Is there some reason to disallow arithmetic operation in numeric and other similar inputs? Or is it just lazyness of implementation. Some examples:
- I can not write an order for 6 bolts for 17 machines in form 6*17. (The form can not know or care that i have actually only 16 machines and want a spare set)
- Drawing application does not allow me to type 10/16*1920 for height
- I can't type 1/3 (*100) in a scale field
- I can't fill in 355 * 1.13 to add a foreign tax in my banking application (because im transfering money to a friend to pay for my share, no the bank can not know why id want 13% on top, no local tax is 13%, also all local costs are tax included anyway.)
...
WTF? Its 2015, you don't seriously expect me to page out to another app just because your default inputs can not calculate the stuff for me. Hell, half of the time you see other people doing this with a pocket calculator every 3 or so inputs.
So there clearly is something fundamental, at play. Because why on earh does not every single gui toolkit implement this for everything?
Its not like I assume the system solves the integrals for me, or even trigonometry. Just the 4 base operators +, -, * and /. Neither do I expect (but would appreciate) unit conversions.
PS: In fact quite many very good apps do this. Adobe does this in the design apps. Google search field does this to name a few you probably know. Im more or less asking why not all apps.