LeaderCalc Support Page

For users of LeaderCalc 2001 - Book Edition

SUPPORT PAGE UPDATES 12/15/01 - Initial publication of this support page. No known program updates at this time. ADDITIONS TO FAQs and TROUBLESHOOTING Where can I get a copy of LeaderCalc 2001 - Book Edition? The only way to get a copy of LeaderCalc 2001 - Book Edition is to buy the book Drag Free Drift: Leader Design and Presentation Techniques for Fly Fishers. The book can be purchased online at Amazon or Barnes&Noble. The freely available version of LeaderCalc can be found on GFF by clicking here. Click here to see what the difference is between the version on the web and the version included in the book. (Disclaimer: GFF is in no way affiliated or associated with Amazon.com or BarnesandNoble.com and receives no royalties or compensation by purchasing books online.)   How to Use LeaderCalc 2001 LeaderCalc 2001 - Book Edition A Special Edition of LeaderCalc exclusively for the book DRAG-FREE DRIFT Leader Design and Presentation Techniques for Fly Fishing by Joseph A. Kissane including LeaderCalc by Steven B. Schweitzer Created By S. Schweitzer http://www.globalflyfisher.com published by Stackpole Books 5067 Ritter Road Mechanicsburg, PA 17055 http://www.stackpolebooks.com
TABLE OF CONTENTS	Introduction What You Will Need to Use LeaderCalc 2001 MBE Installing and Running LeaderCalc Installing MS-Excel Viewer® Installing Adobe Acrobat Reader® Distribution & Use Policy Using LeaderCalc Navigating in LeaderCalc General Printing in LeaderCalc Using Adobe Acrobat® to View and Print LeaderCalc PDF files The Tab "LC2001MBE" The Color Coding in LeaderCalc The Green Cells The Light Green Cells The Light Blue Cells The White Cells The Light Yellow Cells Selecting Leader Formula Parameters English/Metric Leader Length Tippet Size Line Weight Filter Printing Leader Formulas The Tab "Label Generator" User-Input Areas Pull-Down Menus User-Definable Pull-Down Menus Printing Labels The Tab "Leader Information" Notes Input Column Formula Description Input Column Printing Leader Information Notes The Tab "Mono Strength Test Chart" Printing the Mono Strength Test Chart FAQS & Troubleshooting LeaderCalc Support
INTRODUCTION [go to table of contents]	The LeaderCalc spreadsheet is a tool to calculate segments for hand-tied leaders. It is the most comprehensive tool created for the purpose available today. It contains over 100 of the most common and popular leader formulas representing 2000+ leader formula combinations. LeaderCalc covers a wide range of leader applications from delicate dry fly fishing to stout bass popper fishing. The development of LeaderCalc encompasses over 3 years of research, programming, and the countless contributions of many friends. LeaderCalc is simple to use! You choose four design elements: Metric or English measurements, the leader length, the tippet size and a line weight filter, LeaderCalc does the rest. Print the LeaderCalc spreadsheet, save it in a notebook, and you have ready reference to your favorite leader formulas. LeaderCalc also contains a Leader Label Generator so you can professionally create leader labels to slip in small plastic ziplock-style bags. An added feature of the Label Generator is a place for you to store your own notes about the leader formulas contained in LeaderCalc. You can even choose to have them printed on your custom leader labels. As you are about to see, LeaderCalc is unique and unparalleled in leader design tools!
[go to table of contents]	What You Will Need to Use LeaderCalc 2001 MBE It is required that you have access to and a working knowledge of Microsoft Excel® version 5.0 (MS-Excel 97+) or newer and familiarity with the operating system you are using. While it isn't mandatory, you should be comfortable in copying files and making directories to efficiently use LeaderCalc. If you don't have access to MS-Excel®, you cannot use LeaderCalc as an interactive tool. However, you may use the preformatted Adobe Acrobat® Portable Document File (PDF) leader formulas found by clicking here.
