I would also like this feature in next version of Mathcad. The ability to apply different styles to selected variables (like for example when you can change the number of decimal digits of an specific result), and of course, font size of math expressions.
Perhaps a good solution would be allowing the definition of custom labels Var1, Var2,... as you say with all of them behaving like the built in variable label, but with different formatting, so that I can have 1D variables (real numbers) and phasor variables (complex numbers).
One way that this idea could be used is to make all array variables (vectors and matrices) be shown in bold font. The books that Wiley publishes uses (or did use) that convention and for some reason it made the books very attractive and easier to read (for me). It seems to me that Prime could just automatically distinguish between scalars and arrays, so the user would not have to set a label to distinguish. The user would still label units vs variables, etc.
That's common convention. I like the idea of being able to apply it more easily. Perhaps we could have a way to apply a style to all variables of a given type that do not already have a user style applied.
This has been the subject of feature requests stretching back into the paleolithic - I've got a vague recollection of seeing a discussion in cuneiform in the British Library ... in fact, here's a link to a thread that touches upon the subject: http://communities.ptc.com/message/91056#91056 . Unfortunately, it has a link to another Giraudian thread that has been lost in the sands of time.
There's an ISO that covers the subject and most 'proper' publications insist their authors use the ISO format or something very similar. Have a look at section 10 of NIST's SP811, Guide for the Use of the International System of Units (SI) http://physics.nist.gov/cuu/pdf/sp811.pdf
Stuart
I miss having Jean around the place. I learned so much from attempting to prove to him he was wrong.
Can you describe more what you'd like. We have added math formatting to Mathcad Prime 3.0, but didn't extend labels. Are you suggesting we have labels for vectors, matrices, and user labels?
Can you describe more what you'd like. We have added math formatting to Mathcad Prime 3.0, but didn't extend labels. Are you suggesting we have labels for vectors, matrices, and user labels?
Thanks,
Mona
I would like to have 7 (a fine number!) users lables and use it for vectors, matrices, invisible variables etc what I would like! See my original post!
Can you describe more what you'd like. We have added math formatting to Mathcad Prime 3.0, but didn't extend labels. Are you suggesting we have labels for vectors, matrices, and user labels?
Thanks,
Mona
Hi Mona,
I think my suggestions would include the ability to define a default style for each data type and for Mathcad to allow full implementation of the ISO 80000 (was ISO 31 series).
I agree with Stuart's request below but I would add that the program should be able to determine the difference between scalars, vectors and matrices on its own and use the default fonts for that type of variable. Even in solve blocks and ode and pde solvers, there is an initial condition or guess value or boundary condition that would indicate whether the unknown is a scalar or vector.
I also would want to be able to change the font for example for matrices from the ISO standard if I want.
Will there be any distinction between styles and labels in Prime? I assume not, in which case:
Don't force labels for vectors and matrices. It's possible that the output of a function may be either a scalar or a vector/matrix, in which case a mandatory label will be a problem (how would you refer to the variable in subsequent expressions?). Not everyone always wants such formatting anyway.
What we need are user labels (no arbitrary limit on the number please, unless it's very large). Then someone can create one for vectors and matrices if they want. Being able to load a complete set of labels would be useful too. Then if someone has created an ISO set of labels, for example, it's easy for others to import them.
The other thing that is needed, and this has been brought up many times in reference to styles, is easier ways to apply them. The problem with styles is that they have to be applied one variable at a time, from the toolbar. That's made even worse in Prime, because unless you happen to be on the "Math" tab you have one extra click to deal with (as with so much on the Ribbon!). This difficulty is a major reason why styles have not been used more (that's not just my personal opinion, many people have brought this up over the years). One option would be to apply a label to all variables of a given type. Another opton would to be able to assign a user hot-key combination to a label so it's easy to apply. Also, we need to be able to replace one label with another throughout the document (via search/replace would be ideal).
I agree with the need for styles, but I have managed to workaround that by the creation of templates with the settings I need. With the additional types of labels, I presume that we will still be able to at least create templates. For me, the difference between a style and the templates would be the ability to just click on a style to change the whole worksheet. With the template, I can't do that.
Richard, you are right about the functions being a problem, but other variables should have automatic labels of scalar, vector, matrix. If you want to set the format of all of those to a single font, instead of a default such as the ISO value, I would hope that could be done at a class level, not for each variable.
I clearly should have been more explicit in my statement. I would like a user-defined default setting for each data type with the ability to save those settings in a template. However, the default should be user-overrideable, in a similar way to a region's background colour (default yellow, but I can set it to what I want).
Richard's example of mutable type (eg, function output) can be dealt with by the user assigning whatever style they want to a variable (or function) at define time (ie, A(whateverStyleYouWant) := f(whoKnowsWhatKindOfMonsterWeHaveUnleashedIgor) rather than A(potLuck):=f(itLives!)
