Re: Rendering of LyX's math screen fonts.

[Rudi Gaelzer]

On Thursday 07 November 2013 21:30:14 Georg Baum wrote:
 Rudi Gaelzer wrote:
 
  So I ask you LyXperts: is it possible to configure the math mode editor so
  that it uses also mathabx and other different math fonts?  The roadmap to
  LyX 2.1 mentions enhanced support for math font selection (OpenType fonts)
  and support ofr cropped PDF/EPS.  However, AFAIU, these enhancements will
  have an effect on IP and on the exported document.  Seems to me that the
  math editor will still use the same screen fonts.  Or am I wrong?
 
 You are right, the mentioned features do not affect the look of the math 
 editor. However, there are some new symbols in 2.1, mainly from stmaryrd.sty 
 and mathtools.sty. To some extent you can also add some on your own: The 
 screen appearance of math symbols is defined in the file lib/symbols, which 
 contains some very basic documentation for 2.1.
 Basically, there are three kinds of symbol definitions in that file:
 
 1) symbols supported by special insets (like the decorations)
 2) symbols supported by fonts (like the ones from fontmath.ltx)
 3) symbols without any builtin support
 
 Adding symbols of type 1) and 2) requires some programming in LyX, and 2) 
 requires also a true type font containing the symbols in a certain order, 
 but symbols of type 3) can easily be added by users: All lines starting with 
 \def are of this kind. For example, you could define \partialslash like 
 this:
 
 \def\partialslash{\partial\kern-12mu/}
 
 The slash is a bit too short, but maybe there is a longer one already 
 supported by mathed, which you could use instead. Although this looks like a 
 TeX macro definition, it is not used for the output, only for display in 
 LyX. There is basically no documentation how exactly this \def works, you 
 have to use trial and error. You could also make the mathabx package load 
 automatically if this symbol is used (works only for packages in the 
 compiled in feature list of LyX, and mathabx is in there):
 
 \def\partialslash{\partial\kern-12mu/} mathabx
 
 I strongly advise against doing so, because this makes your LyX document 
 depend on your personal installation, and it would not typeset on vanilla 
 installations. This feature is rather for symbols distributed with the 
 official symbols file.
 
 Finally, if you want some symbols to appear officially in LyX, you could add 
 them to bug , but please note that font changing packages like txfonts 
 will not be used.

Thanks a lot for the tips.  I'll try them out as soon as I have some time.

 
 
 Georg
 
 
 PS: It is funny that you also use the math editor for calculations. I used 
 to do that a lot for my thesis, but always thought I was the only one.

I guess we're not the only ones.  I even know some guys that do calculations 
directly in latex... boy, that should be fun...

 
 
 
 

-- 
Rudi Gaelzer
Institute of Physics
Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul
BRAZIL
Registered linux user # 153741

Re: Using LyX for calculations (was Rendering of LyX's math screen fonts.)

[Rudi Gaelzer]

I only tried them out for very simple cases as well.
Begging the pardon of LyX's developers, you'll find this resource much more 
developed in texmacs, if you're not aware of it:
http://www.texmacs.org/tmweb/home/welcome.en.html
There, you'll find interfaces for several different CAS, such as those you 
mentioned.

On Thursday 07 November 2013 15:02:39 Jerry wrote:
 I know that LyX has hooks for some computer algebra systems (Mathematica, 
 Maple, Maxima) and Octave. I have played with these a little (Octave and 
 Mathematica) and it seems potentially useful but possibly not fully developed 
 in LyX.
 
 I'm curious to know how you and others have used this corner of LyX.
 
 Jerry
 
 On Nov 7, 2013, at 1:30 PM, Georg Baum georg.b...@post.rwth-aachen.de wrote:
 
  PS: It is funny that you also use the math editor for calculations. I used 
  to do that a lot for my thesis, but always thought I was the only one.
 

-- 
Rudi Gaelzer
Institute of Physics
Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul
BRAZIL
Registered linux user # 153741

Re: Using LyX for calculations (was Rendering of LyX's math screen fonts.)

