Re: [WP34s] Complex number display Message #14 Posted by fhub on 6 Jan 2013, 7:00 a.m., in response to message #13 by Paul Dale
Quote:
You haven't thought this suggestion through anything like enough.
Of course my idea was just a first thought - only you know what and where anything has to be done to make it work correctly.
Quote:
Program mode doesn't know if numeric entry is in progress or not when CPX is pressed. In fact it cannot know, consider this sequence in a program:
x=0?
1
CPX
What should CPX do here?
I guess you mean 'entering a program' but not 'running a program' with 'program mode', correct?
Well, when entering a program there's no 'numeric entry mode' at all, each digit you enter is immediately stored as separate program step. So how should your sequence above be any problem?
Of course my idea for complex number input with "Re [CPX] Im" is only working in manual/calculator mode, not while entering a program - in a program a complex number has to be entered as it is currently.
So there's of course also no reason to make this CPX an extra op-code.
Quote:
CPX digit pair would become problematic. That CPX 3 I typed doesn't always enter 0 and 3 onto the stack anymore. It depends on what came before.
Despite of the fact that this CPX digit won't be used very often (at least IMO), it still would work exactly the way you already mentioned: it does depend on being in 'complex number input state' or not.
Quote:
We'd need another annunicator to indicate the tri-state nature of the CPX key -- something completely new in the user interface and probably different enough to be considered an exception which is something we try really hard to avoid.
Why tri-state?? CPX would use this indicator only when in input mode, and then only check if it has already been pressed or not (i.e. if it's the first time in which case it would just expect the imaginary part).
Edit: I've overlooked the 'annunciator' at the first read. Well, no extra annunciator needed - just push the previously entered real part to the alpha display when you press [CPX] to start the imaginary part entry.
But of course it's your decision, I just wanted to express my idea how such a (IMO more natural) complex number input could be realized.
Going in the background again, ;-)
Franz
Edited: 6 Jan 2013, 8:27 a.m. after one or more responses were posted
|