mirror of https://github.com/texmacs/doc.git
80 lines
3.7 KiB
Plaintext
80 lines
3.7 KiB
Plaintext
|
<TeXmacs|1.0.7.9>
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
<style|tmdoc>
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
<\body>
|
||
|
|
<tmdoc-title|Semantic editing facilities>
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
Starting with version 1.0.7.10, <TeXmacs> incorporates several features for
|
||
|
|
the ``semantic'' editing of mathematical formulas. When used appropriately,
|
||
|
|
this allows you to write documents in which all formulas are at least
|
||
|
|
correct from a syntactical point of view. For instance, in the formulas
|
||
|
|
<math|a+b>, the computer will understand that <math|+> is an operator which
|
||
|
|
applies to the arguments <math|a> and <math|b>. Notice that our
|
||
|
|
``semantics'' does not go any further: <TeXmacs> is unaware of the
|
||
|
|
mathematical nature of addition.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
Semantic editing does require additional efforts from the user, at least a
|
||
|
|
little adaptation. For instance, it is the user's job to enter
|
||
|
|
multiplications using the shortcut <key|*> and function applications using
|
||
|
|
<key|space>. Indeed, from the graphical point of view, these operations
|
||
|
|
cannot be distinguished, since they are both printed as invisible
|
||
|
|
whitespace. However, the semantics of these operations is clearly very
|
||
|
|
different.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
Although semantically correct documents are usually not very different from
|
||
|
|
informal presentation-oriented documents as far as typesetting is
|
||
|
|
concerned, the additional user effort may pay off for several reasons:
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
<\itemize>
|
||
|
|
<item>Documents with more semantics are for instance useful when using
|
||
|
|
formulas as inputs for a computer algebra system.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
<item>Syntactically correct documents are less likely to contain
|
||
|
|
``typos'' or more intricate mathematical errors.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
<item>For certain editing operations, such as cut and paste, one may
|
||
|
|
directly select subformulas which are meaningful from the syntactical
|
||
|
|
point of view.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
<item>It reduces the risk of using non standard notations, which will be
|
||
|
|
difficult to understand for potential readers of your work.
|
||
|
|
</itemize>
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
Furthermore, other semantic facilities might be integrated in the feature,
|
||
|
|
such as semantic search and replace, or semantic search on the web.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
In order to activate the semantic editing facilities, please toggle
|
||
|
|
<menu|Edit|Preferences|Mathematics|Semantic editing>. In the semantic
|
||
|
|
editing mode, several of the structured editing features of <TeXmacs> apply
|
||
|
|
to the syntactic structure of the formula, rather than the visual structure
|
||
|
|
of the document. For instance, the <em|semantic
|
||
|
|
focus><label|semantic-focus> is usually a subformula of the <hlink|current
|
||
|
|
focus|../../text/man-structure.en.tm>. Similarly, only syntactically
|
||
|
|
meaningful subformulas can be selected when making a selection.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
The semantic focus is useful for several reasons. First of all, it is
|
||
|
|
displayed in green if the formula is syntactically correct and in red if
|
||
|
|
you made an error. This allows to quickly notice any typos while entering a
|
||
|
|
formula. Secondly, if you have any doubt on the precedence of a
|
||
|
|
mathematical operator or relation, then the semantic focus will inform you
|
||
|
|
on the default interpretation: by putting your cursor right next to your
|
||
|
|
operator, the subexpression to which the operator applies will be
|
||
|
|
highlighted. In the case of an addition, or a more general associative
|
||
|
|
operator, all summands are highlighted.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
<tmdoc-copyright|2010|Joris van der Hoeven>
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
<tmdoc-license|Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this
|
||
|
|
document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1
|
||
|
|
or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
|
||
|
|
Invariant Sections, with no Front-Cover Texts, and with no Back-Cover
|
||
|
|
Texts. A copy of the license is included in the section entitled "GNU Free
|
||
|
|
Documentation License".>
|
||
|
|
</body>
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
<\initial>
|
||
|
|
<\collection>
|
||
|
|
<associate|language|english>
|
||
|
|
</collection>
|
||
|
|
</initial>
|