[Georg Baum]

Jerry wrote:

 I know that LyX has hooks for some computer algebra systems (Mathematica,
 Maple, Maxima) and Octave. I have played with these a little (Octave and
 Mathematica) and it seems potentially useful but possibly not fully
 developed in LyX.

It is only very basic (and therefore not much advertised).

 I'm curious to know how you and others have used this corner of LyX.

I did not use this interface. I did manual calculations involving bigger 
equations that I would otherwise have done on paper. I used LyX only because 
I could easily incorporate corrections (and print the result again for final 
proof reading).


Georg

Re: Using LyX for calculations (was Rendering of LyX's math screen fonts.)

[Andrew Parsloe]

On 9/11/2013 9:03 a.m., Georg Baum wrote:

Jerry wrote:


I know that LyX has hooks for some computer algebra systems (Mathematica,
Maple, Maxima) and Octave. I have played with these a little (Octave and
Mathematica) and it seems potentially useful but possibly not fully
developed in LyX.


It is only very basic (and therefore not much advertised).


I'm curious to know how you and others have used this corner of LyX.


I did not use this interface. I did manual calculations involving bigger
equations that I would otherwise have done on paper. I used LyX only because
I could easily incorporate corrections (and print the result again for final
proof reading).


Georg



Slightly off topic, but the LaTeX package calcul83.sty, lyx module and 
explanatory document at


http://marc.info/?l=lyx-usersm=138122526923848w=2

allow numerical evaluation of formulae in LyX's math editor (also some 
extra facilities like iterating functions and creating tables of values) 
using instant preview, without having to hunt through the menus to 
activate a CAS. In fact the expl language of LaTeX3 seems to me 
sufficiently usable and powerful enough to create a CAS in TeX. 
Reinventing the wheel of course but it would be kind of nice to have 
such things evaluate under instant preview.


Andrew

Re: Rendering of LyX's math screen fonts.

[Rudi Gaelzer]

On Thursday 07 November 2013 21:30:14 Georg Baum wrote:
 Rudi Gaelzer wrote:
 
  So I ask you LyXperts: is it possible to configure the math mode editor so
  that it uses also mathabx and other different math fonts?  The roadmap to
  LyX 2.1 mentions enhanced support for math font selection (OpenType fonts)
  and support ofr cropped PDF/EPS.  However, AFAIU, these enhancements will
  have an effect on IP and on the exported document.  Seems to me that the
  math editor will still use the same screen fonts.  Or am I wrong?
 
 You are right, the mentioned features do not affect the look of the math 
 editor. However, there are some new symbols in 2.1, mainly from stmaryrd.sty 
 and mathtools.sty. To some extent you can also add some on your own: The 
 screen appearance of math symbols is defined in the file lib/symbols, which 
 contains some very basic documentation for 2.1.
 Basically, there are three kinds of symbol definitions in that file:
 
 1) symbols supported by special insets (like the decorations)
 2) symbols supported by fonts (like the ones from fontmath.ltx)
 3) symbols without any builtin support
 
 Adding symbols of type 1) and 2) requires some programming in LyX, and 2) 
 requires also a true type font containing the symbols in a certain order, 
 but symbols of type 3) can easily be added by users: All lines starting with 
 \def are of this kind. For example, you could define \partialslash like 
 this:
 
 \def\partialslash{\partial\kern-12mu/}
 
 The slash is a bit too short, but maybe there is a longer one already 
 supported by mathed, which you could use instead. Although this looks like a 
 TeX macro definition, it is not used for the output, only for display in 
 LyX. There is basically no documentation how exactly this \def works, you 
 have to use trial and error. You could also make the mathabx package load 
 automatically if this symbol is used (works only for packages in the 
 compiled in feature list of LyX, and mathabx is in there):
 
 \def\partialslash{\partial\kern-12mu/} mathabx
 
 I strongly advise against doing so, because this makes your LyX document 
 depend on your personal installation, and it would not typeset on vanilla 
 installations. This feature is rather for symbols distributed with the 
 official symbols file.
 
