About

This is the first app I’ve ever written, and it’s taken me more than two years to write.  A long time for any app, I’m sure.  Of course, I had to learn Java and object-oriented programming, and then I had to learn how to write Android™ apps.  I guess this starts to explain why it’s taken so long.  Also, since writing apps is my hobby, I only work on it in my “spare time” – which is not very much.  In my “real time”, I’m an architect.

Why?

Good question.  I looked at many feet and inch calculators and could not find one that worked the way I work when calculating feet and inch numbers. When I enter a number into a calculator, I want the flexibility to use a number that is feet and fractional inches, or feet and decimal feet, or feet and decimal inches – basically, however I feel is correct for the number I’m about to enter.  I get frustrated (irritated really) when I have to enter a number in the format in which the calculator works – I feel the calculator should work the way I work.

I also want the numbers displayed the way I want.  I prefer feet and decimal inches.  I may be the only person that feels this way but, for me, it really helps me work with the numbers easily which helps get my projects done correctly.

Since I could not find a foot inch calculator that worked my way, I decided to make one.

And here it is.

How it works

This is just a regular calculator that also allows you to work with feet and inch numbers.  You can easily add, subtract, divide, or multiply feet and inch numbers as well as non-feet and inch (scalar) numbers.  I’ve tried to make it as easy as possible to use the calculator.

First, you can enter feet and inch numbers in a more natural way.  For example:
Regular feet and inch numbers: 1’2″, or 1’2 1/2″, or 1’2.5″, or 1’1/2″ or 2′.5″, all work.
Or you can enter just feet: 1′, or 1 1/2′, or 1.5′, or 1/2′, or .5′, all of these work.
Or you can enter just inches: 1″, or 1 1/2″, or 1.5″, or 1/2″, or .5″, all of these work too.

A couple of notes about entering feet and inch numbers:
1. If you enter a foot mark (‘), the inch mark is optional.
2. A space (└┘) is not needed between the foot and inch numbers.
3. A space (└┘) is required between everything and a fraction.

For this version, I have not included area calculations.  This means that when you multiply a foot inch number with another foot inch number the answer is not square feet or square inches.  To prevent errors, I made it work such that, when two foot inch numbers are multiplied together, the second number is assumed to be a scalar number and the answer is based on this. For example: 9′ times 9″ equals 81′, and 9″ times 9′ is 81″ (6’9″).  A future release will add area calculations as well as volume calculations.

Other than this, the calculator works like any other calculator with a few additional features, such as:

An Prev (previous) button that allows you to retrieve the answer from the previous calculation.

A Bksp (backspace) button that allows you to delete the right most character in the number entry area.

Revision History