User:Jiabao wu/GSoC 2013 Project Work/Math Node User Interface

Questions

What's Next in UI?

Start Math rendering (preview as typing LaTeX)
Proposal Step 2 Create a GUI of a list of special symbols and functions. Allow users select functions on the list and generate the latex code in the box.
- One possible design I am thinking is: When we edit Math code in the inspector, there will appear a tool bar under the major one, which includes several buttons of different symbol and function categories. We can click those buttons and get a list of special symbols under the category. This is pretty similar to the Google Doc Math Equation.

Math Inspector Compare with Aloha Editor

Math inspector	Aloha Editor

The LaTeX code for Math equation can often be very long. Shall we have a much a longer input widget for it like the one for Aloha Editor?
Do we need a "Done" button for the Math Inspector as well?

Math Inspector Compare with Link Inspector

Math inspector	Link inspector

The Math inspector needs a Math icon for its button
The Math inspector uses a normal input widget, I wish it can have a similar look input widget as the link inspector (with a blue line when we edit it).
Should the Math inspector have a remove button? The link inspector has the remove button which can remove the link on text. Do we need to consider about removing the math tag on text?

Offer Both Edit Options: LaTeX or Point-and-Click ( like Google Doc? )

a draft design of the Math node tool bar which supports both LaTeX and visual input options

This idea is come from the suggestion of User:Spectral_sequence under the page User_talk:Jiabao_wu. He suggested, "LaTeX markup will be completely familiar to anyone seriously writing mathematics, and the LaTeX engine is far more sophisticated on mathematics layour than anything else. There remain issues over the way LaTeX (or any other form of mathematics) is rendered in browsers, though."

an example of the switch button

I guess a good solution to this can be to give both the options, say, LaTeX code input method and visual/wysiwyg (google doc like) input method, and users can pick one of them as they like.

If a user picked the LaTeX option, then click the function e.g. $\sum_{a}^{b}$ then he would get "\sum\limits_{a}^b" in his input box.
Otherwise, he would get $\sum$ with the pointers on the top and the bottom.

Furthermore, it may look nicer to use other choices such as a switch on/off button for the LaTeX option instead of radio buttons (as shown in the picture).