 Finally, if you want some symbols to appear officially in LyX, you could add 
 them to bug , but please note that font changing packages like txfonts 
 will not be used.

Thanks a lot for the tips.  I'll try them out as soon as I have some time.

 
 
 Georg
 
 
 PS: It is funny that you also use the math editor for calculations. I used 
 to do that a lot for my thesis, but always thought I was the only one.

I guess we're not the only ones.  I even know some guys that do calculations 
directly in latex... boy, that should be fun...

 
 
 
 

-- 
Rudi Gaelzer
Institute of Physics
Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul
BRAZIL
Registered linux user # 153741

Re: Using LyX for calculations (was Rendering of LyX's math screen fonts.)

[Rudi Gaelzer]

I only tried them out for very simple cases as well.
Begging the pardon of LyX's developers, you'll find this resource much more 
developed in texmacs, if you're not aware of it:
http://www.texmacs.org/tmweb/home/welcome.en.html
There, you'll find interfaces for several different CAS, such as those you 
mentioned.

On Thursday 07 November 2013 15:02:39 Jerry wrote:
 I know that LyX has hooks for some computer algebra systems (Mathematica, 
 Maple, Maxima) and Octave. I have played with these a little (Octave and 
 Mathematica) and it seems potentially useful but possibly not fully developed 
 in LyX.
 
 I'm curious to know how you and others have used this corner of LyX.
 
 Jerry
 
 On Nov 7, 2013, at 1:30 PM, Georg Baum georg.b...@post.rwth-aachen.de wrote:
 
  PS: It is funny that you also use the math editor for calculations. I used 
  to do that a lot for my thesis, but always thought I was the only one.
 

-- 
Rudi Gaelzer
Institute of Physics
Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul
BRAZIL
Registered linux user # 153741

Re: Using LyX for calculations (was Rendering of LyX's math screen fonts.)

[Georg Baum]

Jerry wrote:

 I know that LyX has hooks for some computer algebra systems (Mathematica,
 Maple, Maxima) and Octave. I have played with these a little (Octave and
 Mathematica) and it seems potentially useful but possibly not fully
 developed in LyX.

It is only very basic (and therefore not much advertised).

 I'm curious to know how you and others have used this corner of LyX.

I did not use this interface. I did manual calculations involving bigger 
equations that I would otherwise have done on paper. I used LyX only because 
I could easily incorporate corrections (and print the result again for final 
proof reading).


Georg

Re: Using LyX for calculations (was Rendering of LyX's math screen fonts.)

[Andrew Parsloe]

On 9/11/2013 9:03 a.m., Georg Baum wrote:

Jerry wrote:


I know that LyX has hooks for some computer algebra systems (Mathematica,
Maple, Maxima) and Octave. I have played with these a little (Octave and
Mathematica) and it seems potentially useful but possibly not fully
developed in LyX.


It is only very basic (and therefore not much advertised).


I'm curious to know how you and others have used this corner of LyX.


I did not use this interface. I did manual calculations involving bigger
equations that I would otherwise have done on paper. I used LyX only because
I could easily incorporate corrections (and print the result again for final
proof reading).


Georg



Slightly off topic, but the LaTeX package calcul83.sty, lyx module and 
explanatory document at


http://marc.info/?l=lyx-usersm=138122526923848w=2

allow numerical evaluation of formulae in LyX's math editor (also some 
extra facilities like iterating functions and creating tables of values) 
using instant preview, without having to hunt through the menus to 
activate a CAS. In fact the expl language of LaTeX3 seems to me 
sufficiently usable and powerful enough to create a CAS in TeX. 
Reinventing the wheel of course but it would be kind of nice to have 
such things evaluate under instant preview.


Andrew

Re: Rendering of LyX's math screen fonts.

