hex, Oct, and Bin. Values larger than this number of bits will continue to be displayed. Execute an integer base function to truncate such integers to bring them into range.
- Quiet buttons: When selected, button presses will no longer click when pressed. The sound from errors, alarms, or from other applications are unaffected.
- Emulate 4 element stack. When selected, all stack operations from the keyboard act as if the stack only had 4 elements. Programs can still access all 16 registers of the stack even when this is selected.
- Show more stack values. When selected, MathU Pro tries to show as many stack values as will fit in the display.
Press OK to commit your changes. Press Cancel to leave them as they were.
Basic Functions
Numerals Change sign of mantissa or exponent. Start entering exponent Undo last character (or clear x register) Minus. Plus Times Divide Separate values and prepare x register to be overwritten MathU Pro allows you to input numbers using Graffiti. The characters 0 through 9, decimal, 'c', 'e' and the graffiti return character can be used instead of the numeric buttons,
,
,
, and
. The characters '+', '-', '*', '/' can be used instead of
,
,
and
. In hexadecimal mode, you can use the pop-up keyboard or a hardware keyboard to enter the letters A through F.
Support for square screens
If your device has a square screen, the interface for MathU Pro is slightly differerent to accommodate the smaller screen. Most notably the menus are accessible via the MENU button.
Square layout
Square screen menu (displayed after MENU is tapped)Support for landscape screens
If your device has a landscape (wide) screen, the interface for MathU Pro is slightly differerent to accommodate the additional space. Like the square layout, the menus are accessible via the MENU button. If your device supports it, you can switch between the portrait and landscape screens using the affordance provided by the system. MathU Pro will adapt.
Landscape layoutMathU Pro honors the number format chosen in the Regional Settings control panel (go to Settings->System->Regional Settings to access it). If you find that MathU Pro is displaying numbers using the wrong decimal or thousands separator, go to the Regional Settings application and choose a different locale from the pop-up menu.
For number formats that use the comma as the decimal separator, MathU Pro displays
instead of
for the decimal button. Changing the number format affects the way values are displayed.
Viewing the Stack and Registers
MathU Pro has 20 global registers -- 10 primary registers and 10 secondary registers. The secondary registers are used to store values for the financial and statistical functions or for your own programs. MathU Pro programs can also access another 26 local registers directly and up to 1024 local registers indirectly (see the Programming and Function Reference for details).
The 10 primary registers are accessed by pressing
or
and then the register number
through
. To access the secondary registers (registers 10 through 19) press
![]()
and then the register number
through
. Another way to access the secondary registers is to swap the primary and secondary registers with
and then use
or
(without the
).
The stack, registers, and variables can be viewed by choosing Display->Stack from the menu or by tapping the
key twice.
Choose OK to return to MathU Pro. Tap on Register, Stack, or Variables to see the values. Tap Hex, Dec, Oct, or Bin to view integer values stored in the registers in the chosen number base. Select an element from the list to push it onto the stack.
Changing the active program
The currently active program is displayed in the pop-up menu on the main keyboard
To change the active program and to change the labels on the assigned keys, tap the pop-up menu and select from the list.
The programs listed will depend on what you have installed on your Palm device.
SD Card Support: Programs can be stored in RAM memory, internal memory or on expansion cards (e.g., SD cards or memory sticks). Witin SD cards, the programs within the root directory or a PALM/Launcher directory (or its sub-directories) will be available. You can edit or run programs on the cards. In addition you can store MathU Pro on the SD card as well in order to save space in your internal RAM.
The program called "MathU Pro" is the default MathU Pro program and will always be available. To view and manage the currently installed programs, go to the Program List screen via the Tools->Program List menu item.
From this screen you can create new programs, edit programs, duplicate, or delete programs. See the topic below called "Programming MathU Pro" for details on how to edit programs. Tap and hold on an item in this list to edit, debug, or delete a program.
Installing and sharing programs
The programs for MathU Pro are distributed as Palm compatible databases (files with a .PDB extension) and have names starting with mthU. For example, the "My Program" program shown in the screen above is stored in a database called "mthUMy Program.PDB". You can find your programs in the My Device/My Documents/MathU Pro/ directory which is visible via the File Explorer on the device or the ActiveSync Explorer from your PC. Use the ActiveSync Explorer on an SD card to transfer MathU Pro programs to or from your PC.
To share a program with friends, copy the program to your PC and then enclose the MathU Pro program databases in e-mail, post them on a web site, or share them on floppies. The program database format is compatible with both the Palm OS and Windows Mobile versions of MathU Pro and can be used interchangeably with MathU Pro running on the two devices (as long as the versions match).
To install a program database, use the ActiveSync Explorer or an SD card.
If the newly installed program doesn't show up in the program list screen, select the Tools->Refresh List item from the list view menu.
To create your own programs, see the topic below called "Programming MathU Pro".
Running a program
Programs are run when an assigned key is pressed (see "Changing the key labels" below for how to assign a program to a key). While the program is running the word "run" appears in the display. Press one of the hardware scroll buttons or any key on the keyboard to stop a running program.
Programming MathU Pro
To create your own programs, use the editor. This is accessed either by the Program menu or the Program List screen.
Choose Tools->New Program or press the New button to create a new program. Select Tools->Edit Program or press the Edit button to edit the currently selected program. New programs are automatically populated with a few program steps to get you started.
The Program Editor
The program editor screen has three parts
- The current program listing is shown in the table on the left. The steps for the current program are shown here. The list is scrollable and you can use drag and drop to rearrange the steps in the program.
- The list of available functions is shown in the table on the right. The pop-up menu above the table allows you to display the possible functions by category. Graffiti can be used to quickly select functions in this list. Drag a function from here to the listing to add it to your program.
