Mellel and MathMagic; a problem!

[Normand]

When I send a Mellel document with MathMagic equations to a colleague who does not have MathMagic installed on his computer, the equations are garbled, I mean they don't appear as equations at all but as bizarre symbols.

Is it a bug or a feature or a result of the desirable fact that now we can copy back a MathMagic equation from Mellel in MathMagic to re-edit it?

On the other hand, equations form MathType are copied in Mellel as pictures (and unfortunately they cannot be re-edited), then, even if one does not have MathType installed, the equations remain in Mellel. So, it seem to me (AFAIK) that Mellel does not incorporate the "picture" of a MathMagic equation AND the code of the equation at the same time such that if MathMagic is absent the equation is not rendered.

But with LaTeXiT the problem does not appear. The picture is there and visible and the LateX code can be copied back in LaTeXit

Is it something that can be solved easily?

Thanks to "pkensildavis" for his assistance to look at this problem.

Normand Beaudoin
Département de physique et d'astronomie
Université de Moncton

[Ori Redler]

When I send a Mellel document with MathMagic equations to a colleague who does not have MathMagic installed on his computer, the equations are garbled, I mean they don't appear as equations at all but as bizarre symbols.

Is it a bug or a feature or a result of the desirable fact that now we can copy back a MathMagic equation from Mellel in MathMagic to re-edit it?

On the other hand, equations form MathType are copied in Mellel as pictures (and unfortunately they cannot be re-edited), then, even if one does not have MathType installed, the equations remain in Mellel. So, it seem to me (AFAIK) that Mellel does not incorporate the "picture" of a MathMagic equation AND the code of the equation at the same time such that if MathMagic is absent the equation is not rendered.

But with LaTeXiT the problem does not appear. The picture is there and visible and the LateX code can be copied back in LaTeXit

Is it something that can be solved easily?

Thanks to "pkensildavis" for his assistance to look at this problem.

Normand Beaudoin
Département de physique et d'astronomie
Université de Moncton

Hi, we're looking into this.

[Normand]

Thank you Mr. Ori for a so quick reaction.

Would it be a good idea (and would it be possible) to do the same for MathType as you did for MathMagic?
Personnally I like MathMagic but some others prefer MathType (not to mention LaTeX). Furthermore, it would make Mellel more compatible with word processors that use MathType.

And, in the same line of thought, would it be possible to do the same for a graphical LaTeX equation editor as you did for MathMagic. For example, Publicon is more than a LaTeX equation editor but it could be use just for that and it has a rather complete set of palettes. And, as we know, MathMagic and MathType can generate LaTeX code for equations too. A module inside or outside Mellel, (I don't know how it could be implemented) to render LaTeX equation code would complete the tool.

So, imagine Mellel with all its possibilities (features) actual and coming with the capacity to use MathMagic, MathType and LaTeX (via Publicon or MathType or MathMagic or...).
Who would complain?

Thank you for attention.

Normand Beaudoin
Departement de physique et d'astronomie
Université de Moncton

[chipbrock]

There are great LaTeX equation tools now, LaTeX-it comes to mind. An intelligent merging of Mellel with something like that would get people's attention in the physics community.

I too found that a document produced with Mellel, saved out to pdf, was fine on my computer and printer. But, on a student's printer it made the equations looking as if they had come from a typewriter...not good. Fonts are not being somehow imbedded?

[Normand]

I have tried LaTeXit. It does well what it does but it is rather limited. No templates; a limites set of palettes.
I know, real LaTeX men or women would say that an equation must be written with all that / \ _ {} etc stuff, but it seems to me that it is a job for a computer.
LaTeXit does not offer the possibility to use color in parts of equations and lthe baseline of equations is not adjusted in Mellel (though it is something that could possibly be solvet by Mellel's guys themselves).
MathType and MathMagic offer the possibility to generate LaTeX code making good, even great LaTeX code generator.

Normand

[Ori Redler]

Thank you Mr. Ori for a so quick reaction.

Would it be a good idea (and would it be possible) to do the same for MathType as you did for MathMagic?
Personnally I like MathMagic but some others prefer MathType (not to mention LaTeX). Furthermore, it would make Mellel more compatible with word processors that use MathType.

And, in the same line of thought, would it be possible to do the same for a graphical LaTeX equation editor as you did for MathMagic. For example, Publicon is more than a LaTeX equation editor but it could be use just for that and it has a rather complete set of palettes. And, as we know, MathMagic and MathType can generate LaTeX code for equations too. A module inside or outside Mellel, (I don't know how it could be implemented) to render LaTeX equation code would complete the tool.

So, imagine Mellel with all its possibilities (features) actual and coming with the capacity to use MathMagic, MathType and LaTeX (via Publicon or MathType or MathMagic or...).
Who would complain?

Thank you for attention.

Normand Beaudoin
Departement de physique et d'astronomie
Université de Moncton

To the point here: we are thinking of adding a solution of sorts to working with MathType. A more thorough solution would probably rely on some mechanism similar to the one in Tex

[rpcameron]

To the point here: we are thinking of adding a solution of sorts to working with MathType. A more thorough solution would probably rely on some mechanism similar to the one in Tex

Out of curiosity Ori, does this mean than you're considering implementing something like TeX's equation environment, or $ … $?