RE: Scientific Word Processors

[Tim Sullivan x5830 <sullivan@kenyon.edu>]

Message text written by INTERNET:phys-l@atlantis.uwf.edu
> the keyboard shortcuts for
typing math symbols, most all of which work with equation editor as well.
For
example, ctrl-g-letter gives you the Greek letter corresponding to letter.
Ctrl-f gives you a fraction template. Ctrl-r a radical. <

Great!  Very helpful.  Could I tease a few more shortcuts out of you? eg
super & sub scripts
an integral symbol with limits
etc.  The more, the better.


Thanks,
Bil Larson
Geneva


Well ctrl-l gives you subscripts and ctrl-h gives you superscripts. Tab to get
around to places you want to type (like from upper part of fraction to lower,
or to get into or out of already created super or sub scripts.)
Ctrl-space inserts a fairly large amount of space and shift-space a really
small amount of space.

But beyond that you probably want to check the Help, no matter how poorly it is
written. To bring up the help for Equation Editor, first bring up Equation
Editor itself (using Insert|Object|Microsoft Equation 2.0) and then click on
Help on the main menu. Mirable dictu, you get EE help. Look under Reference
Information | Keyboard Guide to find a bunch of shortcuts. It says that 
ctrl-i gives you an
integral sign, for example. (Again Tab is the way to move the insertion point
around without having to resort to the mouse.)

However, it is not well written. Nowhere do you see an item telling you how to
get Greek symbols (you don't generally want to set the *style* to Greek when
you only want to type one Greek letter). So, as I said previously, I found
Mathtype to be worth the cost to get the manual which has a tutorial about
efficient ways to type math. (Mathtype's other big feature is the ability to
store frequently used symbol combinations. And Mathtype brings up your equation
in a big window so you don't have to squint to see what you've typed. And,
Mathype comes with Word macros to give you a toolbar button to insert an
equation. For about $50, I found it well worth it.)

Tim Sullivan
sullivan@kenyon.edu