[go to table of contents]	Installing and Running LeaderCalc Because of it's small size (approximately 520K) LeaderCalc will run by itself on a diskette, this CD-ROM, or by copying it to any directory on your hard drive. It is recommended that all files on the CD-ROM be copied onto your hard drive to ensure the best performance and to ensure you have all the help files and graphics available in the event you need to refer to the help documentation at a later date. To copy the contents of this CD-ROM onto your hard drive, do the following: Create a directory on your hard drive called LC2001. Copy the entire contents of the CD-ROM to the new directory using the drag-and-drop method or your operating system's copy command. To Load the LeaderCalc Spreadsheet: Start MS-Excel® or MS-Excel Viewer® and click File:Open. Locate the directory you just created then locate the file "lc2001mbe.xls", highlight it and click your mouse or depress enter to load the spreadsheet. Alternatively, you can run LeaderCalc from the CD-ROM. Depending on certain settings you may have in MS-Excel®, the following pop-up dialog box may appear. Due to the recent outbreak of viral data-damaging macros in MS-Excel® and MS-Word® documents, this box alerts you that the spreadsheet contains macros to automate some processes. In LeaderCalc, you can be assured that no macros do any read/write functions to your hard-drive. All macros are used to calculate leader formulas. Always click "Enable Macros" to continue.         Installing MS-Excel Viewer® If you don't have access to MS-Excel®, you can use LeaderCalc by installing the MS-Excel Viewer® to take full advantage of LeaderCalc's functionality. MS-Excel Viewer® is provided for you on the LeaderCalc CD-ROM. To install the MS-Excel Viewer®, do the following: Run the program called xlviewer.exe found in the directory called ms_excel_viewer on the LeaderCalc CD-ROM. The easiest way to start the program is by double-clicking it. You will see the following message appear, click Yes to continue. The following message will appear. Read the setup message carefully to ensure you understand the installing notes. Click Continue to proceed. The following message will appear. It is best to accept the default install folder suggested in the message. (The example screenshot below is for a Windows-based operating system.) Click OK to proceed and accept the suggested install folder. The following Microsoft end-user license agreement will be displayed. Please read it carefully and upon your agreement, click Accept to continue with the installation. The following screen will appear. Click the MS-Excel Viewer® icon to install the viewer. Upon a successful installation, the following message will be displayed. If you do not see the following message, please try re-installing the software again or contact Microsoft support at http://www.microsoft.com/. Installing Adobe Acrobat Reader As a backup, you may use some of the functionality of LeaderCalc by viewing the preformatted Adobe Acrobat® Portable Document File (PDF) leader formulas found by clicking here. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader® installed on your computer, go to Adobe's website at http://www.adobe.com. Since there are many language and platform versions available, follow the links to download the software called Adobe Acrobat Reader. Follow the manufacturer's instruction to install the software on your computer.
[go to table of contents]	Distribution & Use Policy LeaderCalc, this article and associated help files (Files) are copyrighted property of S. Schweitzer and The Global Fly Fisher (GFF). The Files are designed for personal use and are distributed in conjunction with the book Drag Free Drift for a single personal use installation. At no time will the Files be made available or packaged for resale. The Files are exclusive property of GFF and are to be exclusively distributed by means of CD-ROM within the book Drag Free Drift and may not be distributed in part or in whole by any other electronic means, including but not limited to, personal website distribution, diskette or re-writeable CD-ROMs.
USING LEADERCALC [go to table of contents]	Navigating in LeaderCalc Navigation around LeaderCalc is simple and only requires left-mouse clicking. Use the scroll bars to the right and bottom of the spreadsheet to navigate. There are several features in LeaderCalc found in other spreadsheet tabs. The following screenshots will highlight how to navigate and use the features of LeaderCalc. The Main Viewing Screen of LeaderCalc in Microsoft Excel® There are five main sections of LeaderCalc. The five tabbed sections are LC2001MBE, Label Generator, Leader Information, Mono Strength Test Chart and About. The tabs represent the five main components of LeaderCalc. Shown below are the five tabs of LeaderCalc, found in the lower left-hand corner of the main MS-Excel viewing window. By clicking on each, you can navigate through the different sections of LeaderCalc. The five main sections of LeaderCalc shown via the spreadsheet tabs below.
[go to table of contents]	General Printing in LeaderCalc The print ranges are pre-formatted; all you have to do is click the print icon in MS-Excel®, or choose File:Print and click OK. An alternate shortcut to printing is to simply press CTRL-P. If you experience problems in printing within LeaderCalc, check your printer settings by choosing File:Print, and select Properties. Ensure your printer settings are correct for your specific printer. Each printout is designed to print on an 8.5" by 11" sheet of paper.
