Good latex editor for Mathematics?

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  • Thread starter Thread starter christian0710
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    Latex Mathematics
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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around recommendations for LaTeX editors suitable for beginners who need to write mathematical equations. Participants share their experiences with various editors, highlighting features and usability for mathematical content creation.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants recommend TeXworks for its simplicity, suggesting that it can be effective when combined with online resources for commands.
  • Others mention Scientific Workplace, noting its symbolic equation building capabilities but also its potential for being time-consuming for heavy math use.
  • Texmaker is mentioned by one participant, although they do not provide a comparison to other editors.
  • Gummi is suggested for those who prefer typing LaTeX directly, while others mention Technicenter and LyX, with mixed feelings about LyX's WYSIWYG approach and compatibility issues.
  • Kile is favored by multiple participants for its project management features and symbol lookup, although it is not WYSIWYG.
  • Some participants express concerns about LyX's output quality and compatibility with standard LaTeX processing tools.
  • Sharelatex.com is mentioned as a collaborative online option with a wide range of packages and tutorials.
  • Emacs with AUCTeX, BibTeX, and RefTeX is suggested for its automation of equation labeling.
  • One participant notes the redundancy of multiple threads discussing LaTeX editors and suggests consolidating discussions.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on a single recommended LaTeX editor, as various preferences and experiences are shared, indicating multiple competing views on the best option for beginners.

Contextual Notes

Some participants express frustration with the lack of standardized LaTeX tags on the forum and the difficulty in finding comprehensive guides, which may affect their ability to effectively use LaTeX in discussions.

christian0710
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Hi, Just wondering: What Latex editor would you recommend for a beginner for writing a lot of mathematical equations?
 
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I use TeXworks, which is pretty bare bones, but if you pair it with a lot of google searches for new commands makes for pretty rapid equation entering.
I have used Scientific Workplace, but that lends itself to building equations symbolically which is more time consuming if you are doing a lot of math. The benefit of SW is that it also has a lot of built in capabilities to evaluate math and incorporate plots.
 
I don't do much latex and don't know how it compares, but I have used Texmaker.
 
christian0710 said:
What Latex editor would you recommend for a beginner for writing a lot of mathematical equations?

Do you want to type out the Latex or do you want something oriented toward a drag-and-drop symbols interface?

I prefer to type the Latex and for that approach, try Gummi.
 
Technicenter or Lyx... Technicenter is compiled, and is equivalent to TeXworks. LyX is WYSIWYG and I have not spent too much time working with it.
 
Just a minimal warning as I ended up not using Lyx...maybe things have improved.
Several years ago, when I was looking for a latex solution, I read about Lyx...I was not 100% happy with it...details about it that affect compatibility. Precisely because it attempts to be WYSIWYG, it seems the latex behind the scenes is not pretty to say the least; I seem to recall something along the lines of Lyx having to include stuff that is not standard (making the source incompatible with typical latex processing tools) and making it difficult to edit the source directly when wanting to achieve something specific.
 
I use Kile, for me it is good.
 
Emacs, obviously. :wink:

Seriously, I use Kile. I really like it. It has a sidebar where you can look up symbols, and nice project management. It's not WYSIWYG, but frankly, I think that's a good thing.
 
  • #10
While participants think about replies I wish to say about the short experience in LaTex on this forum.
When I have tried to find out how to use LaTeX in this forum, I visited the following topics:
https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/how-to-use-latex-on-a-forum.82081/#post-677269
and
https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/how-to-use-latex-on-this-site.825702/
there are many links to tutorials and there are no even a one frase about LaTeX tags! LaTeX tags are still not standartized and every one novice needs to know what they are, and there is no an answer)
Just trying to edit the message can be seen in the lower left corner of the built-in editor link "Latex" and trying to type LaTeX you can see the link "Latex guide". Clicking and reading you can find that the tags are:
itex and /itex in brackets!
So the last expression of previous post has to be rendered as:
F_{e }=\frac{q _{1}\cdot q _{2}}{{{4\cdot \pi \cdot \varepsilon _{0}\cdot \varepsilon \cdot r}}^{2}}
 
Last edited:
  • #11
IgorIGP said:
Clicking and reading you can find that the tags are:
Alternatively can be applied tags \$$ (double dollar). So:
\$$F_{e }=\frac{q _{1}\cdot q _{2}}{{{4\cdot \pi \cdot \varepsilon _{0}\cdot \varepsilon \cdot r}}^{2}}\$$
will be rendered:
$$F_{e }=\frac{q _{1}\cdot q _{2}}{{{4\cdot \pi \cdot \varepsilon _{0}\cdot \varepsilon \cdot r}}^{2}}$$
that is interesting that using itex and /itex tags we have a little font:
F_{e }=\frac{q _{1}\cdot q _{2}}{{{4\cdot \pi \cdot \varepsilon _{0}\cdot \varepsilon \cdot r}}^{2}}
 
  • #12
christian0710 said:
Hi, Just wondering: What Latex editor would you recommend for a beginner for writing a lot of mathematical equations?
These threads aren't as good as they should be, because usually 20 people recommend 20 different editors. I think TeXnicCenter is good for small documents.

IgorIGP said:
there are many links to tutorials and there are no even a one frase about LaTeX tags!
The LaTeX guide for Physics Forums starts with a detailed explanation of the tags.
https://www.physicsforums.com/help/latexhelp/
It can also be found by clicking info (at the top right), help/how-to, latex primer.
 
  • #13
In the time of everything online there is sharelatex.com

Depending on your operating system installing extra packages can be a little annoying. Sharelatex has most if not all well-known packages.
They also have great tutorials if you ask me.
Finally you can work on the same document with multiple people (hence share)

See if you like it, I know I did. (Although I also use kile when I don't want any possibility of distractions)
 
  • #14
Emacs with AUCTeX, BibTeX and RefTeX. You never have to think about equation labels again, as they are automatically generated and looked up.
 

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