LaTeX Cut and paste in to other Latex editors

[karush]

Occasionally I want to save a problem which was explained well here into a document outside the forum

However, I can't find one of the online editors that seems compatible with the one here on MHB.

Also, I have tried to compose a problem from an outside editor and c/p it here but there are always issues
usually its the $ signs or problems mixing text with math.

Also, since many of us use tablets there's no way to do an undo. If you put a () set in the wrong place its a pain to backspace it out.

Also if we want to save the rendered lateX to an image there seems to be no option but to use the sniping tool

Also, using campus computers we are constantly being logged out without knowing it when we hit the submit button we lose everything and have to start over.. and the auto save has done nothing. On my tablet the preview button will lock up the site. so I put everything in the LateX editor and just use the live preview. I copy it all out before I submit then hopefully I can get it to the posts. Losing stuff after composing a lot lateX and redoing it happens to often!

Also, could you please make these editing and live preview windows expandable, Composing is daunting enough without undue need to do a lot of scrolling

other than that life is great.

 

[Evgeny.Makarov]

Occasionally I want to save a problem which was explained well here into a document outside the forum

However, I can't find one of the online editors that seems compatible with the one here on MHB.

First, to copy a post text elsewhere, you probably first need to use the "Reply With Quote" button to get access to the actual post code. It may use formatting tags such as [b]...[/b] for bold letters and [LIST]...[/LIST] for lists. In this respect the code is more like HTML than LaTeX, though it uses square brackets instead of angular brackets in HTML. I don't know ways to convert forum formatting to LaTeX off top of my head, but I know that there are HTML to LaTeX converters.

As for math on this forum, it is delimited by single or double dollar signs, \[...\], [math]...[/math] tags or LaTeX environments such as \begin{align}...\end{align}. The first two types of delimiters work in LaTeX as well. In a LaTeX document, some math environments have to be included in either dollar signs or \[...\], but others don't. As for [math]...[/math] tags, they have to be replaced by dollar signs or \[...\].

If you have a single math equation, you can view it on a site such as codecogs. If you have a text with formulas, then you need to provide a so-called preamble. See here for document structure. In the preamble use you should probably write

[m]\usepackage{amsmath,amssymb}[/m]

to include basic packages for math.

After you create a minimal document, you can compile it if you have a local LaTeX installation, or you need an online environment, such as ShareLaTeX.

Also, I have tried to compose a problem from an outside editor and c/p it here but there are always issues
usually its the \$ signs or problems mixing text with math.

Simple text with formulas should work fine on the forum since the forum accepts LaTeX math delimiters (dollar signs and \[...\]). Please describe your problem more precisely.

Also, since many of us use tablets there's no way to do an undo. If you put a () set in the wrong place its a pain to backspace it out.

I would think it depends on the type of tablet (Android or iPad), on the software, on whether there is a keyboard attached and so on. I can move the cursor on my Android phone by tapping my finger in the required place inside a text box, so there is no need to backspace long segments of text.

Also if we want to save the rendered lateX to an image there seems to be no option but to use the sniping tool

Yes, this is the simplest solution. To save a single formula as an image, you can also right-click on the rendered formula on the forum, select "Show Math As", "TeX Commands", copy the LaTeX code and paste it to the codecogs site linked above. It gives you an opportunity to download your formula as an image.

Also, using campus computers we are constantly being logged out without knowing it when we hit the submit button we lose everything and have to start over.. and the auto save has done nothing.

The autosave feature seems to work for me within one user session. For example if I navigate from MHB to another page and then click the back arrow in the browser, the text in the edit box is mostly preserved. If you are logged out, it may be different. You could use a text editor to compose your messages and rely on the editor's autosave feature, or regularly save you text manually. Then copy and paste the text from the editor to the forum edit box.

It may not be possible on a campus computer, but I also have a Firefox extension called "Lazarus: Form Recovery", which remembers text entered in an edit box on any site. It works pretty well.

On my tablet the preview button will lock up the site.

This probably requires investigation. Please provide more details.

Also, could you please make these editing and live preview windows expandable

On the desktop the edit box is expandable. In Firefox there is a handle (several parallel lines in the bottom-right corner) that allows changing the box size.

 

[karush]

Thanks wasn't expecting such a complete answer.

I want to advance a lot more with the lateX.
I notice the best help here has been when the coding looked professional.

 

[karush]

Im currently trying Overleaf but kinda iffy ...

 

[DrWahoo]

I prefer Winshell and installing packages from mirror sites. I hate paying for software that was meant to be free.

May give it a try if you want to branch off. Just make sure you get the ghost/postscript files uploaded in the folder just in case you are using graphics.