[go to table of contents]	Using Adobe Acrobat® to View and Print LeaderCalc PDF Files In the event you do not have MS-Excel®, you can still access the most popular formula combinations via Adobe Acrobat® PDF files included on this CD-ROM. Just click on the links below to access these common formulas in either English or metric measurements. To view the files, be sure you have the latest version of Adobe Acrobat® installed on your machine. To check for the latest version, visit Adobe's website at http://www.adobe.com. English PDF Files   4x 5x 6x 8 ft 8ft 4x 8ft 5x 8ft 6x 9 ft 9ft 4x 9ft 5x 9ft 6x 10 ft 10ft 4x 10ft 5x 10ft 6x Metric PDF Files   13mm 15mm 18mm 2.4m 2.4m 13mm 2.4m 15mm 2.4m 18mm 2.7m 2.7m 13mm 2.7m 15mm 2.7m 18mm 3.0m 3.0m 13mm 3.0m 15mm 3.0m 18mm
THE TAB "LC2001MBE" [go to table of contents]	Within the main tab LC2001MBE, There are five major components of LeaderCalc, each with its own color designation to help you easily identify the information presented to you.
[go to table of contents]	The Color Coding in LeaderCalc Color Meaning Green Leader selection pull-down menus Light green Information areas, column headers, etc. Light Blue Leader formula names White Leader segment results Light Yellow Tippet Ranges
[go to table of contents]	The Green Cells This area contains three pull-down menus. The Metric/English selector will cause LeaderCalc to present leader segments in centimeters or inches. The Leader Length selector simply allows you to choose the desired leader length you wish to tie. The length selector is sensitive to which measurement you choose: metric or English units. The Tippet selector, like the length, allows you to select the desired ending tippet diameter and is also sensitive to your choice in measuring units. The Light Green Cells This area contains vital cross-reference information required to interpret the leader formulas. On top, the light green area contains tippet diameter information in X-designations, inches and centimeters. On the left side, the minimum and maximum leader lengths are presented. On the bottom, a handy reference chart is included to show ideal butt diameters suggestions for 2 wt. To 12 wt. fly lines. The Light Blue Cells This area contains the formula name. The formulas are sorted in 7 different categories (Dry fly, Nymph/Wet, Streamer, Salmon/Steelhead, Bass/Pike/Panfish, All-Purpose, Name-Specific). Formulas designed by professionals in the sport are kept together (Name-Specific) to help you see the relationships between the formulas. Otherwise, non-specific formulas are in categories of their own sorted by the intended purpose of the leader. The White Cells This area contains the actual formula results. Within the white area are the light yellow cells. The Light Yellow Cells These areas indicate the minimum and maximum tippet range for the leader formula. Combined with the minimum and maximum leader lengths found on the left side of the spreadsheet, one can easily and quickly determine the design proximity of a specific leader formula.
[go to table of contents]	Selecting Leader Formula Parameters LeaderCalc is simple to use. You choose from four options at the top of the "LC2001MBE" tab in the green section, and the calculations are done for you. Choose from the four pull-down menus: English/Metric, Leader Length, Tippet Size and Line Weight Filter. LeaderCalc will query its extensive database of formulas and present all valid combinations for the parameters you have selected. English/Metric Choose between English and Metric measurements. All measurements in LeaderCalc will be calculated using your choice. Leader Length Choose the leader length you wish to design. Experiment with different leader lengths to see how it may affect the design parameters of the leader formulas you wish to tie. Tippet Size Choose the tippet size you prefer. Experiment with different tippet diameters to see how it may affect the design parameters of the leader formulas you wish to tie. Line Weight Filter This is an optional input design criteria. By choosing ALL, there is no filter applied and all applicable formulas will display. However, if you prefer to filter out formulas for specific line weights, choose that line weight with the pull-down menu. Experiment with different line weight filters to exclude/include formulas. Try a 9.0 ft, 5x leader for ALL line weights, and then select the line weight filter for just a 6wt. rod. The formulas most likely to cast well with this criteria drastically diminish. Please keep in mind that the line weight filter is quite subjective and is only provided as a 'filter' not as a 'dead-ringer' solution. It is meant to provide a way to focus your leader tying time on formulas more appropriate to your specific leader and line weight needs. There's nothing more frustrating than to tie a leader that is meant for a 3 wt. line when you are actually using a 6 wt. line! It just won't perform as you expected it to!
[go to table of contents]	Printing Leader Formulas in LeaderCalc It's easy to print the leader formulas for later use and reference. The layout and print range has been set up for you already. Just left-click the print icon on the MS-Excel® menu bar or choose File:Print:OK from the pull-down menu. LeaderCalc formula printouts are designed to be hole-punched on the left side, inserted in a notebook and indexed easily for future reference. The upper right-hand corner of every formula printout includes the essential formula design elements needed for indexing (the formula length and tippet diameter are written in green lettering).
