Are field codes fully supported in Word 2008?

[Alan_Gabrielli]

It appears that some EQ field codes are broken in Word 2008. For example, overstrike {EQ \o} works fine, but fraction {EQ \f } results in a line, but no numerator or denominator, and {EQ \r } just gives an ERROR. Is there any documentation on what field codes still work in Word 2008?

 

[John McGhie]

They are ALL supposed to work.

Currently there is no documentation on ANY field codes in Word 2008.

Please put in TWO "Send Feedbacks" from the Help menu: one for the field
codes, and the other saying that EQ is broken.

Cheers

It appears that some EQ field codes are broken in Word 2008. For example,
overstrike {EQ \o} works fine, but fraction {EQ \f } results in a line, but no
numerator or denominator, and {EQ \r } just gives an ERROR. Is there any
documentation on what field codes still work in Word 2008?

--
Don't wait for your answer, click here: http://www.word.mvps.org/

Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Consultant Technical Writer
+61 4 1209 1410, mailto:[email protected]
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltd
http://jgmcghie.fastmail.com.au/
Nhulunbuy, Northern Territory, Australia

 

[GiP]

I've just experimented this very issue on my new copy of Word 08. I've got almost all my files with many equations created with EQ fields: they simply appear blank! And if I try to retype them -- it doesn't work either!
How's it possible that there is not yet a patch to fix it?!
Here's a list of what happens with the EQ fields on my mac:
{EQ \A } --> blank
{EQ \B } --> creates a blank field that fills the page length
{EQ \F } --> creates the fraction, but no numerator nor denominator
{EQ \I } --> see \B
{EQ \O } , {EQ \S } --> these seem to work
{EQ \R } --> gives Error.
{EQ \X } --> creates too long vertical lines before and after the character (instead of a square around it)
Should I send feedbacks for each one of them?

 

[John McGhie]

Well, I tested them all, and all the ones you listed are working in Word
2008.

However, in your list, you have left the operands off. In most cases, an EQ
field will not operate without its operands. If you were doing that in your
document, you "would" get errors.

In Insert>Field, choose the EQ field, then click Options, then select one of
the listed options. At that stage, one line of help text will appear to
tell you which operands the command is looking for.

You could Send Feedback requesting that these things all be correctly
documented in the Help where we expect the documentation to be, and not in
some strange mechanism they never bothered to tell us about

Or you might simply say nothing and leave this sitting there generating
sales for the nice folks at MathType

Cheers

I've just experimented this very issue on my new copy of Word 08. I've got
almost all my files with many equations created with EQ fields: they simply
appear blank! And if I try to retype them -- it doesn't work either!
How's it possible that there is not yet a patch to fix it?!
Here's a list of what happens with the EQ fields on my mac:
{EQ \A } --> blank
{EQ \B } --> creates a blank field that fills the page length
{EQ \F } --> creates the fraction, but no numerator nor denominator
{EQ \I } --> see \B
{EQ \O } , {EQ \S } --> these seem to work
{EQ \R } --> gives Error.
{EQ \X } --> creates too long vertical lines before and after the character
(instead of a square around it)
Should I send feedbacks for each one of them?

--
Don't wait for your answer, click here: http://www.word.mvps.org/

Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Microsoft MVP, Word and Word:Mac
Sydney, Australia. mailto:[email protected]

 

[GiP]

The first thing I thought when I realised EQ fields were not working was that there had been a change in their syntax, so I tried to insert them from menus, just as you described:
Insert-->Field --> EQ and then choosing the appropriate option.

Here's some fields I tested, complete with operands:
{ EQ \R(3;4) } - it should generate a radicand, gives error
{ EQ \F(a;b) } - it should generate a fraction a/b: gives only the fraction line.
Maybe they DID change the syntax, but with no documentation how could we get to know?
Anyway, you said these fields are working on your Word 2008: how can this be? Could this be related to the machine I'm using? (I'm on a macbook pro 2,33 GHz, 2GB RAM)

 

[Alan_Gabrielli]

I did send feedback, as instructed in the response to my first post. Since that time, there has been one update, which did not solve the problem.

On my Core Duo MacBook Pro, {EQ \f(a,b)} works as described by GIP. Overstrike works properly. When I select the area where the equation is supposed to be, there is clearly something there, but no characters appear.

 

[Gi P]

As for this comment (sorry, I hadn't seen it, before):

Or you might simply say nothing and leave this sitting there generating
sales for the nice folks at MathType

as far as I know --and I can experience-- MathType isn't yet supported by Word 2008: my documents containing MathType 5 equations are all messed up and there seems to be little hope to solve the problem, for now
(see <http://www.dessci.com/en/products/mathtype_mac/office2008.htm)>

 

[Bob Mathews]

Gi P, John's just trying to spread the word. But you're right; you
can't use the current version of MathType with Office 2008. The link
below is still valid, and we're still on-track for a July release.
Sorry for the delay, but we know you'd rather us get it right than to
get it quick.

--
Bob Mathews
Director of Training
Design Science, Inc.
bobm at dessci.com
http://www.dessci.com/free.asp?free=news
FREE fully-functional 30-day evaluation of MathType
MathType, WebEQ, MathPlayer, MathFlow, Equation Editor, TeXaide

 

[John McGhie]

Hi Alan:

What we had was a Hotfix, which did not address anything other than critical
data-loss issues.

Update 12.0.1 was a hotfix. We're expecting Service Release 12.1.0 any
minute...

It is currently in testing, and it should resolve these issues for you.

Cheers

I did send feedback, as instructed in the response to my first post. Since
that time, there has been one update, which did not solve the problem.

On my Core Duo MacBook Pro, {EQ \f(a,b)} works as described by GIP. Overstrike
works properly. When I select the area where the equation is supposed to be,
there is clearly something there, but no characters appear.

--
Don't wait for your answer, click here: http://www.word.mvps.org/

Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Microsoft MVP, Word and Word:Mac
Sydney, Australia. mailto:[email protected]

 

[Alan_Gabrielli]

Yippee!

I just downloaded and installed SP1 (12.1.0). My formulas are now appearing correctly. Thanks!

 

[John McGhie]

Thanks for the report, and thank god for that! The information we got is
not terribly detailed, so I was not certain that SR 12.1.0 was going to
resolve ALL the equations issues

Yippee!

I just downloaded and installed SP1 (12.1.0). My formulas are now appearing
correctly. Thanks!

--

Don't wait for your answer, click here: http://www.word.mvps.org/

Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Microsoft MVP, Word and Word:Mac
Nhulunbuy, NT, Australia. mailto:[email protected]

 

[GiP]

The SP1 solved my issues about EQ fields: they all seem to work, now, and even the equations made with MathType are appearing as they should.
Only, the SP1 did not show up in Microsoft AutoUpdate, neither automatically nor manually: I had to download it from the mactopia downloads site... :chagrin:

 

[John McGhie]

Yes, that's correct: SP 1 will not yet show on Microsoft AutoUpdate. There
is an issue with the installer that they are fixing.

Until then, the Full File download is the only way to get Service Release
12.1.0.

Cheers

The SP1 solved my issues about EQ fields: they all seem to work, now, and even
the equations made with MathType are appearing as they should.
Only, the SP1 did not show up in Microsoft AutoUpdate, neither automatically
nor manually: I had to download it from the mactopia downloads site...
:chagrin:

--

Don't wait for your answer, click here: http://www.word.mvps.org/

Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Microsoft MVP, Word and Word:Mac
Nhulunbuy, NT, Australia. mailto:[email protected]