[Rudi Gaelzer]

On Thursday 07 November 2013 21:30:14 Georg Baum wrote:
> Rudi Gaelzer wrote:
> 
> > So I ask you LyXperts: is it possible to configure the math mode editor so
> > that it uses also mathabx and other different math fonts?  The roadmap to
> > LyX 2.1 mentions enhanced support for math font selection (OpenType fonts)
> > and support ofr cropped PDF/EPS.  However, AFAIU, these enhancements will
> > have an effect on IP and on the exported document.  Seems to me that the
> > math editor will still use the same screen fonts.  Or am I wrong?
> 
> You are right, the mentioned features do not affect the look of the math 
> editor. However, there are some new symbols in 2.1, mainly from stmaryrd.sty 
> and mathtools.sty. To some extent you can also add some on your own: The 
> screen appearance of math symbols is defined in the file lib/symbols, which 
> contains some very basic documentation for 2.1.
> Basically, there are three kinds of symbol definitions in that file:
> 
> 1) symbols supported by special insets (like the decorations)
> 2) symbols supported by fonts (like the ones from fontmath.ltx)
> 3) symbols without any builtin support
> 
> Adding symbols of type 1) and 2) requires some programming in LyX, and 2) 
> requires also a true type font containing the symbols in a certain order, 
> but symbols of type 3) can easily be added by users: All lines starting with 
> \def are of this kind. For example, you could define \partialslash like 
> this:
> 
> \def\partialslash{\partial\kern-12mu/}
> 
> The slash is a bit too short, but maybe there is a longer one already 
> supported by mathed, which you could use instead. Although this looks like a 
> TeX macro definition, it is not used for the output, only for display in 
> LyX. There is basically no documentation how exactly this \def works, you 
> have to use trial and error. You could also make the mathabx package load 
> automatically if this symbol is used (works only for packages in the 
> compiled in feature list of LyX, and mathabx is in there):
> 
> \def\partialslash{\partial\kern-12mu/} mathabx
> 
> I strongly advise against doing so, because this makes your LyX document 
> depend on your personal installation, and it would not typeset on vanilla 
> installations. This feature is rather for symbols distributed with the 
> official symbols file.
> 
> Finally, if you want some symbols to appear officially in LyX, you could add 
> them to bug , but please note that font changing packages like txfonts 
> will not be used.

Thanks a lot for the tips.  I'll try them out as soon as I have some time.

> 
> 
> Georg
> 
> 
> PS: It is funny that you also use the math editor for calculations. I used 
> to do that a lot for my thesis, but always thought I was the only one.

I guess we're not the only ones.  I even know some guys that do calculations 
directly in latex... boy, that should be fun...

> 
> 
> 
> 

-- 
Rudi Gaelzer
Institute of Physics
Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul
BRAZIL
Registered linux user # 153741

Re: Using LyX for calculations (was Rendering of LyX's math screen fonts.)

[Rudi Gaelzer]

I only tried them out for very simple cases as well.
Begging the pardon of LyX's developers, you'll find this resource much more 
developed in texmacs, if you're not aware of it:
http://www.texmacs.org/tmweb/home/welcome.en.html
There, you'll find interfaces for several different CAS, such as those you 
mentioned.

On Thursday 07 November 2013 15:02:39 Jerry wrote:
> I know that LyX has hooks for some computer algebra systems (Mathematica, 
> Maple, Maxima) and Octave. I have played with these a little (Octave and 
> Mathematica) and it seems potentially useful but possibly not fully developed 
> in LyX.
> 
> I'm curious to know how you and others have used this corner of LyX.
> 
> Jerry
> 
> On Nov 7, 2013, at 1:30 PM, Georg Baum  wrote:
> 
> > PS: It is funny that you also use the math editor for calculations. I used 
> > to do that a lot for my thesis, but always thought I was the only one.
> 

-- 
Rudi Gaelzer
Institute of Physics
Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul
BRAZIL
Registered linux user # 153741

Re: Using LyX for calculations (was Rendering of LyX's math screen fonts.)

