8.812 :: Graduate Experimental Laboratory

Using LaTeX on the Macintosh and in Keynote

TeXPoint: Using LaTeX to typeset equations in Powerpoint

TeXPoint is a package that allows you to typeset LaTeX equations in Microsoft PowerPoint. In order to use TeXPoint on your computer, you will need several software packages. This page contains brief instructions on how to install TeXPoint on your PC. For detailed instructions and further information, please consult the TeXPoint homepage at Berkeley.

Required Software

Below find each software package that you will need. You can download these directly from the Junior Lab Webpage, but newer versions are released frequently so we have also provided links to support pages for each software package.

You will need:

1. TeXPoint 2.0.3 for Office 2003 (local) (TeXPoint Homepage)
2. MikTex Setup Wizard 2.4.1533 (MikTex is a Windows implementation of LaTeX) (local) (MikTeX Homepage)
3. Ghostscript 8.14 (local) (Ghostscript Homepage)

You might also be interested in:

• Ghostview 4.6 which is useful, but not necessary (local) (Ghostscript Homepage)

Installation

1. Install TeXPoint. Uninstall any previous versions. Make sure you have the appropriate TeXPoint package for your version of Office -- the one above is for Office 2003.
2. Run the MikTeX Setup Wizard. You will need to run the Setup Wizard twice: once to download MikTeX and once to install it.
   • You will be asked to specify if you want the Small, Large, or Complete MikTeX package (ranging in size from 100 to 500 MB). Any of the three should work and we have found the Large package to work well. Make sure you choose the same one for both the download and installation procedures.
   • Once you have installed MiKTeX, you will need to make sure that C:\texmf\miktex\bin is in your PATH. In Windows NT/2K/XP the PATH can be modified by going to Control Panel/System/Advanced/Environment Variables. Select "Path" under System Variables, click Edit, and append ";C:\texmf\miktex\bin" (entries are seperated by semicolons) to the end.
   • Detailed instructions for installing MikTeX can be found on the MikTeX website at: http://www.miktex.org/setup.html
3. Install Ghostscript.
   • Make sure the directory containing gswin32c.exe is in the PATH. With the version of Ghostscript offered above, this will mean adding ";c:\gs\gs8.14\bin" to your PATH (as described in step 2).
4. Test your setup by running "..\tex2bmp test -v" from within the TexPoint\test directory at the Command Prompt. If this executes properly, it will run both LaTeX and Ghostscript and it should leave the file "test.bmp" in the test directory.

Using TeXPoint

• TeXPoint has two modes of usage: Inline Mode and Display Mode
• Inline Usage: Simply enter LaTeX macros into any PowerPoint text box. Then select the text that is LaTeX code and choose "TeX-ify" (ALT-X-X) from the TexPoint menu.
• Upside: Great for entering a few symbols or short equations without taking your hands off the keyboard.
• Downside: Difficult to edit once you have TeX-ified. Not suitable for more involved LaTeX Typesetting.
• Display Usage: Choose "New TeX Display" (ALT-X-D) from the TexPoint Menu and a new object is created that is essentially a mini-LaTeX document. You're given a pop-up text editor which allows you to enter very involved (many lines) LaTeX code. Click "Make bitmap" when finished.
  • Upside: You can do anything LaTeX can normally do and you can edit the code later. You can resize display objects and even copy them (and the associated LaTeX code which is imbedded in the object) to other PowerPoint Documents.
  • Downside: Additional options make Display mode more complicated than inline mode.