I've got 10 years experience and 200 documents using LaTex with heavy math.
Like everyone else I paste a clot of \newcommands into my Latex preamble
without looking at it.
My student has recommended Lyx, which I appreciate has many great features.
I really want to like LyX. What a great concept. And yet...
I find LyX math macros an absolutely horror. Why construct LyX to ignore macros
in an imported LaTex preamble? Why defeat the most
popular usage, and why not write something to properly automate the import?
It's a
fact that exchanging LaTex with collaborators and opening old files needs to be
automated. Yet Lyx wants me
to paste macros by hand into every document, or else create subsidiary file
systems
I don't understand with no examples of what to do. Why not automate that?
Once I create a macro it won't update (for me!) in an imported LaTeX document,
and the error messages are too non-specific to debug. Import also seems to
forget
a lot of small things like "^{}, _{} " and matrix formats that are real work
to fix. I've only got about 10 macros
to get running, but LyX has fought me all the way. I hope I'm in the wrong
and working with
basic concept errors someone could straighten out... and why doesn't LyX post
at least one
completely running imported mathy FILE example, rather than abstract
principles....while my excuse is a definite lack of interest
in working with things that create more work than they save. Frustrated by
hours
or wasted time, I probably seem cranky. In case I've not been too rude,
here's some macros, which
LyX gurus will not find profound; I will surely either convert with enthusiasm
to LyX, or forbid all
my students and contacts to ever touch it, depending on
how the importing and exporting of latex with macros can be automated.
\newcommand{\ab}{\allowbreak}
\newcommand{\bit}{\begin{itemize}} \newcommand{\eit}{\end{itemize}}
\newcommand{\im}{\item}
\newcommand{\be}{\begin{equation}} \newcommand{\ee}{\end{equation}}
\newcommand{\ba}{\begin{eqnarray}} \newcommand{\ea}{\end{eqnarray}}
\newcommand{\nn}{\nonumber} \renewcommand{\bf}{\textbf}
\newcommand{\ra}{\rightarrow} \newcommand{\NN}{\vec \nabla}
\def\slasha#1{\setbox0=\hbox{$#1$}#1\hskip-\wd0\hbox
to\wd0{\hss\sl/\/\hss}}
\def\slashb#1{\setbox0=\hbox{$#1$}#1\hskip-\wd0\dimen0=5pt\advance
\dimen0 by-\ht0\advance\dimen0 by\dp0\lower0.5\dimen0\hbox
to\wd0{\hss\sl/\/\hss}}
John P
--
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