[Georg Baum]

Jerry wrote:

> I know that LyX has hooks for some computer algebra systems (Mathematica,
> Maple, Maxima) and Octave. I have played with these a little (Octave and
> Mathematica) and it seems potentially useful but possibly not fully
> developed in LyX.

It is only very basic (and therefore not much advertised).

> I'm curious to know how you and others have used this corner of LyX.

I did not use this interface. I did manual calculations involving bigger 
equations that I would otherwise have done on paper. I used LyX only because 
I could easily incorporate corrections (and print the result again for final 
proof reading).


Georg

Re: Using LyX for calculations (was Rendering of LyX's math screen fonts.)

[Andrew Parsloe]

On 9/11/2013 9:03 a.m., Georg Baum wrote:

Jerry wrote:


I know that LyX has hooks for some computer algebra systems (Mathematica,
Maple, Maxima) and Octave. I have played with these a little (Octave and
Mathematica) and it seems potentially useful but possibly not fully
developed in LyX.


It is only very basic (and therefore not much advertised).


I'm curious to know how you and others have used this corner of LyX.


I did not use this interface. I did manual calculations involving bigger
equations that I would otherwise have done on paper. I used LyX only because
I could easily incorporate corrections (and print the result again for final
proof reading).


Georg



Slightly off topic, but the LaTeX package calcul83.sty, lyx module and 
explanatory document at


http://marc.info/?l=lyx-users=138122526923848=2

allow numerical evaluation of formulae in LyX's math editor (also some 
extra facilities like iterating functions and creating tables of values) 
using instant preview, without having to hunt through the menus to 
activate a CAS. In fact the expl language of LaTeX3 seems to me 
sufficiently usable and powerful enough to create a CAS in TeX. 
Reinventing the wheel of course but it would be kind of nice to have 
such things evaluate under instant preview.


Andrew

Rendering of LyX's math screen fonts.

[Rudi Gaelzer]

This is a recurrent problem for me, and I think it's for other as well.

Certainly someone has already discussed this issue in this list (or in the 
devel list), but every time I take some time to browse through them, I cannot 
find it, or perhaps I'm not sufficiently knowledgeable on the internal working 
of LyX to really identify the subject...

Anyway, whenever I'm editing a mathematical equation and have a need for a 
symbol not included in the standard latex and AMStex sets, I have to look for 
it elsewhere. 

A good place to look for new symbols is the 'The Comprehensive LaTeX Symbol 
List'
http://mirror.ctan.org/info/symbols/comprehensive/symbols-a4.pdf
So, if I want the \partialslash symbol, I have to edit the preamble and 
insert \usepackage{mathabx}.  If I want the double square bracket delimiters 
\ldbrack and \rdbrack, I have to \usepackage{txfonts}, and so forth. 
It works fine to generate the exported document in PDF or PS and also with 
Instant Preview.  However, the math equation editor (or math mode) does not 
render non-AMS/latex symbols, but leaves them as ERT's.

That's ok if you are creating a document with LyX, but for those of us that use 
LyX to make mathematical calculations as well, the rendition of all symbols 
goes a long way to facilitate the visualization of the mathematical expression.

So I ask you LyXperts: is it possible to configure the math mode editor so that 
it uses also mathabx and other different math fonts?  The roadmap to LyX 2.1 
mentions enhanced support for math font selection (OpenType fonts) and support 
ofr cropped PDF/EPS.  However, AFAIU, these enhancements will have an effect on 
IP and on the exported document.  Seems to me that the math editor will still 
use the same screen fonts.  Or am I wrong?
-- 
Rudi Gaelzer
Institute of Physics
Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul
BRAZIL
Registered linux user # 153741

Re: Rendering of LyX's math screen fonts.

[Georg Baum]

Rudi Gaelzer wrote:

 So I ask you LyXperts: is it possible to configure the math mode editor so
 that it uses also mathabx and other different math fonts?  The roadmap to
 LyX 2.1 mentions enhanced support for math font selection (OpenType fonts)
 and support ofr cropped PDF/EPS.  However, AFAIU, these enhancements will
 have an effect on IP and on the exported document.  Seems to me that the
 math editor will still use the same screen fonts.  Or am I wrong?

