View source for Entering a formula in Math 3x

You can enter a formula in three ways:

* Select a symbol from the Formula Elements window.
* Right-click on the equation editor and select the symbol from the context menu.
* Type markup in the equation editor.

The context menu and the Formula Elements window insert the markup corresponding to a symbol.  This provides a convenient way to learn the OOoMath markup.

{{Documentation/Note|Click on the document body to exit the formula editor.<br/>Double-click on a formula to enter the formula editor again.}}

== The Formula Elements window ==
The simplest method for entering a formula is to use the Formula Elements window, shown below.

[[Image:Formula Elements1.png|thumb|none|500px|Symbols are divided into categories]] 

The Formula Elements window is divided into two main portions.

* The '''top''' shows the symbol categories. Click on these to change the list of symbols.
* The '''bottom''' shows the symbols available in the current category.

{{Documentation/Tip|You can hide or show the Formula Elements window with '''View > Formula Elements'''.}}

=== Example 1: 5 &times; 4===
For this example we will enter a simple formula: 5 &times; 4. On the Formula Elements window:

# Select the top-left button of the categories (top) section.
# Click on the multiplication symbol.

: [[Image:Formula Elements2.png|thumb|none|500px|Selecting the multiplication symbol]] 
 
When you select the multiplication symbol on the Formula Elements window, two things happen:

* The equation editor shows the markup: ''<?> times <?>'' 
* The body of the document shows a gray box containing symbols like this: <math>\Box\times\Box</math> 

[[Image:Multiply31.png|thumb|none|500px|Result of selecting the multiplication symbol]]

The ''<?>'' symbols are placeholders that you can replace by other text, for example 5 and 4. The equation will update automatically, and the result should resemble the figure below.

[[Image:Multiply32.png|thumb|none|500px|Result of entering 5 and 4 next to the times operator]]

{{Documentation/Tip|To keep the equation from updating automatically, choose '''View > AutoUpdate display''' from the menu bar. To update a formula manually, press ''F9'' or choose '''View > Update'''.}}

== Right-click menu ==
Another way to access mathematical symbols is to right-click on the equation editor. This pops up the menu shown below. The entries in this menu correspond exactly to those in the Formula Elements window.

[[Image:MathRightClick3.png|thumb|none|500px|Right-click menu.]] 

== Markup ==
You can type the markup directly in the equation editor. For example, you can type “5 times 4" to obtain <math>5 \times 4</math>. If you know the markup, this can be the fastest way to enter a formula.

{{Documentation/Tip|The formula markup resembles the way the formula reads in English.}}

Below is a short list of common equations and their corresponding markup.

{|border="1" cellpadding=4 style="border-collapse:collapse;"
|-bgcolor=#EDEDED
!Display||Command||Display||Command
|-
||''a=b''||a = b||&radic;''a''||sqrt {a}
|-
||''a<sup>2''||a^2||''a<sub>n''||a_n
|-
||&int; ''f(x)dx''||int f(x) dx||&sum; ''a<sub>n''||sum a_n
|-
||''a&le;b''||a <= b||''&infin;''||infinity
|-
||''a&times;b''||a times b||''x&middot;y''||x cdot y
|-
|}

== Greek characters ==
Greek characters (&alpha;, &beta;, &gamma;, &theta;, etc.) are common in mathematical formulas. ''These characters are not available in the Formula Elements window or on the right-click menu''. Fortunately, the markup for Greek characters is simple: Type a % sign followed by the name of the character, in English.

* To write a ''lowercase'' character, type the name of the character in lowercase.
* To write an ''uppercase'' character, type the name of the character in uppercase.

See the table below for some examples.

{|border="1" cellpadding=4 style="border-collapse:collapse;"
|-bgcolor=#EDEDED
!Lowercase!!Uppercase
|-
||<tt>%alpha</tt> &alpha;||<tt>%ALPHA</tt> &Alpha;
|-
||<tt>%beta</tt> &beta;||<tt>%BETA</tt> &Beta;
|-
||<tt>%gamma</tt> &gamma;||<tt>%GAMMA</tt> &Gamma;
|-
||<tt>%psi</tt> &psi;||<tt>%PSI</tt> &Psi;
|-
||<tt>%phi</tt> &phi;||<tt>%PHI</tt> &Phi;
|-
||<tt>%theta</tt> &theta;||<tt>%THETA</tt> &Theta;
|-
|}

{{Documentation/Note|A complete table of Greek characters is included in the [[Documentation/OOo3_User_Guides/Writer_Guide/Math_Objects|Math Object chapter in the Writer Guide]].}}

Another way to enter Greek characters is by using the catalog window. Go to '''Tools > Catalog'''. The catalog window is shown below. Under “Symbol Set" select “Greek" and double-click on a Greek letter from the list.

[[Image:MathCatalog3.png|thumb|none|500px|Symbols catalog, used for entering Greek characters.]]

== Example 2: &pi; <math>\simeq \!</math> 3.14159 ==
For this example we will suppose that:

* We want to enter the above formula (the value of pi rounded to 5 decimal places).
* We know the name of the Greek character ("pi").
* But we do not know the markup associated with the <math>\simeq \!</math> symbol.

'''Step 1''': Type "%" followed by the text "pi". This displays the Greek character &pi;.

'''Step 2''': Open the Formula Elements window ('''View > Formula Elements''').

'''Step 3''': The <math>\simeq \!</math> symbol is a relation, so we click on the Relations button [[Image:MathRelBtn.png]]. If you hover the mouse over this button you see the tooltip "Relations".

[[Image:MathTooltip31.png|thumb|none|500px|Tooltip indicates the Relations button.]]

The figure below shows the Formula Elements window after clicking the Relations button. The symbol we want is circled.

[[Image:MathTooltip32.png|thumb|none|500px|After selecting Relations.]]

'''Step 4''': Click on the a<math>\simeq \!</math>b symbol. The equation editor now shows the markup  <tt>%pi<?> simeq <?></tt>.

'''Step 5''': Delete the <?> text and add "3.14159" at the end of the equation. We end up with the markup <tt>%pi simeq 3.14159</tt>. The result is shown below.

[[Image:MathResult3.png|thumb|none|500px|Final result.]]
[[Category:Documentation]]