How to insert Math equations and formulas

[forfear]

Has anyone tried to insert math formulas and math equations in to HTML help topics.

What's the best way to do this, if Flare can't support this natively. Is there a workaround that works?

[SteveS]

Several options:

Use the "quick character" option to see if the formula componets are there.

Create an image containing the formula.

Use <pre>formula</pre> to preserve the formatting and "build" the formula manually.

Use alt codes - http://www.coloryourprofyle.com/phade/alt.html is one of many sites containg alternative codes. (In conjunction with quick character).

I'd probably use the create image method, but I don't know what your requirements are!

HTH

[forfear]

I would like to insert mathematical divisions and multiplies, displayed in the correct mathetical form and expression. I could write it all down in one line i.e thisvar * thatvar((thisvar/thatvar)*100%)

Traditionally i could also use Microsoft Math 3.0 in Word 2003 to insert a math object. Or should I use Math Type to sort this out.

I'll probably need to do more research on this if the forums has never encountered anyone with this challenge before. Personnaly i believe as Madcap moves toward more knowledgebased areas, i am sure the way to represent knowledge in different fields will just increase as well.

Perhaps I guess i should look at MathML?

[NorthEast]

From how you describe it, it sounds like it's not a Flare issue per se, but how you can display these math objects in a HTML page.

Using Math or Word, can you save the functions as a HTML page (which could be imported), or maybe an image format that can be inserted in a topic?

[forfear]

I'll do some research into this and keep the forums updated.

Nonetheless you're right. Its a choice of the best representation method. To represent as a captured image or as a Math Markup Language.

Looks like no one in the forums has encountered this yet. Thanks!

[daphna]

We have a lot of complicated Math that we need to document. I have in the past put in a feature request for Flare to incorporate an Equation editor, similar to what is available in FrameMaker. I've also requested integration/plug in with a tool such as MathType

Right now we use Mathtype and I have to reference a lot of images. I'll try saving the Word doc as HTML and importing. That's a good thought.

[forfear]

An equation editor would be the bees knees to blow framemaker out ta the water..
all those tech heavy and science journals rely heavily on these heavy typesetting in frame indeed

[daphna]

Yes! The number of images I would have to maintain would go down substantially.

[forfear]

A pluggable API engine for third party developers to write equation plugins for the Flare XML Editor anybody?

[CharlesJet]

Wow! I remember this as a request for RoboHelp wayyy wayyy back in 2002. Always wondered how possible it would be.

[daphna]

Maybe a plug-in with some of the quant applications, such as Scientific Workbench, Doxygen, Latex?

We are actually having some success with HTML files output from Doxygen (code documentation system). We manually insert the .html files and associated images into the Contents folder. Flare's XML transformation does a nice job, even updating the path to the image file (.png files of equations that Doxygen has output). Then we move the .png files from the Content folder to the Content/Resources/Images folder and let Flare update the links. The .png images of the equations are visible and line up very well within the text.

Now we need to get our quant folks to have Doxygen name the .png images according to our conventions and perhaps use our stylesheet instead of the default Doxygen stylesheet.

If MadCap ever integrates direct import of .htm/.html files (like RoboHelp did), we will be able to save ourselves some steps, but for now we are relieved that we don't have to retype equations and or insert them indidivually as images.

[daphna]

We are having success with the HTML output from Doxygen; the links to images (.png files) get updated when we bring all the topics and images into the Flare proejct. Without round-tripping, however, we are going to have to do a lot of tweaking whenever there is a change in the Doxygen output. That's better than having to deal with inserting individual .png images all the time.