[FM Discuss] Xinha editor for math

Wed Jan 5 17:48:50 PST 2011

I entered some math in Xinha, and got this HTML as a result. Note that
several of the expressions and equations I entered disappeared,
leaving only "". On returning to the editor,
most of the math was damaged and unusable. My conclusion is that this
is unsuitable for production work, and we would have to start over to
make something usable.

HTML

<p>Notes on Xinha, with sample expressions and equations<br />
</p>

<p></p>

<p>Blank line above is formatted Path: body >> p >>
span.AM >> span.AM</p>

It cannot be erased with delete or backspace. I cannot type
in it. I have to select the whole line and cut.

<p> <span class="AM"></span> </p>

Prime should be italic.

<p>Too easy to damage math, for example by copying and pasting.</p>

<p> <span class="AM" title=" <span
title="∫abf'(x)dx=f(b)-f(a)"
class="AM">∫abf'(x)dx=f(b)-f(a)</span> ">
<span class="AM"
title="∫abf'(x)dx=f(b)-f(a)">∫abf'(x)dx=f(b)-f(a)</span> </span> </p>

Cannot re-edit math. Right-hand pane expands and compresses
left-hand pane to one character width. Edits in the one-character-wide
column are difficult to do, and may or may not work.

<p> <span class="AM"></span> </p>

<p> <span class="AM"></span> </p> <p> </p>

<p> </p>

Square root sign is too high. Spacing between ln and x is too thin.
Spacing around = is unequal.

<p> <span class="AM"></span> </p> <p> <span class="AM"></span> </p>

Wrong symbol. We want lower case, not
small cap.

Cancel button does not exit from formula editor. Erase and accept,
or click x button at top right.

<p>OK. <br /></p>

<p> <span class="AM"></span> <span class="AM"></span></p>

<p> <span class="AM">`(del^2 u)/(del t^2) = c^2 Delta u`</span> <br /></p>

<p>del sign is too small.</p>

<p> Spacing between exponent and u is too wide.</p>

<p>Spacing between lines is erratic.</p>

Preview

Notes on Xinha, with sample expressions and equations

Blank line above is formatted Path: body >> p >> span.AM >> span.AM

 It cannot be erased with delete or backspace. I cannot type in it. I
have to select the whole line and cut.

Prime should be italic.

Too easy to damage math, for example by copying and pasting.

∫abf'(x)dx=f(b)-f(a)

Cannot re-edit math. Right-hand pane expands and compresses left-hand
pane to one character width. Edits in the one-character-wide column
are difficult to do, and may or may not work.

Square root sign is too high. Spacing between ln and x is too thin.
Spacing around = is unequal.

Wrong symbol. We want lower case, not small cap.

Cancel button does not exit from formula editor. Erase and accept, or
click x button at top right.

OK.

`(del^2 u)/(del t^2) = c^2 Delta u`

del sign is too small.

Spacing between exponent and u is too wide.

Spacing between lines is erratic.

On Wed, Jan 5, 2011 at 13:41, Edward Cherlin <echerlin at gmail.com> wrote:
> On Wed, Jan 5, 2011 at 13:25, Edward Cherlin <echerlin at gmail.com> wrote:
>> On Tue, Jan 4, 2011 at 18:44, Lachlan Musicman <datakid at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> On Tue, Jan 4, 2011 at 21:54, adam <adam at xs4all.nl> wrote:
>>>> no sorry. we have a lot to do at the moment and this is not yet floating
>>>> at the top of the list.
>
> Would it float up faster if I started a math book?
>
>>>> If anyone can look at the xinha editor:
>>>> http://xinha.webfactional.com/
>>>>
>>>> and tell us how it should work then maybe we can sort it quicker
>>
>> I would be happy to. What are the questions to be answered?
>
> I took a quick look. The formula editor is fairly powerful, but is it
> trivially easy to break formula code with no indication what is wrong.
> My immediate thought is that it should not be possible to edit a
> formula as if it were text, that formulas should be blocks that you
> can't put a cursor into, but you can easily select as a whole and go
> into the formula editor. This is how we did it in FrameMaker all those
> years when I was a commercial tech writer.
>
> I assume that there is Free Software to translate from MathML to TeX.
> What about going the other way?
>
> I'll have more to tell you later.
> --
> Edward Mokurai (默雷/धर्ममेघशब्दगर्ज/دھرممیگھشبدگر ج) Cherlin
> Silent Thunder is my name, and Children are my nation.
> The Cosmos is my dwelling place, the Truth my destination.
> http://www.earthtreasury.org/
> _______________________________________________
> Discuss mailing list
> Discuss at lists.flossmanuals.net
> http://lists.flossmanuals.net/listinfo.cgi/discuss-flossmanuals.net
>

-- 
Edward Mokurai (默雷/धर्ममेघशब्दगर्ज/دھرممیگھشبدگر ج) Cherlin
Silent Thunder is my name, and Children are my nation.
The Cosmos is my dwelling place, the Truth my destination.
http://www.earthtreasury.org/