THE TAB "Label Generator" [go to table of contents]	This tab contains several fill-in and pull-down menus to customize and print an 8.5" by 11" sheet containing 6 pre-printed leader package labels. The labels are designed to fit within a 3" x 5" ziplock clear plastic pouch. In the upper-left hand corner of the leader label worksheet, there are 12 parameters to choose from to help design your custom leader labels. The input areas are broken down into two categories: user required input and pull-down selections. Each are described below. The input areas for generating Leader Labels
[go to table of contents]	User-Input Areas User input areas are shaded in light yellow to indicate a free-form typing area. There are several areas in which you can type free-form text. Name Input your name in this cell. It will print out at the bottom of each label as part of the phrase "Hand-Tied by [your name]." If you leave this cell blank, the phrase will not print. Date Tied Enter the date in the format dd-mm-yy to indicate the date you tied the leader. Good Until Enter the date in the format dd-mm-yy to indicate the date you expect the leader material will expire due to age. Typically, a year from the date you tied the leader is a good expiration date with which to start. If you know the approximate age of your leader material, adjust the Good Until date accordingly.
[go to table of contents]	Pull-Down Menus Leader Formula The pull-down list contains all the formulas included within LeaderCalc. The first choice of the pull-down menu is a blank. This allows you to use the Label Generator to print blank labels for use with leader formulas not contained within LeaderCalc. English/Metric Choose which measurement style you prefer. Leave Notes Blank If 'yes' is chosen, the custom notes for each leader will not print. The custom notes section of LeaderCalc is explained in more detail below in the section entitled, "The Tab Leader Information." Length Choose the length of the leader. Tippet Choose the tippet diameter of the leader. Butt/Taper/Tippet Material This pull-down menu shows up to 30 user-definable values. LeaderCalc comes pre-installed with 17 of the most common leader materials on the market. Both the Butt/Taper and Tippet material pull-down menus use the same user-definable list. Instructions on creating your own leader material list can be found in the following section, "User-Definable Pull-Down Menus." Species This pull-down menu shows up to 30 user-definable values. LeaderCalc comes pre-installed with 17 of the most popular species to get you started. Instructions on creating your own species list can be found in the following section, "User-Definable Pull-Down Menus." Purpose This pull-down menu shows up to 30 user-definable values. LeaderCalc comes pre-installed with 13 of the most popular purposes to get you started. Instructions on creating your own purpose list can be found in the following section, "User-Definable Pull-Down Menus."
[go to table of contents]	User-Definable Pull-Down Menus Each of the user-definable pull-down menus listed below can accept up to 30 different values. The values are stored in a table just below the labels. To enter your own values for SPECIES, PURPOSE and MATERIAL, choose the "Label Generator" tab and scroll down below the labels to the beginning of the table, cell B46. Species Choose the species of fish for which the leader is tied. This will help you quickly scan through your leader packs and identify leaders by species. The first pull-down choice is blank. This allows you to hand-write in the species the leader is designed for if your choice is not found on the pull-down menu. Purpose Choose the purpose for which the leader is tied. This will help you quickly scan through your leader packs and identify leaders by specific purpose. The first pull-down choice is blank. This allows you to hand-write in a custom purpose. Leader Material This list is customizable by the user to include up to 30 different manufacturer leader materials. You can enter text in the light yellow area. The user-definable label data section of LeaderCalc.
[go to table of contents]	Printing Labels To PRINT LABELS: Choose File:Print:OK. The print range is already set up for you. The labels will reflect the information entered and give you a comprehensive snapshot of the design parameters and expiration date of your leader. Example print out of leader labels.
THE TAB "Leader Information" [go to table of contents]	This tab contains a chart with all the leader formulas and a cell per formula for user input of notes and comments. You can even override the leader formula notes as well. Keep the notes and formula descriptions brief, as there is only so much room on the leader label for printing.
[go to table of contents]	Notes Input Column The notes input column is designed to capture your personal notes regarding the leader formula. You may want to record its cast-ability to you, whether you like the formula or not, its intended purpose, or its best suited purpose for you. Notes may be chosen to print or NOT to print on the labels via a selection in the Leader Label worksheet tab.
[go to table of contents]	Formula Description Input Column The formula description input column is designed to capture the design elements of the formula, such as its formula basis (i.e. - 60/20/20 principle).
[go to table of contents]	Printing Leader Information Notes To PRINT LEADER INFORMATION NOTES: Choose File:Print:OK. The print range is already set up for you. Given the variable amount of information the spreadsheet may contain, the printout can be three or more pages in length. Example screenshot of custom leader information notes
THE TAB "Mono Strength Test Chart" [go to table of contents]	This tab contains pound test data for most common leader materials. Since pound test can vary widely even in a spool of material, this section is provided as reference only.
