How a Financial Calculator Is Used
The financial calculator created by the financial_calculator frame template provides a number of loan and investment calculations. It appears to the user as follows:
Numbers and operators can be entered using either the keyboard or by clicking the calculator's buttons. Descriptions of the financial calculator's fields and functions follow:
Present Value
Specifies the present value (the amount borrowed or invested)
Interest/Year
Specifies the amount of interest to be applied (paid or earned) to the present value per year
Future Value
Specifies the future value (the present value plus the interest over the course of the loan or investment period, based on the interest and payment value)
Number of Periods
Specifies the number of periods for which to calculate interest
Payment
Specifies the amount to be paid or earned per period
Principal Part
Specifies the portion of the payment that represents the borrowed amount, in the case of a loan
Interest Part
Specifies the portion of the payment that represents the interest on the borrowed amount, in the case of a loan
Decimal Places
Specifies the number of decimal places to be used in the Present Value field
Period
Specifies the specific period (throughout the Number of Periods duration) for the payment to be made
Pay at start
Specifies that the payment is made at the start of the period, if enabled; otherwise, specifies the end of the period
Periods/Year
Specifies the number of periods per year
Calculate
Calculates the data entered in the frame's editable fields and enters the result in the Present Value field
Reset
Clears all entry fields
Help
Displays a Help window for the financial calculator
Quit
Closes the running application
After the user enters values into the appropriate fields, clicking Calculate performs the calculations. To close the financial calculator frame, click Quit.