DreamCalc tm
Home Download Buy Now Support
User Guide: Contents Page Index of Functions

| # Keyboard Input
## Introduction You can use the keyboard to operate DreamCalc either by using keystrokes or by putting the calculator into the key focus mode. ### Keystrokes For many common tasks, using keystrokes is convenient and natural. For example, simply type "5 + (3 * 72) =", and you will see the keys depress automatically and the input appear in the numeric screen. Keystroke input is not the same as "free text", however. Functions, such as "sin", are accessed by single key press short-cuts rather than by typing the name (to input the sine function, you would simply press "S" rather than typing out "s-i-n"). This method of input allows for speedier input once you are familiar with some basic keystrokes (see below). It is also possible to use a combination of keyboard and mouse, for example you can press the keyboard SHIFT while clicking the calculator keys with the mouse. #### Keystroke Hints Right-click or hover your mouse over any key for function and keystroke information, as shown below. Right-Click on Keys for Help Key hint and cursor behavior can be modified from the Options Windows. #### Common Keystrokes A full list of input keystrokes is presented below. However, some notable keystrokes are: Press "E" for [EEX]. SPACE bar operates [+/(-)]. The SHIFT key corresponds to [SHIFT] on the keypad. ESC or DELETE for [AC] (All Clear). BACKSPACE for [<DEL]. Press "S", "C", "T" for Sin, Cos, Tan respectively. Press "R" for nth root function. ALT-S and ALT-R for [STO] & [RCL] respectively (see below). HOME key corresponds to [MODE]. CTRL-I & CTRL-M to directly store and recall the MEM register. LEFT and RIGHT arrows operate the [ENG] key. You can use CTRL-C & CTRL-V for copy/paste as normal. Characters inputs "* / - + ^ % ! ( )" correspond to applicable operations. Keys on the numeric section of your keyboard control the corresponding keys on the calculator keypad interface. ### Key Focus Mode Press TAB to toggle the key focus mode. In this mode, the key with input focus is surrounded by dotted rectangle. Key Input Focus Press ENTER to activate the focused key. This behavior is similar to that of standard Windows input controls, however you should use the arrow keys to move input focus rather than TAB. You can also use the HOME and END keys to jump to the top and bottom of the keypad respectively, and PAGE UP and PAGE DOWN to skip multiple rows. In key focus mode, keystrokes other than ENTER and the arrow keys, work as normal. Press TAB to leave the key focus mode. ## More About Keystrokes ### Using SHIFT from the Keyboard The keyboard SHIFT corresponds to the [SHIFT] key on the calculator. To access a shifted function, you should generally press the SHIFT keyboard key but release it prior to pressing the required function key. For example, to input the DOW function from the keyboard, type: SHIFT (release and then) "8" Inputs DOW (day of week - located on the [8] key). Releasing the SHIFT key before pressing the next key helps DreamCalc to distinguish your keyboard input properly. Often it won't matter, but in some cases keystrokes may otherwise conflict. For example, holding SHIFT while pressing "8" on the keyboard would normally input the multiply (*) operation instead of DOW, as the "*" character is normally located on the keyboard's "8" key and takes precedence. ### Store & Recall Keys Press ALT-S and ALT-R for the [STO] and [RCL] keys respectively, followed by the key naturally representing the memory register you require. DreamCalc will know that the following key press should correspond to a memory register, rather than a function. For example: ALT-S then "M" Stores the current value to the MEM register. or, ALT-R then "E" Recalls the value stored the E register. ### Keystroke Reference #### Scientific Keys The following lists default input keystrokes for each function. If the calculator is in base-N mode or the financial keypad is in use, other keystrokes may take precedence however (see below). Toggle keypad roll-up Keystroke: UP ARROW (or DOWN ARROW) Shift function key Keystroke: SHIFT CONST Access scientific constants on numerical keys Keystroke: K ENG SI engineering form (press repeatedly) Keystroke: LEFT ARROW (or RIGHT ARROW) MODE On-screen menus. Press again for next screen Keystroke: HOME S-MODE Change statistical mode Keystroke: SHIFT then HOME COPY/PASTE Copy or paste value from calculator Keystroke: CTRL+C / CTRL+V Close DreamCalc Keystroke: ALT+F4 POLY Polynomial solver Keystroke: X Calculate nCr permutations Keystroke: SHIFT then X S-SUM Statistical SUM function menu Keystroke: ALT+U <n> nPr <r> Calculate nPr permutations Keystroke: ALT+F8 S-VAR Statistical VAR function menu Keystroke: ALT+V PG <z> Gaussian integral over range [-INF, z] Keystroke: ALT+F9 S-DIST Statistical DIST function menu Keystroke: ALT+D QG <z> Gaussian integral over range [0, z] Keystroke: ALT+F10 DAT Add value to statistical data list Keystroke: INSERT or ALT+ENTER RG <z> Gaussian integral over range [z, +INF] Keystroke: SHIFT then INSERT Separator for complex or list input values Keystroke: "," (comma) or ";" (semicolon) or ":" (colon) zs <r> Standard z-score for two-sided confidence level r Keystroke: SHIFT then "," (comma) or ALT+Z <x>^-1 Inverse of x (1/x) Keystroke: ALT+1 or ALT+NUM 1 <x>! Factorial of x Keystroke: "!" (exclam) sqrt <x> Square root of x Keystroke: Q P->R <r + ti> Polar to rectangular coordinate Keystroke: SHIFT then Q or ALT+F11 <x>² Square of x Keystroke: ALT+2 or ALT+NUM 2 R->P <x + yi> Rectangular to polar coordinate Keystroke: ALT+F12 <x> ^ <y> Raise to any power Keystroke: "^" (hat) <n> root <x> Calculate nth root of x Keystroke: R log <x> Base 10 logarithm of x Keystroke: O or ALT+L 10^<x> Calculate 10 raised to power x Keystroke: SHIFT then O ln <x> Natural logarithm of x Keystroke: L exp <x> Calculate e raised to power x Keystroke: SHIFT then L a b/c Input or convert to natural fraction Keystroke: Z d/c Convert to improper fraction Keystroke: SHIFT then Z DMS Input or convert to degrees, minutes & seconds Keystroke: ? or "'" (apostrophe) <base> logB <x> Logarithm in any base Keystroke: ALT+B hyp Hyperbolic function (i.e. [hyp]+[sin]) Keystroke: H sin <x> Sine (sinh with [hyp] key) Keystroke: S asin <x> Arc-sine (asinh with [hyp] key) Keystroke: SHIFT then S cos <x> Cosine (cosh with [hyp] key) Keystroke: C acos <x> Arc-Cosine (acosh with [hyp] key) Keystroke: SHIFT then C tan <x> Tangent (tanh with [hyp] key) Keystroke: T atan <x> Arc-Tangent (atanh with [hyp] key) Keystroke: SHIFT then T DATE Input or convert to date value Keystroke: D or # STO Store a value to memory registers MEM, 0-9 or A-F Keystroke: ALT+S arg <a + bi> Argument (polar angle) Keystroke: A RCL Recall a value from memory registers MEM, 0-9 or A-F Keystroke: ALT+R abs <a + bi> Absolute value (magnitude) Keystroke: ALT+A Open parenthesis (or RPN stack roll up) Keystroke: PAGE UP or ( or [ <a + bi> : conj Conjugate of complex value (CPLX mode only) Keystroke: SHIFT then PAGE UP or ALT+C Close parenthesis (or RPN stack roll down) Keystroke: PAGE DOWN or ) or ] M+ Add x to MEM memory Keystroke: SHIFT then PAGE DOWN or ALT+NUM PLUS or ALT+"+" (plus) X<>Y Exchange X and Y stack values Keystroke: ALT+Y M- Subtract x from MEM memory Keystroke: ALT+NUM MINUS or ALT+"-" (minus) Numeric digit Keystroke: 7 or NUM 7 DOY <date> Day of year (Jan 1st is 1) Keystroke: SHIFT then 7 or SHIFT then NUM 7 Numeric digit 8 Keystroke: 8 or NUM 8 DOW <date> Day of week (Monday is 1) Keystroke: SHIFT then 8 or SHIFT then NUM 8 Numeric digit 9 Keystroke: 9 or NUM 9 WKNO <date> Week number Keystroke: SHIFT then 9 or SHIFT then NUM 9 Backspace Keystroke: BACKSPACE CLRMEM Clear memory options Keystroke: ALT+ESC All Clear Keystroke: ESC or DELETE Numeric digit 4 Keystroke: 4 or NUM 4 <f-date> 30/360 <t-date> Difference of dates using 30/360 rule Keystroke: SHIFT then 4 or SHIFT then NUM 4 Numeric digit 5 Keystroke: 5 or NUM 5 <f-date> 30E/360 <t-date> Difference of dates using 30/360E rule Keystroke: SHIFT then 5 or SHIFT then NUM 5 Numeric digit 6 Keystroke: 6 or NUM 6 TODAY Today's date & time Keystroke: SHIFT then 6 or SHIFT then NUM 6 Multiply Keystroke: NUM MULTIPLY or "*" (multiply) <a + bi> : real Real part of complex value Keystroke: ALT+NUM MULTIPLY Divide Keystroke: NUM DIVIDE or "/" (divide) <a + bi> : imag Imaginary part of complex value Keystroke: ALT+NUM DIVIDE Numeric digit 1 Keystroke: 