Introduction to MINITAB in the Saint Mary's Microcomputer Lab

VI. Saving and printing your work

 

When you have entered and worked with some data, you will want to both save the work and print out the results - to go with a report, or to hand in for an assignment. You need to be aware of the three types of Minitab files and the corresponding windows (See 0. General Information if you need more on the window types ). Usually, you should save the results and data that you print, in case of loss, in case further work is needed, etc.

A. Saving

Saving data (worksheet) : The data you have entered in the data window are saved in a Minitab worksheet (.MTW file). This is done with the File>Save Worksheet As.. command. For details, see III. Saving and retrieving data .

Saving results (Session window): The numerical and other results (except graph windows) of your work appear in the Session window. To save them, you need to save the Session window. Make sure the Session window is the active window (filled-in frame, active scroll bar), select File>Save Session As .. , locate your own filespace (or the floppy disk you are using), and give a descriptive name to the file. When the file is saved, Minitab will attach .LIS to the end of the name, indicating it is a text file containing the results from a Minitab session. Text from a Session window can be copied and pasted to a word procesing document (for inclusion in a report) - you are likely to want to change the font for the pasted material to make the spacing work correctly)

Saving a graph (separate graph window): To save a graph, select it in the Windows menu if it is not already the active window (in front, with filled-in frame), select File>Save Graph As .. , locate your own filespace (or the floppy disk you are using), and give a descriptive name to the file. When the file is saved, Minitab will attach ;MGF tot he end of the name, indicating it is a Minitab graph. Graphs can also be copied (uing the "Copy Graph" command) and pasted to word processing documents that can handle graphics (both Word andWordPerfect can handle this).

 

B. Printing currently open windows

Any currently open window (of any type) can be printed by making it the active window and using the File>Print (type) ("type" will be replaced by the type of th eactive window - Session, Worksheet, Graph) command. Only the active window will be printed (for example, graphs (except Character graphs) and data (unless printed into the Session window with the File>Display Data command) will not print with the Session window) but all the contents of the window will print. In version 13.1 (newest) the print command tells you which window would be printed - it will say "Print Session Window" or "Print Worksheet" or "Print Graph" depending on the active window.

 

C. Printing files saved previously

In printing previously saved files (as in saving the files ) you need to be aware of the type of file. All types can be printed, but there are differences. Your results (information from the Session window and Graph windows) can be put into word processing documents for use in reports, but the data (in the Data window) can only be printed from within Minitab, unless you have printed it into the Session window using the File>Display Data command). As a general rule, you should save any file that you print (so that you can reprint it if something goes wrong).

1. Printing a worksheet (.MTW file) (You won't want to do this very often - probably never). You must start Minitab (see I. Starting and Stopping Minitab) open the worksheet using File>Open worksheet, make the Data window the active window (click on it) and use File>Print Worksheet.

2. Printing a Session file (.LIS file). You can print a previously saved Session file, using the File>Print Text File... command but you cannot open and read it within Minitab. To see and edit a previously saved Session file, you will have to use a word processor (Word, Word for Windows, WordPerfect, etc.) to open the file (it is a text file - any of these can handle it readily). for printing. Two important points here:
1. You need to change the font to Courier or Monaco or another monospaced (equal-spaced) font the get things to line up right (because Minitab's spacing is based on monospaced fonts)
2. You can edit this file like any word processing file - delete false starts, mistakes and irrelevant calculations, put in page breaks, etc. - before printing. Any of the word processors on the Saint Mary's network will also allow you to paste in graphics - such as the graphs generated in separate windows (see next paragraph).

3. Printing Graph file (.MGF file). You can open a previously saved graph file from within Minitab using the File>Open Graph command., and then use the File>Print Window command to print it. [If a graph window is the active window the command will be File>Print Graph]You can also paste the graph into a word processing document (report, etc.). This requires using the Edit>Copy Graph command (to copy the graph as a graphic) and then pasting it inot your document as you would any other graphic. Because of the format used to save graphs, you cannot open them from a word processor.

 

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Last update 7/3/00

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