You are right, the mentioned features do not affect the look of the math 
editor. However, there are some new symbols in 2.1, mainly from stmaryrd.sty 
and mathtools.sty. To some extent you can also add some on your own: The 
screen appearance of math symbols is defined in the file lib/symbols, which 
contains some very basic documentation for 2.1.
Basically, there are three kinds of symbol definitions in that file:

1) symbols supported by special insets (like the decorations)
2) symbols supported by fonts (like the ones from fontmath.ltx)
3) symbols without any builtin support

Adding symbols of type 1) and 2) requires some programming in LyX, and 2) 
requires also a true type font containing the symbols in a certain order, 
but symbols of type 3) can easily be added by users: All lines starting with 
\def are of this kind. For example, you could define \partialslash like 
this:

\def\partialslash{\partial\kern-12mu/}

The slash is a bit too short, but maybe there is a longer one already 
supported by mathed, which you could use instead. Although this looks like a 
TeX macro definition, it is not used for the output, only for display in 
LyX. There is basically no documentation how exactly this \def works, you 
have to use trial and error. You could also make the mathabx package load 
automatically if this symbol is used (works only for packages in the 
compiled in feature list of LyX, and mathabx is in there):

\def\partialslash{\partial\kern-12mu/} mathabx

I strongly advise against doing so, because this makes your LyX document 
depend on your personal installation, and it would not typeset on vanilla 
installations. This feature is rather for symbols distributed with the 
official symbols file.

Finally, if you want some symbols to appear officially in LyX, you could add 
them to bug , but please note that font changing packages like txfonts 
will not be used.


Georg


PS: It is funny that you also use the math editor for calculations. I used 
to do that a lot for my thesis, but always thought I was the only one.

Using LyX for calculations (was Rendering of LyX's math screen fonts.)

[Jerry]

I know that LyX has hooks for some computer algebra systems (Mathematica, 
Maple, Maxima) and Octave. I have played with these a little (Octave and 
Mathematica) and it seems potentially useful but possibly not fully developed 
in LyX.

I'm curious to know how you and others have used this corner of LyX.

Jerry

On Nov 7, 2013, at 1:30 PM, Georg Baum georg.b...@post.rwth-aachen.de wrote:

 PS: It is funny that you also use the math editor for calculations. I used 
 to do that a lot for my thesis, but always thought I was the only one.

Rendering of LyX's math screen fonts.

[Rudi Gaelzer]

This is a recurrent problem for me, and I think it's for other as well.

Certainly someone has already discussed this issue in this list (or in the 
devel list), but every time I take some time to browse through them, I cannot 
find it, or perhaps I'm not sufficiently knowledgeable on the internal working 
of LyX to really identify the subject...

Anyway, whenever I'm editing a mathematical equation and have a need for a 
symbol not included in the standard latex and AMStex sets, I have to look for 
it elsewhere. 

A good place to look for new symbols is the 'The Comprehensive LaTeX Symbol 
List'
http://mirror.ctan.org/info/symbols/comprehensive/symbols-a4.pdf
So, if I want the \partialslash symbol, I have to edit the preamble and 
insert \usepackage{mathabx}.  If I want the double square bracket delimiters 
\ldbrack and \rdbrack, I have to \usepackage{txfonts}, and so forth. 
It works fine to generate the exported document in PDF or PS and also with 
Instant Preview.  However, the math equation editor (or math mode) does not 
render non-AMS/latex symbols, but leaves them as ERT's.

That's ok if you are creating a document with LyX, but for those of us that use 
LyX to make mathematical calculations as well, the rendition of all symbols 
goes a long way to facilitate the visualization of the mathematical expression.