Another default TBD is what style/label/whatever to use when a variable/etc is used in an evaluation. If there is only one variable with the "first name" 'Bun' then "RabbitName := Bun*Bun slugs" should lead to both Bunnies attracting the style of Bun. However, if there are multiple Buns, representing different multi-dimensional entities say, then the choices might be to default to standard Variable style (Let the user sort it out, already) or most recent or first ... or most vicious
Stuart
(Note that Prime already has a partial implementation of the ISO standard in that some type groups are distinct, eg variables are italic but units are roman)
Some confusion here I think, but that's due to me using the wrong terminology. When I said styles, I meant "Equation formats". i.e. math styles, not text styles.
So we have:
Text styles (in MC15 only at the moment)
Equation formats (in MC15)
Labels (the Prime replacement for Equation formats)
Templates (the starting point for a worksheet).
I think that you are asking for something new though, which would be to take a template and apply it to an existing worksheet (which would change the text styles and labels throughout the entire worksheet)?
Good clarification, Richard. Yes, changing the text styles and labels throughout the worksheet was what I meant by a style change. It would be a nice feature for several reasons. For example, I may want to re-use a worksheet that was written using the PTC defaults, but I want it in a format that is better for a company or client standard. Just clicking on a "user style" (complete format) would make the changes. The workaround that I have been using is to have a blank template with the desired format settings, and then I copy and paste from the old file into the new. Thankfully, this works partially, but extra work is still required. With some experimentation, I may get it to fully work.
For people that may wish to submit their work as an article for publication, they may find this feature handy if they submit it to more than one journal. Also, it would be useful for combining several worksheets written in different styles into a uniform report.
The "user styles" would need to be something that get saved so that they are always available on startup. This might be in the form of a template, but the template should be something that the user sets as the default template for startup.
Stuart, you are ruining my fun! I like to think ALL of my ideas are original.
On an historical note, my first version was 2.5 as I recall. However, I think I skipped 6. I only recently have been concerned about the formats and this template/style application issue. When I was in a company, I would put the worksheet in an appendix to the results report, but the format just had to look decent, not "professional". When I started consulting, it was more important to have good documentation for the customer. Of course, when I wrote the reactor modeling book, a consistent, professional style was a necessity. I think it looks nice, but bold vectors would make it look great!
Back to the complaint list. We must never give up! We are doing it for our children, or their children, or....
Stuart, you are ruining my fun! I like to think ALL of my ideas are original.
On an historical note, my first version was 2.5 as I recall. However, I think I skipped 6. I only recently have been concerned about the formats and this template/style application issue. When I was in a company, I would put the worksheet in an appendix to the results report, but the format just had to look decent, not "professional". When I started consulting, it was more important to have good documentation for the customer. Of course, when I wrote the reactor modeling book, a consistent, professional style was a necessity. I think it looks nice, but bold vectors would make it look great!
Back to the complaint list. We must never give up! We are doing it for our children, or their children, or....
Indeed. As one commentator said back in the days of Mathcad 1 ...
What does a person gain from all his labour at which he toils under the Sun workstation?
The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.
Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us.
There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after.
Versions come, versions go, but the feature request remains forever"
Stuart
I've take a little bit of liberty with the word order, but it sounded better in the original Russian anyway ...
Суета сует, сказал Екклесиаст, суета сует, --всё суета!
Что пользы человеку от всех трудов его, которыми трудится он под солнцем?
Что было, то и будет; и что делалось, то и будет делаться, и нет ничего нового под солнцем.
Бывает нечто, о чем говорят: 'смотри, вот это новое'; но [это] было уже в веках, бывших прежде нас.
Нет памяти о прежнем; да и о том, что будет, не останется памяти у тех, которые будут после
версии проходит, и приходит версии, а "Mathcad MM" просит особенность пребывает во веки
A large number of requests date back to Mathcad 11. I find it difficult to understand why Mathsoft/PTC did not develop the original "smartboard\document" concept further - the one major factor that distinguished them from the other math apps (which appeared numerically or symbollically stronger)... the growing trend towards tablet-based systems (which was a fairly obvious route even 10 years ago) makes the whiteboard approach, with an ability to take a user's scribbles and convert them into mathematical notation, even more desirable, particularly with enhanced notation allowing proper indicial function notation (eg, Bessel functions) and tensors.
Stuart
(I would have liked to see Mathcad tie up with HP or Texas calculators, both of which have fairly good symbolic engines in their top end calculators ... the ability to download/upload programs would be quite useful, although these days a direct tablet version (Windows 8? Android? iOS?) would be the way to go)
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