Using Word for Calc Reports? Try Blockpad instead!
With Blockpad, you can have your calculations and your report in one place. No more digging through a 30 page report manually changing every last value just because one load changed in the project.
Real math, real word processor
Blockpad is not just a dainty calculator inside Word, and it's not just math software with some simple text boxes. It's a real calculation tool and a real word processor!
All of the calculation tools you need
Blockpad is first and foremost calculation software. That's what it is built for! Since it's not a secondary add-on to an existing word processor tool, it has all of the calculation tools you need for engineering work at a practical level. Also, since the calculations are very similar to Excel, it's really easy to get started.
A spreadsheet under the hood
Blockpad works a lot like a spreadsheet. You press the equals sign for an equation, you type in a formula, you can reference other values in the file, and you can use standard spreadsheet functions like Sqrt(), Max(), or Vlookup().
Built for engineering
Importantly, Blockpad also includes functionality that has engineers at top of mind, like easily named values, units intelligence, and math in readable equations.
Once you've typed the formula in, it appears in math notation by default. No more wrestling with an equation editor.
Blockpad can also handle more complex tasks with features like custom functions, arrays, matrix math, numerical solving, and in-line programming. Although it's simple to get started, there is a lot of depth to the software.
Serious word processing tools
Typing in Blockpad actually works like normal word processors. As you type onto the page, the text goes in line-by-line and will shift everything below it down.
Paragraphs and formatting
Like in conventional word processors, the text is made up of paragraphs, and you can adjust the properties of those paragraphs to control how they appear, including line height, spacing before and after, indents, and alignment.
You can also set tab stops for each line, which become especially useful for placing equations consistently in the text.
Of course, there are also standard text properties you can control like font, text color, highlight, bold, etc. You can also set page properties like margins and page size.
Headings, style rules, and table of contents
You can set certain paragraphs to be headings at different levels. This is not just a quick way to make the text bigger, it gives you the power to make the most of other tools in Blockpad.
With style rules, you can set "default" formats to all of the different kinds of objects. Since the different heading levels are treated as different objects, you can set all the headings in a doc to look a specific way by default.
If you have headings in your document, you can use Blockpad to automatically generate a table of contents, complete with links and page numbers.
Calculation-based formatting tools
Since Blockpad includes live calculations, there are formatting tools possible that you can't find in conventional word processors.
Dynamic hidden sections
You can hide and show entire sections of a Blockpad document based on the results of calculations or dropdowns in your file.
Show steps
With the Show steps feature in Blockpad, you can show a calculation with it's values plugged in. You can also control what other parts of the calculation are shown - the name, the formula, and the result - in any combination. This gives you more control over how the final document appears.
Conditional formatting
Since Blockpad is essentially a spreadsheet under the hood, it's possible to have features like conditional formatting, so that your equations can be displayed differently depending on their result.
Synergy
It might be the word we love to hate, but the synergy in Blockpad is real. Having your calculation and report tool in one place makes things better besides not switching back and forth between tools.
Natural documentation
Using names and units for your calculations makes the calculations easier to create and easier to read. It also makes your report itself easier to read. Having the named values and units shown alongside other documentation makes everything clearer with less effort.
Dynamic tools
Calculations and reports in the same place make the tools mentioned above possible, and those tools make a lot more automation possible.
You can make your report automatically say different things depending on how the calculations come out. You don't have to go in and re-write everything each time the numbers change.
You can also highlight important outputs if they are out of range - all pre-made inside of your report.
Calculation modules
The Blockpad block system allows you to create your own calculation modules, then use those modules inside of a different report.
These "blocks" can reference other values in the report for their inputs, and then you can use their outputs for further equations.
Besides the calculations they can do, the blocks also show all of the math and text that you include in the original calculation module, along with any of the dynamic features you build in. So, when you add these blocks to a report, you're also adding the equation visualization, all of the documentation, and any drawings or images.
Give Blockpad a try
It's pretty simple to get started. You can go to our website and download a two week free trial to get a feel for things. Also take a look at our support page and YouTube videos, including the video on getting started with Blockpad.
See what Blockpad can do for your Calculations!