So I ask you LyXperts: is it possible to configure the math mode editor so that 
it uses also mathabx and other different math fonts?  The roadmap to LyX 2.1 
mentions enhanced support for math font selection (OpenType fonts) and support 
ofr cropped PDF/EPS.  However, AFAIU, these enhancements will have an effect on 
IP and on the exported document.  Seems to me that the math editor will still 
use the same screen fonts.  Or am I wrong?
-- 
Rudi Gaelzer
Institute of Physics
Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul
BRAZIL
Registered linux user # 153741

Re: Rendering of LyX's math screen fonts.

[Georg Baum]

Rudi Gaelzer wrote:

 So I ask you LyXperts: is it possible to configure the math mode editor so
 that it uses also mathabx and other different math fonts?  The roadmap to
 LyX 2.1 mentions enhanced support for math font selection (OpenType fonts)
 and support ofr cropped PDF/EPS.  However, AFAIU, these enhancements will
 have an effect on IP and on the exported document.  Seems to me that the
 math editor will still use the same screen fonts.  Or am I wrong?

You are right, the mentioned features do not affect the look of the math 
editor. However, there are some new symbols in 2.1, mainly from stmaryrd.sty 
and mathtools.sty. To some extent you can also add some on your own: The 
screen appearance of math symbols is defined in the file lib/symbols, which 
contains some very basic documentation for 2.1.
Basically, there are three kinds of symbol definitions in that file:

1) symbols supported by special insets (like the decorations)
2) symbols supported by fonts (like the ones from fontmath.ltx)
3) symbols without any builtin support

Adding symbols of type 1) and 2) requires some programming in LyX, and 2) 
requires also a true type font containing the symbols in a certain order, 
but symbols of type 3) can easily be added by users: All lines starting with 
\def are of this kind. For example, you could define \partialslash like 
this:

\def\partialslash{\partial\kern-12mu/}

The slash is a bit too short, but maybe there is a longer one already 
supported by mathed, which you could use instead. Although this looks like a 
TeX macro definition, it is not used for the output, only for display in 
LyX. There is basically no documentation how exactly this \def works, you 
have to use trial and error. You could also make the mathabx package load 
automatically if this symbol is used (works only for packages in the 
compiled in feature list of LyX, and mathabx is in there):

\def\partialslash{\partial\kern-12mu/} mathabx

I strongly advise against doing so, because this makes your LyX document 
depend on your personal installation, and it would not typeset on vanilla 
installations. This feature is rather for symbols distributed with the 
official symbols file.

Finally, if you want some symbols to appear officially in LyX, you could add 
them to bug , but please note that font changing packages like txfonts 
will not be used.


Georg


PS: It is funny that you also use the math editor for calculations. I used 
to do that a lot for my thesis, but always thought I was the only one.

Using LyX for calculations (was Rendering of LyX's math screen fonts.)

[Jerry]

I know that LyX has hooks for some computer algebra systems (Mathematica, 
Maple, Maxima) and Octave. I have played with these a little (Octave and 
Mathematica) and it seems potentially useful but possibly not fully developed 
in LyX.

I'm curious to know how you and others have used this corner of LyX.

Jerry

On Nov 7, 2013, at 1:30 PM, Georg Baum georg.b...@post.rwth-aachen.de wrote:

 PS: It is funny that you also use the math editor for calculations. I used 
 to do that a lot for my thesis, but always thought I was the only one.

Rendering of LyX's math screen fonts.

[Rudi Gaelzer]

This is a recurrent problem for me, and I think it's for other as well.

Certainly someone has already discussed this issue in this list (or in the 
devel list), but every time I take some time to browse through them, I cannot 
find it, or perhaps I'm not sufficiently knowledgeable on the internal working 
of LyX to really identify the subject...

Anyway, whenever I'm editing a mathematical equation and have a need for a 
symbol not included in the standard latex and AMStex sets, I have to look for 
it elsewhere. 

