Brother Ensemble PDP-100J, Owner'S Manual

Page: 168 / 440

Spreadsheet 154
Placeholder arguments
When you insert a function in a cell, you can automatically insert
placeholders for the arguments. For example, when you insert the PMT
function, the placeholders remind you to enter the principal amount,
interest rate, and term of the loan, as shown in the illustration below.
Since each function has different arguments, the placeholders can help
you remember what arguments to enter for a particular function. After
inserting the function, you replace the placeholders with the actual
arguments you want to use, as shown in the illustration below.
If you are pasting a function into the Edit Area, you must replace the
placeholder arguments with the values or cell addresses you want to use
in the calculation. If you want to use a fixed valueĊfor example term, the
length of the loan in monthsĊyou replace TERM with the value for the
term of the loan, for example 48 (the number of monthly payments in 4
years).
It is important to enter the arguments in a specific orderĊthe order shown
in the dialog box and in Appendix A of this manual. Inserting
placeholders will help you to remember the order in which to enter
arguments.
Entering built–in functions
To include a built-in function in a formula, you can either type the
function and all of its arguments, or you can insert the function using the
Insert Function choice on the Formula menu. When you use the Insert
Function choice, you have the additional option of inserting placeholder
arguments.
To insert a function using the Formula menu:
1. Select the cell where you want the result of the calculation to appear.
2. Choose Insert Function from the Formula menu.
3. Select the function you want to use from the Functions list on the right.
You can select a function type from the list on the left so that the
Functions list shows only functions of the type you select.
4. Select the Paste Arguments option (the default) if you want to insert
placeholder arguments with the Function.