Page Wizard Options

An author selects what kind of processing the Page Wizard should do by setting options. This page describes each of the Page Wizard options, listing their permitted values, what they do, and what default values they have, if any. It also describes how to set and save options.

For instructions on how to run the Page Wizard program under your operating system, consult the system-specific instructions.

Setting Options

When you start the Page Wizard, a small window with input cells for typing in equations and for entering HTML source and output files appears. Choosing the "Show..." entry from the Options menu opens a window displaying all of the current options.

You may change any options you wish, and they will remain in effect for the rest of the session or until you change them again. Once you are satisfied with them, you may close the Options window if you wish. However, this is not necessary -- changes take place as soon as you make them. To start the processing, click the "Go" button in the main window.

For options that require a file name, in addition to directly typing the path and name of the file, you can chose a file via a browser dialog by clicking on the buttons labeled "...". The same applies to options that require directories. Note: in order to select a directory you have to select a file in that directory. Any file will do; it just has to be in the desired directory.

Saving Options

In order to cut down on how many options you must specify each time, you may save your option settings, to be reused in the next session. This convenient feature eliminates the need of setting up options that you always use each time you start the Wizard. For the details about where and how the options are saved, see the options file page.

Option Descriptions

Main Panel Options

Source File

Specifies a filename for Page Wizard input. As an alternative, Wizard input can be entered directly into the text area in the Page Wizard main panel. Note, however, that equation markup entered in this way must still be surrounded by equation delimiters.

Output File

Write the output to the named file. If no file is specified, the Page Wizard sends output to a pop up window.

The next two options act in combination to determine which methods browsers will use when displaying the equations in the HTML output. Their effect is cumulative (for example, one can choose Applets and PNG, to generate a page that will use WebEQ applets, but also give PNG images as an alternative when Java is disabled).

Type of Output

There are four choices for type of output.

Applets generates a file with the necessary WebEQ Math Viewer applet calls. The eq applet parameters have the equations in the same language as in the source file (WebTeX or MathML).

MathML Applets also generates the applet calls, but the equations are first translated to MathML if necessary, before the eq applet parameter is written out.

Strict MathML only writes the MathML code for the equation, with no applet calls. The generated markup strictly complies with all relevant MathML and XML standard. IE5 using the MathViewer as a rendering behavior, and other browsers that implement MathML directly will be able to display these pages.

Images Only generates image files of the equations, of the type indicated in the Images pull-down. The HTML output will have the necessary <IMG> tags for the page to display all the equations properly.

The default is "Strict MathML".

Images

Determines whether the Page Wizard will generate images from the equations, and the format of image files. No images are generated if no output file is specified (i.e., if the output is being written to a pop-up window).

The default is none, unless Images Only is selected as the Type of Output, in which case Jpeg is used.

Note: to generate PNGs, you must be running Java 1.1 or later.

Point Size

Set the initial point size at which equations are to be displayed. Warning: this is system dependent, and doesn't necessarily correspond to the browser font sizes. Any value is legal, but WebEQ rounds to the nearest value in the list 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 24, 30, 36. Also, to be guaranteed that this is the fontsize really used by a MathViewer applet, you must disable the reader's fontsize control panel (see the Enable control panel option below). The default point size is 18.

Background Color

Set the equation background color to the specified rgb value. This also forces the document body bgcolor value to agree. If a color is set in the body tag, and no background value is set, the Page Wizard will force the equation background to match the body. If neither a body or -bg value is set, the Wizard will force both to be gray.

Leading

Some browsers have a centering bug that results in small applets and images not being centered. One work around is to specify a minimum amount of "leading" or space between lines that contain math in them. The number specified in the leading parameter specifies the minimum fraction of the current pointsize that WebEQ applets will extend above and below the axis of the current line. If this number is set to 0, the applets are sized to their true sizes, but may not align well. If set somewhere around 0.7, the lines will spread slightly, but the applets will align much better. The default is 0.

X scale or Y scale

The Page Wizard multiplies equation dimensions by the X scale and Y scale factors before writing out the applet tags or image bounding boxes. These parameters allow one to partially correct for the system dependencies introduced by differences in system fonts on various platforms. The default value is 1 for both.

Applet Options

Enable control panel

By default, equations in different applets in the same page will all display at the same point size, which can be changed via a control panel by the reader. To open the control panel, the reader must right-click on any of the applets. If you want your applets to use the size specified in the applet tag instead of sharing this global size, you must disable the font size control panel by setting this option to false. The default value is true.

Linewrap

Determines whether the Math Viewer will linewrap expressions which are wider than its width dimension. The default value is false. Typically this option is only used when the MathViewer is to display equations generated dynamically via JavaScript, or some other mechanism. Note that linewrapping is only useful if the vertical height of the MathViewer applet is sufficiently large.

Enable cut & paste

Determines whether mouse selection, cut and paste are enabled in Math Viewer equations. When it is, ctrl-click on the MathViewer brings up a panel displaying the MathML code for the current selection. Readers can then cut and paste the MathML from this panel. The default value is false.

