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23-Emerald V
September 25, 2021
Question

How does one expand nested array elements when viewing them?

  • September 25, 2021
  • 2 replies
  • 2529 views

This has been a nuisance for some time, but ...

 

If I evaluate a nested array, the matrix navigator seems to have little effect, sometimes nested arrays won't resize, and there doesn't seem to be a way to resize all of the elements at once ... not a happy state of affairs for large arrays.

 

2021 09 25 D [2].png

 

Mathcad Express 7.0 worksheet attached.

 

Stuart

2 replies

ttokoro
21-Topaz I
21-Topaz I
September 25, 2021

Expand the transpose(hlist) array.

• Expand an individual array element of a nested array is ok.
• Make the array navigator show the elements that correspond to its position on the line is ok.

 

image.png

t.t.
23-Emerald V
September 26, 2021

How strange.  I just tried it and I could resize elements (although not all at once).   However, I then tried again on a different worksheet and the nested array wouldn't resize ...

 

 

For some reason, the recording software (Microsoft Xbox Game Bar) doesn't show the Matrix Navigator, although you can see where I'm using it.

 

Stuart

23-Emerald V
October 3, 2024

Time for a Mathcad Prime 10 update and a crossover thread discussion.   First, the crossover, ...

 


@terryhendicott wrote:
@@Werner_E wrote
@@terryhendicott

 

How did you manage to scroll all three vectors to the very same position?

I never succeed doing so as those silly sliders are much to inaccurate and as far as I have seen its not possible to use the keyboard.

 

I agree @@Werner_E navigating these large vectors is a difficult process.  Getting them lined up requires a steady hand on the mouse and plenty of patience.



Maybe it's just me, or perhaps it's moving from my old Dell to my newer Dell, but it seems slightly easier to select the slider and the slider seems more persistent, allowing more time to move the pointer onto and move it.

 

However, when, a la Werner, I tried the (intuitive) use of the keyboard arrow keys, the slider disappeared.   It would be better (IMO) if the slider replicated the Advanced Control Slider protocol; for example:

 

up, down - single element move;

ctrl-up, ctrl-down - page move (where a page is however many rows are visible in the vector);

PgUp (Fn up-arrow), PgDn (Fn right-arrow) - beginning, end move. 

 

Similar behaviour would apply to left and right arrows wrt columns.

 

Not only would this make the matrix easier to navigate, but it would introduce a degree of consistency between the advanced control and matrix navigator. 

 

I note that the matrix navigator must, perforce, allow consistency of movement operations in each of the (currently!) two dimensions.  I'm presuming that the Advanced Control Slider uses the Home and End keys for moving to the start and finish of the slider's range of movement because it only moves in one dimension.  I think the Slider operation would have to change to match any putative matrix navigator arrow-key operations - I'm not sure whether it would be more intuitive to use one set of arrows irrespective of slider orientation or align the arrow key sets with the slider.

 

@Catalina - Do you know if there are any plans to improve the ergonomics of the matrix navigator window?

 


On to the star of the show, the updated Mathcad Prime 10 worksheet.  

 

AFAICT, things are pretty much the same as in Mathcad Prime 7.

 

2024 10 02 F.png

 

See worksheet for a few more examples of nested array manipulation.

 

2024 10 02 B.png

 

2024 10 02 A.png

 

 

You can ignore the rest of this message if you want.


What follows is one my usual streams of unconsciousness that flow like dried up brooks in a desert heatwave.  Having just evaluated the slightly more extreme case of nested matrices, my thoughts meandered off in other directions, cutting off the previous nested array sizing thread like an oxbow lake.

 

 

2024 10 02 C.png

 

 

2024 10 02 D.png

 

Apart from wishing for more nuanced matrix navigator and nested array size control, a few other ideas sprung to mind as I was constructing the amended worksheet.

 

2024 10 02 E.png

 

The implicit feature request hidden in FR 1 is the ability to evaluate a Picture Operator in an array (and a text region!).

 

It would be quite neat if ctrl-shift-m carried out the FR 3 text to variable conversion, rather than replacing selected text with a math region as it does now.  The ability to toggle text-to-math conversion would be useful, as well.

 

Oh, and talking of Text Regions, tab stops would be a very welcome restoration of capability. 

 

Stuart

 

Attention @WernerE  and @terryhendicott 

25-Diamond I
October 3, 2024

Looks like you forgot to attach the new worksheet.

 

According scrolling larger arrays I sure would wish for the good old standard Windows slider. They may look old fashioned and not that fancy, but the new way as its implemented is unacceptable and unusable IMHO. It can't be that I have to generate smaller matrices with submatrix in order to examine a certain position in a larger matrix, just because it is not possible to scroll more precisely to a certain position!

23-Emerald V
October 3, 2024

@Werner_E wrote:

Looks like you forgot to attach the new worksheet.


Please, sir, the internet dog ate my worksheet.  I checked before posting and I'm semi-convinced that I saw the file.  I obviously need to get new glasses (*) or go to bed earlier (sleep deprivation causes hallucinations).  Anyway, I've attached the worksheet now ... I hope.

 


@Werner_E wrote:

According scrolling larger arrays I sure would wish for the good old standard Windows slider. They may look old fashioned and not that fancy, but the new way as its implemented is unacceptable and unusable IMHO. It can't be that I have to generate smaller matrices with submatrix in order to examine a certain position in a larger matrix, just because it is not possible to scroll more precisely to a certain position!


I'm shocked!  ðŸ˜±  *Two* scroll bars breaks the principal of maximal laziness.  With the matrix navigator scroll bar I can move within 2D using but a single gesture, whereas with separate scroll bars, I've got to first position the matrix focus with one bar and then with the other.  I think the changes I suggested would help you see the scroll box's benefits.

 

Be careful what you wish for, though.  There's another thread in which the OP complains about the narrowness of Mathcad's window scroll bars.  Apparently, this became an PC-wide issue when Windows 11 popped on the scene; the W11 default scroll bar is significantly narrower than the Windows 10 one.  I can't remember that far back, so I couldn't say.  W11 vertical scroll bars do seem somewhat narrow, though.  So these putative scroll bars might be an ergonomic problem in themselves.

 

Stuart

 

(*) Glasses.  Confounded things, always need cleaning and distort the periphery.  I miss my old eyesight.  This new one isn't very good.  Although if I run a 4K 15.6" screen and have a 80% (sometimes 65%) view on my Mathcad worksheets, it can't be that bad.