Getting started

This equation editor provides a simple graphical front end to LaTeX. It is not a complete, self-contained LaTeX distribution. You will need to download and install TeX (and Ghostscript) separately. One excellent, widely used distribution is the one maintained by Gerben Wierda, available at http://www.rna.nl/tex.html.

To begin, you'll need to make sure that the paths to your LaTeX and ghostscript binaries are set correctly. Open the Preference pane and verify these paths are correct. If not, edit them so that they are.

Creating an equation is a two-step process. First, you type a description of the desired mathematical expression in the main text box. Second, you convert the typed description of the expression into a PDF file by clicking on the "LaTeX" button. (You can also type Command+Return as a shortcut.) If the conversion is successful, the PDF file will be displayed in the top region of the window. You can then drag-and-drop the equation into Keynote or other applications that accept PDF data.

Try it out by entering the following into the main text box:

	\sum_{i=0}^{n} {n \choose i} = 2^n
Now click the "LaTeX" button, wait a second, and look at the results.

If you have only created mathematical expressions using the Microsoft Equation Editor, or other such programs, you may find the two-step process a little disconcerting. Why all the hassle? The reason is that, once you learn how to describe mathematics in the way LaTeX expects, you will be able to write mathematics (almost) as quickly as you can type. Consider the example above and think about how long it would take you to create that using the Microsoft Equation Editor.

Many excellent guides exist for learning LaTeX. Some excellent resources include:

"Advanced" features

There aren't really advanced features, but...

Clicking on the "display" radio button causes the material in the main text box to by typeset as a displayed equation (fractions, summation signs, integrals, and other symbols look a bit different). Clicking on the "inline" radio button causes the material in the main text box to be typeset as an inline equation. Compare:

   
Displayed equation Inline equation

There's no reason why you have to have to restrict yourself to typesetting mathematics, although that's the most common use of the Equation Editor. Clicking on the "Text" radio button will cause the contents of the main text box to be typeset on an empty page in text mode. In text mode, any valid LaTeX construction that is understood by LaTeX, dvips, and ghostscript is permitted.

What happens when I click the "LaTeX" button?

The library

The library provides a way to archive a group of equations (or other typeset material). Clicking on "Add to Library" will insert the most recently typeset object into the library. A copy of whatever is in the main text window when you click on "Add to Library" is also kept. If you click on a displayed PDF file in the library, it will automatically be shown in the main window along with whatever text was used to typeset it. (This way complex expressions can be saved for later, in case you need to make minor modifications.)

Libraries can be saved as packages by selecting either "Save library" or "Save library as..." from the File menu. (See details on the file format for saved libraries.)

The preamble

You can edit the preamble used when typesetting by clicking on the "Show Preamble" button. Any changes made to the preamble will be saved when the program quits, so you can include any macro definitions, etc., you frequently use here.

Exporting PDF files

Clicking on "Export..." (under the File menu) will let you save a copy of the currently displayed image to a PDF file. You can also just drag the equation to the folder where you want to put it. All dragged equations will have the name "image-NNN.pdf", where NNN is an index number, so you'll need to rename it to something more descriptive.