URL relative to file:

Since in general, you will be creating files that will be moved to a web server, it is preferable to use relative paths when specifying the location of the Math Viewer program files. To help with this, the Page Wizard lets you specify a file to use as the base document, and all paths are computed relative to that. This allows you to just select the files as they are arranged on your local filesystem in a File Dialog box, and have the relative paths computed automatically. If you leave this blank, the Page Wizard will use the the absolute paths on your local system that will result from using the File Dialogs.

Codebase URL

Set the codebase in the applet tags; i.e., the directory containing the WebEQ classes. This can be a fully qualified URL, or relative to the resulting HTML document.

URL to webeq.jar

Set the archive parameter in the applet tag. This must be an uncompressed zip file, living in the codebase directory, for versions of Netscape Navigator lower than 4.0. For the 4.0 version, this may also be a jar archive. The WebEQ 2.5 distribution comes with such archives named webeq.zip and webeq.jar in the classes directory.

Note: Using the archive parameter interferes with the proper functioning of the WebEQ Math Viewer applet when it is installed in a browser. Instead of using the installed copy, the archive parameter forces the browser to download the archive. Thus, the archive parameter should only be used in unusual situations where you can be certain that your readers will not have the Math Viewer applet installed.

URL to webeq.cab

Set the cabbase parameter in the applet tag. At present, this must be a Microsoft cab file, living in the codebase directory. This option is no longer supported, and exists only for backward compatibility with WebEQ 2.0.

Prompt reader to install Math Viewer

This option along with the accompanying option to specify a path to the installer script specify whether the Page Wizard should generate header code in the output file that pops up a window prompting readers to install the Math Viewer if they haven't already done so. See the documentation about Distributing the Math Viewer Applet from a Web Server for more details about the Math Viewer installer scripts and files.

Translation Options

Input Language

Set the input language to be 'webtex' or 'mathml'. The default value is 'mathml'.

Equation delimiters

Set the type of delimiters used in the HTML source document. Legal values are 'webtex' and 'mathml'. The default value is 'mathml'. The 'webtex' delimiters are $, \[ and \]. The 'mathml' delimiters are <math> ... </math>.

Errors to file

Sends the error messages to the named file. If no file is named, the Page Wizard will pop up a window with the errors.

Errors in HTML

Generated HTML-formatted error messages in the output file.

Include namespace declarations

When this option is selected, the Page Wizard will include MathML namespace declarations in the <math> tags. This must be done when using IE5 behaviors.

Prefix

This field specifies the MathML namespace prefix label to use. It is arbitrary, but must be unique within the output document. This field is only used when the option to include namespace declarations is enabled.

Use IE5 behaviors

Selecting this option causes the WebEQ Page Wizard to generate a STYLE block and some addition markup to enable the use of the Math Viewer as an IE5 rendering behavior. Enabling this option requires the use of namespace declarations, but you are still free to pick the prefix label.

MathML Comments

If set to true, writes the MathML code for the equations as HTML comments in the output file (regardless of the type of output chosen). The purpose of adding MathML comments is to facilitate future compatibility with MathML capable browsers when generating images. The default is false.

Expand macros

When using WebTeX macros, the Page Wizard's default behavior is to expand the macros and write out the result in the applet tags, eliminating the macro processing time for readers. However, by disabling this option, the Page Wizard can be instructed to just include a reference to a macro file using the macrofile parameter in the Math Viewer applet tag. Similarly, if macros are given in a comment block in the document head, the Wizard will explicitly list them in each applet tag, using the macros parameter. One might wish to diable this option in order to make it possible to update the macro definitions without reprocessing the page.

URL to macro file

Specifies the value of the macro file parameter in Math Viewer applet tags. This option ultimately controls where the Math Viewer applet will look for the macro file when the HTML output file is viewed in a browser. Thus, the location should be given relative to the final intended location of the output file.

Local macro file

Specifies the location of a local copy of a WebTex macro file for use during processing. This location is only used by the Page Wizard, and is typically an aboslute URL to the macro file on the local file system. Note: this option must be set when processing external macro definitions. In order for the Math Viewer to run properly one the page has been installed on the server, a copy of the same macro file must be present on the server in the location specified by the URL to macro file option.

JPEG Options

Determines whether the JPEGs will be generated in color or grayscale. Grayscale images are somewhat smaller, but if you have a color background or symbols, you will want to use color. The default is color.

Quality

JPEGs can compress an image, trading quality for file size. The higher the quality, the larger the file. Normally, only the verygood or excellent options give acceptable results; but you may want to experiment a bit. Default is excellent.

Image Dir

Specifies a subdirectory for image files.

By default, images will be saved in the same directory as the output file. Image filenames are the same as the output file (stripped of its extension, if any), with a number and the extension ".jpg" or ".png" appended. So, for example, if the output file is named "formula.html", the images (one per equation) will be written to "formula1.jpg", "formula2.jpg", etc, when generating JPEGs.

If a directory name is specified with the Image dir option, it will be interpreted as a relative path name, and image files will be saved into a directory at this location.

If you move the output file to another location, you should move these files to the same place, in order for the browser to be able to find them. If you want to keep them separated from the HTML file, you will need to edit the <IMG> tags to point to their new location.

Image base name

This field specifies the base name for image files. Ordinarily images are given names formed by taking the output document base name, appending a sequence number, and the image suffix. If a base name is specified, this same numbering system is used. However, no sequence number is appended to the first image encountered, since this is the behavior most commonly desired when processing a single image.