1 or NUM 1 <x> MOD <y> Modulo of 2 arguments Keystroke: SHIFT then 1 or SHIFT then NUM 1 or M Numeric digit 2 Keystroke: 2 or NUM 2 <x> LCM <y> Least common multiple of 2 arguments Keystroke: SHIFT then 2 or SHIFT then NUM 2 Numeric digit 3 Keystroke: 3 or NUM 3 <x> GCD <y> Greatest common denominator of 2 arguments Keystroke: SHIFT then 3 or SHIFT then NUM 3 Add Keystroke: NUM PLUS or "+" (plus) <x> : iPart Integer part of number Keystroke: I or ALT+G Subtract Keystroke: NUM MINUS or "-" (minus) <x> : fPart Fraction part of number Keystroke: F or ALT+J Numeric digit 0 Keystroke: 0 or NUM 0 Rnd Rounds value to display precision Keystroke: SHIFT then 0 or SHIFT then NUM 0 Decimal point Keystroke: "." (period) or NUM DECIMAL DRGC Convert input to the units of the calculator's angle mode Keystroke: SHIFT then "." (period) or SHIFT then NUM DECIMAL Toggle sign or input (-) in MAL mode Keystroke: SPACE Ans Last answer (or LastX in RPN) Keystroke: SHIFT then SPACE or ALT+X Input exponent value (also PI) Keystroke: E or P NUM Additional number theory functions Keystroke: SHIFT then E or SHIFT then P or ALT+K Enter or equals Keystroke: ENTER or "=" (equals) <x>% Percentage value calculation Keystroke: SHIFT then ENTER or % #### Financial Keypad If the financial keypad is in use, the following inputs take precedence. n# {i%, PV, PMT, FV} Number of payments register Keystroke: N 12× Enter 12*x to the number of payments register Keystroke: SHIFT then N i# {n, PV, PMT, FV} Interest rate register Keystroke: I 12÷ Input x/12 to the interest rate register Keystroke: SHIFT then I PV# {n, i%, PMT, FV} Present value register Keystroke: V EAR <m-rate%> Effective annual rate Keystroke: SHIFT then V PMT# {n, i%, PV, FV} Payment amount register Keystroke: M EMR <y-rate%> Effective monthly rate Keystroke: SHIFT then M FV# {n, i%, PV, PMT} Future value register Keystroke: F INT {n, i%, PV} Calculate simple interest Keystroke: SHIFT then F NPV Net present value & related functions menu Keystroke: END BEG/END Toggle compound interest mode Keystroke: SHIFT then END or B IRR {cash-flow} Internal rate of return Keystroke: W SL <period> {n, PV, FV} Straight-line depreciation Keystroke: SHIFT then W MIRR <risk%> {i%, cash-flow} Modified internal rate of return Keystroke: U SOYD <period> {n, PV, FV} Sum of years digit depreciation Keystroke: SHIFT then U <f-date> PRICE <t-date> {n, i%, PMT} Calculate bond price as percentage of par Keystroke: P DB <period> {n, PV, FV} Declining balance depreciation Keystroke: SHIFT then P <f-date> YTM <t-date> {n, PV, PMT} Calculate bond yield to maturity Keystroke: Y AMORT <period> {i%, PV, FV} Amortize payments calculation Keystroke: SHIFT then Y CF0 Input initial cash-flow value Keystroke: ALT+0 or ALT+NUM 0 ROI {i%, cash-flow} Return on investment Keystroke: ALT+N CFj Input consecutive cash-flow values Keystroke: J Nj <N> Add N repetitions of last cash-flow input Keystroke: SHIFT then J #### Base-N Mode In the base-N mode, the following inputs take precedence. KB Show Kilobytes & multiples of 1024 Keystroke: LEFT ARROW (or RIGHT ARROW) DEC Set decimal radix Keystroke: F7 HEX Set hex radix Keystroke: F8 BIN Use binary radix Keystroke: F9 OCT Use octal radix Keystroke: F10 <x> : SL Integer shift left Keystroke: < or ALT+LEFT ARROW <x> : SR Integer shift right Keystroke: > or ALT+RIGHT ARROW LOGIC Base-N logic function menu Keystroke: G Open parenthesis (or RPN stack roll up) Keystroke: PAGE UP or ( or [ Memory register A and base-N digit Keystroke: A <x> REM <y> Integer remainder Keystroke: % or M or SHIFT then A Memory register B and base-N digit Keystroke: B <x> AND <y> Integer bitwise AND operator Keystroke: & or ALT+A or SHIFT then B Memory register C and base-N digit Keystroke: C <x> OR <y> Integer bitwise OR operator Keystroke: vert-bar or O or SHIFT then C Memory register D and base-N digit Keystroke: D NOT <x> Integer bitwise NOT operator Keystroke: "!" (exclam) or "~" (tilda) or N or SHIFT then D Memory register E and base-N digit Keystroke: E <x> XOR <y> Integer bitwise XOR operator Keystroke: X or SHIFT then E Memory register F and base-N digit Keystroke: F <x> XNOR <y> Integer bitwise XNOR operator Keystroke: R or SHIFT then F See also: Calculator Input Style |