MATHCAD PRIME 10 constantly crashing all of a sudden today when using text subscripts

[tslewis]

Im a heavy long-term user of mathcad. I regularly embed math regions within text regions in my calcs.

Today, I now find whenever I try and copy a math region within a text region mathcad constantly crashes. It never did this before. 

A few years ago there was an error PTC was aware that MS caused with an update where you could not copy and paste math regions form a text region into another text region. I wonder if there has been a recent update that has broken mathcad. 

I find i can replicate the constant crashing when in a text region contain embedded math regions, if I refer to a math variable using a text and subscript within the text region, It will crash constantly when copying a math region in that text region above the text subscript.

If I use my traditional approach pre-Prime 10 of using a math region to refer to the variable with subscript no issues. ( I typically see MathCAD crash once or twice a year, today its crashed thirty times.)

See attached sheet. Case 1 is my traditional approach. Case 2 is the crash case. Highlight the math region for the expression in Case 2, copy, and Mathcad will crash. 

I would suggest if you are mixing math and text regions, then do not use the subscript feature for text as your worksheets will be corrupted. 

[Werner_E]

Are you using Windows 10 or Windows 11?

I can confirm that this is a severe problem even though at least we are given the option to save the sheet.

I am using Windows 10 and I tried to copy the math expression in your "Case 2". Prime crashed with the very same error shown in one of your pictures -> "An Unhandled exception occurred on the dispatcher thread"

As I always try to avoid math regions inside of text regions, I can't say if it ever worked OK and if a recent Win Update causes the problem.

Guess you already reported the problem to PTC support.

BTW, you actually CAN copy and paste the math from Case 2. Don't highlight the region as a whole but simply highlight the expression IN the math region. Doing so will allow you to copy and paste the math. Nonetheless it should work the other way as well, but doesn't. Its crazy that it really seems to be the text subscript used somewhere in the text region which causes this error.
EDIT: Just tested and found that Prime also crashes when a text superscript is used somewhere in the text region.

[tslewis]

No I haven't submitted it to PTC support yet. It looks like others are getting the same issue. 

[Eric_S]

Seems I remember that I always had to use math regions in text whenever I wanted to display a sub or superscript. However, I also seem to remember seeing that a recent release of Prime addressed this shortcoming. If that is correct, perhaps text regions containing those sort of math regions need to be updated to the current way of formatting? Just a thought...

[Werner_E]

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@Eric_S wrote:

Seems I remember that I always had to use math regions in text whenever I wanted to display a sub or superscript. However, I also seem to remember seeing that a recent release of Prime addressed this shortcoming. If that is correct, perhaps text regions containing those sort of math regions need to be updated to the current way of formatting? Just a thought...

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The problem is that if you use the new text super- and subscripts in a text region AND the text regions also contains a math region, Prime crashes when you try to copy the math region.

[Eric_S]

Oh, OK thanks, @Werner_E, that seems to be an issue that needs correcting.

[tslewis]

Thanks for simplifying the explanation of issue. Yes, what you say is correct. I never used the text subscript feature before and prior always used math region for this. I always embed math regions of formulas in text regions as it's a simple way to keep everything aligned and formatted properly. 

[Werner_E]

So lets hope that PTC support and R&D take car of the issue and that we will see a fix at least in Prime 12. Guess its too late for Prime 11 as this version is due to be release already next  month.