Getting Started with the Equation Editor

Start the WebEQ Equation Editor. Consult the system-specific instructions for your operating system for details. You may have to wait a few seconds for the Editor to finish initializing. When it is ready, you should see <math> : <mrow> in the lower right corner.
Make sure the mouse is in the editor window, and start typing an equation: x + y = 9. Notice that you generally don't have to use the space bar since the editor automatically handles the spacing.
Use the left and right arrow keys to move around in the equation. Use the backspace or delete keys to change the equation to x + z = 9. Notice that what you type appears to the left of the cursor. Also notice that the delete key erases whatever is currently selected, while backspace erases whatever is immediately left of the cursor.
Erase the "z" and move the cursor into position as if you were going to replace the z with something else. Use the Insert Menu to insert an <msup> template at that point. The Insert Menu lists templates that directly correspond to MathML elements. You can also click on the superscript button on the tool bar -- it is the fourth from the left. This has the same effect as choosing superscript from the Insert Menu.
After you have inserted the superscript template, your cursor will be highlighting the template box where the base expression should appear. Enter the "z" again.
Now hit the up arrow a couple of times. Notice that a faint gray box appears, first around the superscript template, and then around the whole equation. The gray box shows the extent of "parent template". Hitting the up arrow moves the cursor up a level to where the old parent template was, and displays the new parent. Conversely, hitting down arrow tunnels into a nested child template.
As you move around in an equation, the status message in the lower right corner tells what kind of box the cursor is on, and what its "parent" template is. The format of the message is <parent> : <cursor>. For example, if you position the cursor at the beginning of the equation, the cursor is on the x and the display will be <mrow> : <mi>.
In general, the left and right arrows move you between the boxes within a single parent template. Fiddle with the arrows or use the mouse to move the cursor to where the parent template is the <msup>. Try using the left and right arrows now move between the parts of the superscript template. Similarly, if you move all the way to the top, so the original <mrow> is the parent, the left and right arrow keys generally move between its children, although for conveniene, the cursor will frequently automatically tunnel into nested child templates.
Next, use the mouse, or the arrow keys to "tunnel" in until the remaining template blank in the superscript position is selected. Alternatively, from anywhere in the equation, you can use the TAB key to jump straight to the next open template position. Fill out the template so you equation becomes x + z³ = 9.
Experiment putting in several other templates, using the toolbar buttons, Insert menu, or keyboard short cuts. A tip: you can get a superscript by using the ^ character. Thus entering 'x^2' gives a superscript, as you might expect.
Finally, use the arrows to navigate over the end of the equation. Use the Windows Menu to open Symbol Palette. Pick your favorite Greek letter, and insert it at the end of your equation by clicking on it.
Now use the File menu to save your work. Try "Save", "Save as JPEG" and "Save as Applet". You will have to use your browser or an image viewer to inspect the JPEG, but you can look at the result of the other two with a text editor. If you choose "Save as Applet" you can view the result in a Java-capable Web browser, provided you have the WebEQ Math Viewer applet plug-in installed.
Cut and paste is yet another option for exporting MathML markup from the editor. Open an HTML file in a text editor, like Notepad under Windows or SimpleEdit under MacOS. Then open a "MathML Source" window from the Editor Windows menu. Highlight the MathML code and cut and paste as you normally would under your operating system.
You can also use cut and paste from the main editor window. Position the cursor to highlight an expression, and select "Copy MathML to Clipboard" from the File menu. You can now paste into your HTML file in your text editor.
By selecting Open from the File menu, you can load in previously saved equations. You may try out this feature by opening the file quadratic.mml in the templates directory of you WebEQ installation.

WebEQ 2.5 Documentation Table of Contents