Readme File for Version 1.5 of Timeslab for STAT 626


  Version 1.5 of timeslab contains bug fixes and additional
features relative to the original version. 

  The book and software are now out of print and I have
obtained all copyright rights. 


Contents of times15.exe
-----------------------

  1. readme:  This file

  2. timeslab.exe: the executable of version 1.4 of timeslab

  3. *.mac: a large number of macros, including all the ones
            that came with the book plus some new ones 

  4. *.dat: The data files that come with the book

  5. tslabhlp: The help file for timeslab

  6. tslfnt.bin: The font file for version 1.4

  7. errata.tex: an errata sheet for the book


Installing Version 1.5
-----------------------

  times15.exe is a self-extracting archive of version 1.5 of
timeslab. You should place the file times15.exe in a subdirectory called
timeslab and then issue the command times15 from that directory.

  In order for timeslab to work properly, you must place the line

    device=c:\windows\command\ansi.sys

in your config.sys file.


Features of Version 1.5
-------------------------

Introduction
-------------

   TIMESLAB version 1.5 is an update to the original TIMESLAB program
distributed with the "TIMESLAB: A Time Series Analysis Laboratory" book
published by Wadsworth & Brooks/Cole Publishing Company.

Errors and Corrections
-----------------------

   Bugs in the TIMESLAB commands COEFFCSD, ARMADT, SEASEST and SEASPRED
have been fixed. An errata sheet for TIMESLAB (file ERRATA.TEX) has been
included in this package. The errata sheet is written in TeX and should
be TeX'd and printed.


Contour and 3D Plots
---------------------

   Two new commands have been added to TIMESLAB. They are CONTOUR and
PLOT3D. CONTOUR will plot contour plots of any function while PLOT3D
will plot a function in 3-D with a user specified viewpoint. Use the
TIMESLAB HELP command for an explanation of syntax and use of these two
commands. The macro GRAPH.MAC is a demonstration of how to use PLOT3D 
and CONTOUR.

Printing high resolution graphs via PLOTK
------------------------------------------

   The command PLOTK has been expanded. PLOTK can now generate high
resolution plots on HP LaserJet compatible printers. The plots can
have a resolution of up to 2000 x 2000. Use the TIMESLAB HELP command
for information on the use and syntax of the command PLOTK. Note,
however, that the command will not directly dump the plot to the
LaserJet.  Instead, a user specified file is created that contains the
plot. To actually print the plot the file must be dumped to the printer
in "binary" mode. One way to accomplish this is with the DOS command:

       C:> COPY FNAME.HP LPT1: /b

FNAME.HP is the file created by PLOTK (the actual file name is specified
as a parameter in PLOTK). The above assumes that the LaserJet is
connected to parallel port 1. Note that the file TSLFNT.BIN is required
to generate high resolution laser plots.

Retrieving previously typed commands
-------------------------------------

   TIMESLAB now keeps a "command history buffer." That is, the 20 most
recently typed commands are stored for retrieval and editing. This allows
the user to reissue the same or similar commands without having to
retype the entire command. To restore a previously issued command, hit
the up (or down) arrow key until the command is located. In addition to
the "command history buffer", several editing features have been
incorporated into TIMESLAB to facilitate the editing of old commands. Use
the TIMESLAB HELP command for a detailed explanation of these features.
The help is located under the entry "HISTORY" (ie. type HELP(HISTORY)
from the TIMESLAB prompt for help on the "command history buffer").

Easier issuing of DOS commands
-------------------------------

   DOS commands can now be executed directly from TIMESLAB without the
need of the TIMESLAB DOS command. Any command entered on the TIMESLAB
prompt that starts with a '!' is assumed by TIMESLAB to be a DOS
command. So, for example, the above COPY command could be executed from
TIMESLAB as follows:

       ?!COPY FNAME.HP LPT1: /b

where ? is the TIMESLAB prompt. Another example would be:

       ?!\COMMAND

which will execute a secondary DOS command processor. This is
functionally equivalent to the TIMESLAB DOS command but has the slight
advantage of giving one the "correct" prompt.

Using expressions as arguments to commands
--------------------------------------------

   One the biggest problems with TIMESLAB was the inability to specify
expressions as inputs to functions. This is now possible, though the
procedure is not quite as "clean" as could be wished for. For example
the following statement was illegal in TIMESLAB version 1.0:

       ?x=SIN(2*pi)

TIMESLAB required the above to be coded as follows:

       ?tmp = 2*pi
       ?x = SIN(tmp)

TIMESLAB can now evaluate expressions as part of a function, HOWEVER,
the expression MUST be delimited by brackets ('{' and '}'). So, for
example, the above commands could be coded as follows:

       ?x = SIN({2*pi})

What the bracket delimiters actually do is tell TIMESLAB to evaluate
whatever is between them first (just as if they had been typed on a
separate line) and assign the result to a temporary variable (created
by TIMESLAB). Brackets can be nested. A more complicated example of
using the bracket delimiters would be:

       ?z = {SIN({{x^2+y^2}^.5})} + {.5/{x+c}}

The above example illustrates another use of the brackets. Brackets
allow functions to become a part of an expression. For example:

       ?z = {SIN(pi)} + 3

The brackets around the SIN(pi) function are necessary since this
assigns the result of SIN(pi) to a temporary variable that can then be
used as part of the expression.

Displaying a variable by typing its name
------------------------------------------

   TIMESLAB will now display a variable (scalars and arrays) by just
typing its name at the TIMESLAB prompt. For example:

       ?z
       z=3.00000

       ?{sin(1.57)}
       tmp%1=1.00000

Multiple commands on a single line
-----------------------------------

   Multiple TIMESLAB commands now can be entered on a single
line. The commands must be delimited by brackets and be preceded by a
'@'. So, for example, the following is valid:

       ?@ {i = 0} {j = 0} {list(i,j)}

and is equivalent to:

       ?i = 0
       ?j = 0
       ?list(i,j)