My TK Wish List

What's on your TK wish list? What features would you like to see added? Post a comment here on this site or send me an email (todd@uts.com). Meanwhile, here are the top items on my list...

Multiple X-Axis Lists for Line Charts
This one wins, hands down.

Bring Back the TK Macro Language
The conversion from DOS to Windows meant some significant changes to TK and one feature that didn't make the transition was the TK Macro Language. TKML was similar to the syntax used in procedure functions but it provided access to all of the menus and commands as well as editing of every field. Using TKML, you could automate virtually anything you could do manually. I wouldn't need the keystroke recorder we had; just the macro language.

Table Functions
These would be similar to the current list functions except they would interpolate both vertically and horizontally within a table with multiple columns. The TK Library includes a function called inpol2 which does the bilinear interpolation calculations but it would be much nicer to have the process automated.

Word Wrap on Comment Subsheets
I'd like to be able to create my model documentation in a text editor or word processor and then be able to copy and paste it directly into a Comment Subsheet. Sure, it would also be nice if I could just type directly into the Comment Subsheet and not have to worry about electronic carriage returns.

Mathcad to TK File Conversion
I get asked about this one frequently. With some of my projects involving conversion of single-purpose Mathcad documents into flexible, backsolvable multi-purpose TK models, it would be nice if the process was automated. Excel to TK conversions are simple enough as I can simply copy cells and paste into the rule sheet and the equations appear automatically. Using the MathLook for Excel utility makes the process simpler because of the way it handles cell names. Similar ease in dumping Mathcad formulas into TK would be very nice.

There's my top 5. What are yours?

P.S. - There has been a lot work put in to the new Galaxy Knowledge Management System. Galaxy will let you package your TK models (and/or Excel spreadsheets) within Web-based applications. The results are jaw-dropping. Even old cobblers like me can create some pretty fancy interfaces with very little effort. I'm guessing that Galaxy is going to address quite a few items on some wish lists out there...

posted by Todd Piefer @ 4:30 PM