IHMC CmapTools & CmapServer Support Forum

Hello,

I recently became interested in using the mathematical typesetting feature of CMap tools. Unfortunately, I ran into much frustration because I expected the UI to work similar to the equation editor in Microsoft Word. I think I solved my problem now: if a person wants to insert a mathematical symbol (like a square root or a subscript, for example) in node text, a person first needs to highlight the text that is being annotated first before selecting the symbol from the palette. If the user does not do this, the behavior of CMAP Tools is inconsistent and seems to "fight" the user for control of the system. I discovered the correct procedure by trial and error. I would ask that the CMAP Tools documentation by amended to clearly document the above correct usage of the system.

CMapTools 6.04
Windows 10

Same person ("scruffydog1973"}. Please note, I tried to use my technique on a more sophisticated case, and it is now not working as expected. The system is fighting me for control, moving text to different lines or to the end of lines (relative to other lines of text) when I try to go back and highlight a character of text, then press the superscript symbol from the palette to add an exponent.

This is extremely difficult to put into words. If someone from CMap Tools would be willing to do a Zoom meeting with me and allow me to share my screen, then I could clearly illustrate the problematic behavior in question Otherwise, fixing the problem through a textual forum where I can't illustrate the behavior visually is sort of a fool's errand. However, I do want to use CMap Tools for my work involving mathematics. There is textbook out on the market that details just this type of application: https://www.amazon.com/Concept-Mapping- ... 0387891935 .

Hello scruffydog1973,

I am able to reproduce the issue you mentioned when you have a concept with multiple lines and you try to use one of the math items from the style palette in the third row (Parenthesis, Super/Subscripts, Integrals, grids...). If you are just inserting characters from the first two rows everything works as expected because these are just characters, but if you use something from the third row then that changes the concept from simple text into a MathML object. This is where you start having issues. When the Math feature was added it was written assuming that the whole concept would be a mathematical formula so it reduces everything to one line. This is why you are seeing the text move. The current solution for adding text on one line and a formula below it is to first add a grid (bottom right option in the math section) and set the number of 'lines' you want as the number of rows. Then you can put text in the first row and a formula in the second, and so on.