Are Area Labels Gone in Prime?

[GregH]

MC15 allows a label to be added to an area, so when it's collapsed the label can be seen. In Prime 9.0 I can create areas but can't figure out how to add the labels.  In MC15, when I collapsed all the areas, the labels showed the analysis/calculation flow which is real nice. Is this functionality lost in prime?

[Werner_E]

Yes, the possibilities to format an area (labels, color, ...) are much more limited than we were used from real Mathcad. Maybe PTC will add some of the old functionality in future versions of Prime.

I also find it very uncomfortable that to close a larger area I have to scroll up to the start of that area. It was much more convenient in Mathcad, were we can collapse an area from the end of that area as well.

[DJNewman]

Regarding the uncomfortable part, you can right-click to open the right-mouse button context menu within the bottom (or any empty space) inside an area to collapse it. It's an alternative to pressing the minus button at the top left corner of the area.

For example, an area so long that you can't see the minus button within view:

You would need to scroll up to the start of the area to expand it, though.

Regarding true area labels in Mathcad Prime (as opposed to workarounds with placing text blocks), you should vote up this idea if you're a customer with support: https://community.ptc.com/t5/Mathcad-Ideas/Add-support-for-Nested-Areas-with-section-headers/idi-p/929763

[Werner_E]

Thanks for pointing out the right click menu. Even if it is not necessarily intuitive, this functionality is still very helpful for larger areas!

As far as the ideas section is concerned, I have my doubts as to whether nested areas might actually be more of a curse than a blessing. It depends on the specific way they would be implemented. According labels/headers, color formatting, etc. I really don't understand why this basic functionality wasn't implemented right from the start and why we have to beg and beg and upvote any ideas for it.

PTC promises that the ideas submitted will be taken into account in the development of Prime. But it is also the same company that promised earlier that version 3 of Prime would have all the features and functionalities of Mathcad 15. Now Prime 10 is just around the corner and we are still very far away from fulfilling this promise. This may give rise to doubts about the value of PTC promises ...

[Perez]

You may need to place a text box near the area before collapsing it. However, this process may not be as streamlined as in MC15. If the area is too large, instead of scrolling all the way up to press the minus symbol to collapse it, right-click in any space within the open area and use the context menu to select "Collapse Area."

Below is an example of using text boxes for labels:

[JeffH1]

I noticed at the presentation of the 2023 Roadmap that Area names are on the candidate list for Mathcad Prime 11, 12, ...

[GregH]

Hi Jeff,

That's good news, TY.

[jroth]

Man really?! My company just forceably upgraded us so now I have to update all my worksheets and the most BASIC functionalities are still missing.    

[GregH]

I have also found heavy calculations run 5-10x slower, so you might want to consider negotiation for a copy of 15 until Prime is fully updated.

[vnamboodheri]

Hello @GregH, 

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