OVER 2 YOU 196 (07/09/04)

ORIENTEERING SOFTWARE

I am looking for a database program to mark and calculate the scores for an orienteering type competition that is easy to use and that can be used in a stand-alone capacity as not every one wants to load whole programs onto their computers. I've already devised a routine using Excel, which works well for me, but is a little complicated for others to use.

Mike Rennie, via email

I suggest that your correspondent has a look at the British Orienteering Federation’s software resources page, which you will find at the following web address: www.james.head.btinternet.co.uk/

software.html. The site has details of many specially written freeware, shareware and commercial programs that should suit his needs.

Alan Harding, via email

Mike Rennie is spoilt for choice. There are more than fifty orienteering programs listed at: www.orienteering.org/software.htm. As well as links to the authors web sites there is a brief description of what each program does along with the hardware and operating system requirements and what, if anything, it costs.

Chris Teller, via email

Details of a number of custom designed programs for organising orienteering events can be found at: www.sportsoftware.de/eng/olsw.html.

S. Rayner, via email

MAGIC LANTERN SLIDES

I have a number of Magic Lantern Glass slides, specifically of early railway locomotives (2.25 inches square positive negative type) that I would like to catalogue. I would like to download these digitally on to my PC via my scanner, if that is possible! I have experimented with a light over the slide placed on the open lid of the scanner and can get an image that unfortunately does not do the slide print justice. Has anyone been successful in producing prints from glass slides of this type, if so can they give me any advice?

Peter White, Richmond, North Yorkshire!

I have successfully copied about thirty lantern slides using an Epson flat bed scanner 1240U with film attachment. They were up to a hundred years old and sepia coloured but they printed out well in black and white.

Peter Readings, via email

I have not found it possible to scan glass negatives or positives on my flatbed scanner, but I have had great success by putting them on a light box and covering all but the picture area with a black mask. Then using a digital camera on a tripod I copy the slide at the maximum resolution. The light source does not matter for black and white subjects but coloured ones may need some adjustment.

Keith Markham, via email

Good printed results can be achieved using a program such as Adobe Photoshop Elements or PaintShop Pro, and setting the scanner to a very high resolution, it worked for me. Scan with the lid closed, and with a white sheet over the slide if the inside of the lid is not white. Set the scanning resolution to at least 1200 dots per inch, and set to Colour scan.

If using Elements (PaintShop is very similar), convert the resultant picture to black and white using Image > Mode > Grayscale, unless you wish to keep the original colouring. If the picture on screen is negative, convert it to positive using Image > Adjustments > Invert. The picture on screen (assuming it hasn't been zoomed) will be the same size as the original, but with the very high resolution selected when scanned. The width and height can be increased to (say) A4 size by reducing the resolution, using Image > Resize > Image size.

In the Image size dialogue box, make sure there are ticks next to Constrain proportions and Resample Image. Then alter either the width or height to a little less than the dimensions of an A4 sheet of paper (to allow for printing margins), and click OK. Note that Portrait or Landscape orientation can be selected depending on how the dimensions are selected.

Brightness and contrast can be adjusted using Enhance > Brightness/Contrast > Brightness/Contrast or Enhance > Brightness/Contrast > Levels. The second procedure gives a better result but it is less obvious how to use - the Help program is reasonably clear, though.

Other clever tools in Elements and PaintShop allow areas of a picture to be selectively improved, such as covering over blemishes, sharpening, and so on.

Trevor Grindrod, via email

EXCEL ANNOYANCE

Using Excel I am frustrated by the limits of three conditions under "Conditional Formatting" and seven nested formulae. I use conditional formatting to ascribe different colours to parts of a horizontal bar used for planning and need more than three. A seven-deep nested formula is also seriously restricting. I've tried QuattroPro12 and OpenOffice and searched the discussion pages without luck. Any suggestions?

Michael Falter, via email

For information about Conditional Formatting with more than 3 conditions go to:

http://rhdatasolutions.com/ConditionalFormatVBA/. For the maximum of 7 nested formula see: www.cpearson.com/excel/nested.htm

Barbara Wiseman, via email

You can have many more levels by using Visual Basic and I include two examples (see below) that apply formatting depending on the cell contents.

Sub SimpleColours()
For Each c In ActiveSheet.UsedRange
With c.Interior
.ColorIndex = c.Value
.Pattern = xlSolid
End With
Next
End Sub

Sub ComplexColours()
For Each c In ActiveSheet.UsedRange
If Application.WorksheetFunction.IsNumber(c.Value) = True Then
Select Case c.Value
Case Is < 0
output_Colour = 5
output_Pattern = xlSolid
Case 0 To 10
output_Colour = 20
output_Pattern = xlNone
Case Is > 10
output_Colour = 55
output_Pattern = xlSolid
End Select
With c.Interior
.ColorIndex = output_Colour
.Pattern = output_Pattern
End With
End If
Next
End Sub

In the SimpleColours macro, the cell value itself is used to set the cell colour and works with small whole numbers. In ComplexColours, I show how the user can set colours for ranges of conditional values.

You can run such a macro automatically by putting it in the worksheet's "OnChange" event or the "OnCalculate" event. Either way, it would slow Excel down, so it's better to use a macro button or the menu Tools>Macros.

In reality, both macros would need to deal with other cell contents; ComplexColours for example does not affect cells containing text. But there is really no limit. However, for most Excel users, three levels are enough and I disagree even more strongly with Michael Falter's statement that seven nested formulae are "restricting". That is more than enough - if you need that many sub formulae, the spreadsheet is very error prone and hard to debug. Better to break down such a complex formula into individual cells, maybe hidden or on different sheets, or build a custom function in Visual Basic.

John Beardsworth, via email

CAN YOU HELP?

I have recently bought a house with a very boring garden that is almost all lawn. I would welcome suggestions for a good garden design program that will allow me to play around with various designs before actually digging?

Peter Marshall, via email

Can anyone recommend a simple PC program so that my Father (who is 80 years old) can compose music on the treble staves, the program will insert appropriate bass notes, and then listen to the composition on the PC before printing it out.

Dorothy Wallis, Chester