- The parameter area. This area is used by some of the functions to set parameter values. Appropriate user interface controls will become visible in this area when certain functions are selected in the listing table. A function with a finite set of parameter values will allow you select an appropriate value from a pop-up list, while functions with numeric or string parameters allow you to enter the parameter in a text field. The screen under Changing Key Labels shows and example of both types of parameter editors.
Adding steps to a program
To add a step to your program, select the desired function in the right table and drag it into position in the listing. Alternatively, press the Ins button to insert the selected function below the currently selected step in the listing. If no listing step is selected, the step is inserted before the first step.
Deleting steps from a program
To delete a step from your program, select the step you would like to delete from your program and then press the Del icon. This cannot be undone, so be careful when using the Del icon.
Duplicating steps in a program
To duplicate a step in your program, select the step you would like to duplicate in your program and then press the Copy icon button.
Rearranging steps in a program
To change the position of a step in your program, simply drag the step to its new position. When you get to the top or bottom of the table, the program will automatically scroll so you can get to any steps that may be hidden.
Changing the title of a program
Tap the Detail button to change the name of your program.
The program title is the name shown in the program list and the pop-up menu on the calculator keyboard. Select "Emulate 4 element stack " when your program depends on four element stack for proper operation.
Changing the key labels
The labels on the calculator keys can be changed for each program. This allows you to customize the MathU keyboard to only include functions that are useful to you. To assign a label to a key on the keyboard, press the interface control shown when the desired label step is selected
This displays the button assignment screen. Labels that have been assigned are bold in the editor.
When this program is active, the name given to each label is displayed on the assigned key in uppercase. Pressing the selected key runs the program starting with the assigned label.
Tap and highlight the f and g keys to assign a button to the f or g shifted location. Unhighlight both the f and g keys to assign a button to the unshifted key.
The exact button layout will reflect your currently selected skin:
You can assign a label to any key including keys that are not part of the square screen. MathU Pro will automatically map your assigned labels to another key (usually the first open key).
The Program Debugger
The program debugger screen has two parts
On the left is the program listing and breakpoint display. On the right is the registers, stack, and variables display. On the top is displayed the value of the x register or the selected item in the register display. As on the main keypad, tapping the angle indicator brings up the preference dialog. Tap the edit button if you wish to quickly go to the editor to change the program.
Setting breakpoints
To set a breakpoint, tap the small line in the gutter next to the step you wish to stop at. Tap again to unset the breakpoint. When the breakpoint is active, a small square is drawn next to the stop (as shown on line 012 in the picture above). The next line to be executed is selected in the debugger. To move the current line, just tap in the listing area (but not in the gutter).
Stepping in the debugger
Tap the "Step" button to execute the currently selected line. The current line will move to the next step in the program. The stack, registers, and variables will update to reflect the results of the step. To quickly execute several lines tap the "Go" button. Execution will proceed until a breakpoint is encountered or until the program is finished. You can stop the execution at anytime by tapping anywhere on the screen.
Debugging from the main screen
Tap the "On" button to leave the debugger screen and return to the main screen. When the debugger is on, it will open automatically when it hits a breakpoint is encountered. In addition, the statistics button will switch to the R/S button
so that you begin execution right from the keypad. In this case tapping R/S is the same as tapping the "Go" button in the debugger. When you are finished debugging your program, just go back to the debugger and tap the "Off" button.
The MathU Pro Language
The MathU Pro language is keystroke based. A program is a sequence of keystrokes (steps) that are invoked in response to pressing the assigned button. The possible steps include numerical functions, stack and register functions, as well as steps like IF or LOOP that can be used to affect the flow of a program or to execute a series of steps a number of times. See the Programming and Function Reference for a detailed description of the available functions.
A program can contain one or more labels which are locations in the program that you can jump to when a key on the keyboard is pressed or via GOTO or GOSUB. By preceding a label with a return statement you can effectively create self contained functions (see example below).
The MathU Pro Functions
The functions on the default keyboard and the functions available via programming are both covered in detail in the Programming and Function Reference.
An Example Program
Here is an example program that makes the hyperbolic functions available from the keyboard. This simple program shows how easy it is to configure MathU Pro to provide access to a function that isn't on the default keyboard.
001 label cosh (f7) 002 cosh 003 return 004 label acosh (g7) 005 acosh 006 return 007 label sinh (f8) 008 sinh 009 return 010 label asinh (g8) 011 asinh 012 return 013 label tanh (f9) 014 tanh 015 return 016 label atanh (g9) 017 atanh 018 returnLegal Stuff
Although care has been taken to insure a bug-free program, Creative Creek, LLC makes no warranty whatsoever, either implied or expressed, as to the correct functioning of this software. When using this software, the user assumes all responsibility for any damages caused, directly or indirectly, by its use.
MathU Pro is copyrighted. Copyright laws apply and the software shall be classified as proprietary material. The unregistered version may be given to your friends. If you want to include MathU Pro on your web site or to distribute it in any way, please contact us at
.
When you purchase MathU Pro you are granted a non-exclusive, nontransferable license to use the software and documentation for use in accordance with this License. This License allows use of the software by a single user unless otherwise specified by the description provided at time of purchase.
MathU Pro and Creative Creek are trademarks of Creative Creek, LLC. All other trademarks are of their respective owners.
Contacting Creative Creek
See the Creative Creek, LLC web site for up-to-date information about MathU Pro. If you have questions, suggestions, bug reports, or you just want to tell us how you much you like MathU Pro you can contact us at
or on the web at www.creativecreek.com.
Copyright © 1998-2010 by Creative Creek, LLC and Clay M. Thompson -- All rights reserved.
Last updated: 3-Sep-2010