[macvoiceover] Re: A quick look at Numbers.
- From: Ian Edwards <ianedwards42@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: Mac Voiceover list Mac Voiceover List <macvoiceover@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 23 Jan 2014 09:51:25 -0700
Thanks Keith, good prmer, people just getting into spreadsheets should pay
attention to it and follow the steps, save yourself some head scratching.
An advantage to Numbers with Voiceover is that the headers are read out as you
arrow through. So for example if you’re 30 or 40 rows deep and 20 columns over
you don’t have to remember which record you’re on. I’ve had some issues
converting rows and columns into headers when I added them later, mostly this
was from inattention.
On the issue of a spreadsheet vs. a true database, most people switch to a
database once the spreadsheet becomes unweildy. For example, my volunteer hours
tracking spreadsheet for the renovation phase of our cafe opening had about 90
columns for dates, and 70 rows for volunteer name. I then had to create
formulas to add up the numbers, and if I wanted to find out if Steve worked on
August 23, I would have to arrow down to his row, then arrow over to August 23
and read if there was a number there for how many hours I logged for him.
Voiceover reads out the dates as I go, because I put them in a header row.
In a database, the information from the table is presented differently. To use
my previous example, Steve would have a record that presents all the
information in his row in a usable form. Like Steve’s contact information, and
than a list of the days he worked and his total hours. Basically it leaves out
all the blanks that you would have to arrow through. If you set it up right,
you can also have the database report on another variable, like the record of
each date or event. So instead of scrolling through my Evernote list of the
people who came to the volunteer appreciation party, I would ask the database
for everyone who had that date or event associated with their record.
This isn’t an issue for small amounts of data, I decided that for the 90 or so
dates and the 70 or so volunteers, and the types of information I would need to
query, as long as I had the total hours a volunteer worked being calculated
automatically, it was no big deal to scroll around with the arrow keys. I’m
right at the threshold of the data becoming unweildy, as we’ve added in another
40 or so volunteers, and now would like to include on their record whether or
not they were part of the renovation crew, what shifts they are available for
etc. This is the threshold for whether or not I learn and build a database or
stick with a spreadsheet. Bento was looking good for this, but it went away.
I’m actually glad I’m not on Windows anymore, as I would be tempted to go back
to Microsoft Access, which is a beast. So now I’m looking for a simple
accessible database.
Cheers, hope this laying out of thoughts was helpful.
Ian
On Jan 23, 2014, at 8:43 AM, Keith Reedy <wa9dro@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> Ian and others,
>
> This is old, but, as far as I know it still works mostly this way,
> SNIP!
>
> I am going to give this a shot. Try to use the information I supply to do
> what you want to do with numbers. I am not good at spread sheets, but, here
> goes.
>
> The thing I do most with numbers is to create databases.
>
> When you open numbers it opens to a layout area, interact twice. Now you can
> move through these cells with just the arrowkeys.
> Row 1 along the top is the header cells which allow you to name the columns.
>
> Column 1 will allow you to name the rows.
>
> Column 1 row 1 I mite put name of food
>
> column 2 row 1 how do you like it.
> column 3 row 1 I would put how much do you want.
>
> Now, lets go back to column 1 row 1 and downarrow once to row 2 just under
> kind of food and I would put bacon.
>
> arrow once to the right and you will hear, bacon how do you like it and I
> would start typing fried.
>
> arrow once again to the right and you will hear, bacon how much do you want
> and I would start typing, lots
>
> Now, you can go back to column 1 and arrow down once to the next row and type
> the name of another food, lets say stake and arrow once to the right and it
> will say stake and ask how do you like it and again and it will say stake and
> ask you how much and so on
>
> Each layout area will have 13 columns and 45 rows and if that is not enough,
> you can add what you need.
>
> I hope that this will be of some help to you folks.
>
> Keith Reedy.Click the link below to download MP3's of Keith Reedy's music as
> a gift from Bibles For The Blind.
>
> http://biblesfortheblind.org/download_music.shtml
>
> God gives His best to those who leave the choice with Him. J Hudson Taylor.
>
>
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