Bug 78187 - FORMULAEDITOR: FEATURE REQUEST: Custom markup (shortcuts) inside editor
Summary: FORMULAEDITOR: FEATURE REQUEST: Custom markup (shortcuts) inside editor
Status: NEW
Alias: None
Product: LibreOffice
Classification: Unclassified
Component: Formula Editor (show other bugs)
Version:
(earliest affected)
4.1.3.2 release
Hardware: Other All
: medium enhancement
Assignee: Not Assigned
URL:
Whiteboard: BSA
Keywords:
: 69482 (view as bug list)
Depends on:
Blocks: Formula-Editor
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Reported: 2014-05-02 13:22 UTC by azin
Modified: 2022-05-02 14:40 UTC (History)
7 users (show)

See Also:
Crash report or crash signature:


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Description azin 2014-05-02 13:22:16 UTC
Background:

Currently, Math is a superior alternative to many other formula editors, but still arguably slower compared to writing formulas using pen and paper, especially when formulas become more complex and certain styling is need. Eg. adding the tilde for extra space and manually typing "cdot" to replace "*" becomes redundant when this is needed repeatedly in large assignments, etc.

Request:

My request is to allow the user to specify custom markup/output relationships, e.g. the custom markup "myequal" would produce the equivalent of "~=~" and the asterisk symbol could be re-mapped to produce "cdot". 

The idea being that the user can create shorter markup to significantly increase productivity or just specify markup that the user finds more intuitive.

Implementation:

Personally, I would be content with specifying these shortcuts in a text file, but a UI would be more intuitive and likely reach a larger amount of users. Adding different "sets" of shortcuts for different task, e.g. having different sets of shortcuts for chemistry and physics, might be worth considering too.

Thank you for reading my request.
Operating System: All
Version: 4.1.3.2 release
Comment 1 e_psi 2014-05-03 11:45:14 UTC
An AutoCorrection-feature like in Writer would do it. And instead of the cumbersome markup of starmath the eqivalent unicode-characters should be used. ⊈ is easier to read than "nsubseteq" – especially for non-english users. This markup is an ancient relic of the pre-Unicode-era.
Comment 2 azin 2014-05-03 14:30:17 UTC
(In reply to comment #1)

An auto-correct option would be perfect. Calling it that inside the formula editor might raise a few eyebrows though.

I'm not sure your unicode request belongs on this page. Do you have another page on the issue where we can continue the discussion?
Comment 3 e_psi 2014-05-04 19:37:32 UTC
Before Word 2007 I preferred OpenOffice whwn typing math. But Word 2007 changed this, because "AutoCorrection for Math" was a giant leap forward in usability. Easy to configure. With AutoCorrection the cumbersome Catalogue, which looks untouched since Marco Börries created it, would become obsolete.
Therefore AutoCorrection and Unicode belong together IMHO, and are the logical evolution.
Comparison:
Math: int from{1} to{ infinity } {{1} over {x^2}} dx = 1
Word: ∫_1^∞▒1/x^2  dx=1
Comment 4 azin 2014-05-04 20:10:15 UTC
(In reply to comment #3)

Please create your own report on Unicode support; this report deals with adding a feature similar to auto-correct. I would gladly discuss Unicode support with you, but not on this page.
Comment 5 Robinson Tryon (qubit) 2015-01-20 07:44:10 UTC
(In reply to azin from comment #2)
> An auto-correct option would be perfect. Calling it that inside the formula
> editor might raise a few eyebrows though.

Sounds like a plausible and user-enabling improvement.

Status -> NEW
Comment 6 V Stuart Foote 2016-10-29 19:13:20 UTC
*** Bug 69482 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
Comment 7 Xisco Faulí 2022-05-02 14:40:44 UTC
Dear Dante,
This bug has been in ASSIGNED status for more than 3 months without any
activity. Resetting it to NEW.
Please assign it back to yourself if you're still working on this.