A good place to look for new symbols is the 'The Comprehensive LaTeX Symbol 
List'
http://mirror.ctan.org/info/symbols/comprehensive/symbols-a4.pdf
So, if I want the "\partialslash" symbol, I have to edit the preamble and 
insert "\usepackage{mathabx}".  If I want the double square bracket delimiters 
"\ldbrack" and "\rdbrack", I have to \usepackage{txfonts}, and so forth. 
It works fine to generate the exported document in PDF or PS and also with 
Instant Preview.  However, the math equation editor (or math mode) does not 
render non-AMS/latex symbols, but leaves them as ERT's.

That's ok if you are creating a document with LyX, but for those of us that use 
LyX to make mathematical calculations as well, the rendition of all symbols 
goes a long way to facilitate the visualization of the mathematical expression.

So I ask you LyXperts: is it possible to configure the math mode editor so that 
it uses also mathabx and other different math fonts?  The roadmap to LyX 2.1 
mentions enhanced support for math font selection (OpenType fonts) and support 
ofr cropped PDF/EPS.  However, AFAIU, these enhancements will have an effect on 
IP and on the exported document.  Seems to me that the math editor will still 
use the same screen fonts.  Or am I wrong?
-- 
Rudi Gaelzer
Institute of Physics
Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul
BRAZIL
Registered linux user # 153741

Re: Rendering of LyX's math screen fonts.

[Georg Baum]

Rudi Gaelzer wrote:

> So I ask you LyXperts: is it possible to configure the math mode editor so
> that it uses also mathabx and other different math fonts?  The roadmap to
> LyX 2.1 mentions enhanced support for math font selection (OpenType fonts)
> and support ofr cropped PDF/EPS.  However, AFAIU, these enhancements will
> have an effect on IP and on the exported document.  Seems to me that the
> math editor will still use the same screen fonts.  Or am I wrong?

You are right, the mentioned features do not affect the look of the math 
editor. However, there are some new symbols in 2.1, mainly from stmaryrd.sty 
and mathtools.sty. To some extent you can also add some on your own: The 
screen appearance of math symbols is defined in the file lib/symbols, which 
contains some very basic documentation for 2.1.
Basically, there are three kinds of symbol definitions in that file:

1) symbols supported by special insets (like the decorations)
2) symbols supported by fonts (like the ones from fontmath.ltx)
3) symbols without any builtin support

Adding symbols of type 1) and 2) requires some programming in LyX, and 2) 
requires also a true type font containing the symbols in a certain order, 
but symbols of type 3) can easily be added by users: All lines starting with 
\def are of this kind. For example, you could define \partialslash like 
this:

\def\partialslash{\partial\kern-12mu/}

The slash is a bit too short, but maybe there is a longer one already 
supported by mathed, which you could use instead. Although this looks like a 
TeX macro definition, it is not used for the output, only for display in 
LyX. There is basically no documentation how exactly this \def works, you 
have to use trial and error. You could also make the mathabx package load 
automatically if this symbol is used (works only for packages in the 
compiled in feature list of LyX, and mathabx is in there):

\def\partialslash{\partial\kern-12mu/} mathabx

I strongly advise against doing so, because this makes your LyX document 
depend on your personal installation, and it would not typeset on vanilla 
installations. This feature is rather for symbols distributed with the 
official symbols file.

Finally, if you want some symbols to appear officially in LyX, you could add 
them to bug , but please note that font changing packages like txfonts 
will not be used.


Georg


PS: It is funny that you also use the math editor for calculations. I used 
to do that a lot for my thesis, but always thought I was the only one.

Using LyX for calculations (was Rendering of LyX's math screen fonts.)

[Jerry]

I know that LyX has hooks for some computer algebra systems (Mathematica, 
Maple, Maxima) and Octave. I have played with these a little (Octave and 
Mathematica) and it seems potentially useful but possibly not fully developed 
in LyX.

I'm curious to know how you and others have used this corner of LyX.

Jerry

On Nov 7, 2013, at 1:30 PM, Georg Baum  wrote:

> PS: It is funny that you also use the math editor for calculations. I used 
> to do that a lot for my thesis, but always thought I was the only one.