[go to table of contents]	Printing the Mono Strength Test Chart To PRINT THE MONO STRENGTH TEST CHART: Choose File:Print:OK. The print range is already setup for you.
[go to table of contents]	Example screenshot of the Mono Strength Test Chart worksheet tab
FAQs and Troubleshooting [go to table of contents]	Why won't all the leader formulas show up when I choose my design parameters? The results shown for your specific leader design parameters (length, tippet size and line weight filter) determine the formulas that will calculate and show up on the screen. For example, if you chose 9 feet for the length, 5x for the tippet, and 5wt. for the line weight, all formulas that meet those criteria, will display. Some formulas are not designed to have 5x tippets or be 9 feet in length for 5wt. lines. Those formulas that do not meet your input criteria will not show results. Think of the input criteria as selectors where you control LeaderCalc by selecting formulas that meet your input criteria. You can tell if a formula will show up for your input criteria by looking at the yellow-shaded areas in the main tab LC2001MBE. The yellow shaded areas are informational areas which tell you the original design parameters of leader formula. They will indicate the minimum and maximum lengths and the tippet ranges for the formula. Why can't I get to the formulas themselves? The formulas used in LeaderCalc are stored in a separate database. Looking at the raw formula format and data would not tell you much. You need the logic built in to LeaderCalc to help you view the formulas. What is a PDF file? Adobe Corporation created a standard early on in the internet age to allow any user, regardless of computer type or platform, to view documents in a common format and in a common way. This format is called the portable document format, or PDF. To accommodate those who do not have MS-Excel®, the most popular formula combinations have been created in this standard format. To view the formula PDF files you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader software, freely available at http://www.adobe.com/. How does LeaderCalc work? LeaderCalc uses input from you (length, tippet size, measurement units and line weight filter) to search its database and report back to you all the formulas that meet your input criteria. LeaderCalc is designed with efficiency in mind to keep the overall database and program overhead to a minimum. LeaderCalc was developed in MS-Excel® to take advantage of the widest distribution and user base worldwide of any data managing software. MS-Access®, Visual Basic® and other programming languages were considered; the ease of development and operability was best using MS-Excel® as the development platform. Adobe-PDF® files were created for the most common formulas for users that do not have MS-Excel®, but have access to a computer and the freely distributed Adobe-Acrobat®. Why is the spreadsheet password protected? Can I remove this? The entire spreadsheet is password protected to prevent unwanted user damage to the logic in LeaderCalc and to prevent damage to the formula database. You cannot remove the password protection. Every attempt has been made to make LeaderCalc as user-definable and customizable as possible, thereby eliminating the need to get into the inner-workings of the programming logic. How do I fit LeaderCalc on my screen so I can see the whole thing? In your MS-Excel® menu, select the "View" pull-down option. Choose "Zoom". Choose "Custom" and enter a percentage until you are satisfied with what is viewed on the screen. The fonts are so small, I can't see what LeaderCalc is telling me! You can control the size of the text yourself. In your MS-Excel® menu, select the "View" pull-down option. Choose "Zoom." Choose "Custom" and enter a percentage until you are satisfied with what is viewed on the screen. What is the difference between LC2001MBE and the freebie on the Web? As compared to the free version on the web (LC1999r3) the version provided with this book provides you with: Over 30 more formulas resulting in an additional 550+ formula combinations; a total of over 100 formulas with over 2000 formula combinations A newer streamlined database format, packing more formulas in less space A new and improved leader label generator which includes user-definable data fields and dates to indicate when the leader was tied and when it potentially will age too far for good use Adobe PDF files of the most common leader formula combinations in LeaderCalc All print output pre-formatted for use with a hole punch An expanded help file Online and email support Where can I get small plastic bags to store my leaders? LeaderCalc labels are designed to fit a 2" x 3" small plastic bag found in many craft stores. Generally, craft stores stock them in the beads and bracelet making supply section and usually are packaged in lots of 100 bags for just a few dollars.
LeaderCalc Support [go to table of contents]	Support for LeaderCalc is limited to functionality of the spreadsheet only. Support cannot be given for issues relating to hardware, operating systems, Adobe Acrobat® or general usage of MS-Excel®. Support will only be given via email. You may obtain email support of LeaderCalc by sending an email to: Every effort will be made to respond in a timely fashion to all emails. Also, please be sure to check the LeaderCalc support webpage for updates and answers to common questions: http://www.globalflyfisher.com/fishbetter/leadercalc/support/.