An example of advanced electronic macro spreadsheet programming

Abstract

The range of use of electronic spreadsheets to the solution of engineering problems is increasing with the advancements in spreadsheet software and computer hardware. The recent introduction of macro spreadsheets has added problem-solving capabilities of considerable power to spreadsheet applications. This paper illustrates the potential of these macros by presenting a macro spreadsheet solution to a difficult engineering problem: the transient surface wave profile for unsteady flow in a prismatic open channel as solved by the method of characteristics. Command macros, function macros, subroutine macros, formatting, interaction with the user, and data file usage are all involved in the program. The solution utilizes several separate, but interconnected, macro spreadsheets; this assists the user in debugging the program and in making future modifications. Key words: computers, spreadsheets, macro programming, open channel flow, method of characteristics.