Word 2007 Equation Editor

[LaurenceL]

I have used Word 2007 Equation Editor to type complicated equations in large
docx files.

What will happen to the equations if these docx files are saved as doc files?

My understanding is that these equations will be treated as images and
therefore further editing will not be possible.

What happens if a Word 2003 user installs the Word Compatibility Pack and
opens these docx files and saves them as docx files?
Will the docx coding be maintained and allow other Word 2007 users to edit
the equations at a later date?

I have not found a Word 2007 Equation Editor discussion group. Please give
http if there is one.

Thanks.

 

[Jay Freedman]

If you save an equation-containing document in doc format, the
equations are converted to embedded pictures. You see the same thing
if you open the docx file in Word 2003 with Compatibility Pack.

However, in either case all the information about the equation is
retained in the file. If you reopen the document in Word 2007 -- and,
if necessary, click Office button > Convert -- the equations will
become editable again.

--
Regards,
Jay Freedman
Microsoft Word MVP
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the
newsgroup so all may benefit.

 

[Bob Mathews]

Laurence, looks like you have a pretty good handle on the OMML
Equation Editor (i.e., the Word 2007 one), but let me answer your
questions...

1) "What will happen to the equations if these docx files are saved as
doc files?"

Your understanding is partially correct. Yes, they will be converted
to images, but it's not totally correct that "further editing will not
be possible". The *correct* part of it is that someone using Word 2003
can't edit the equations. The *incorrect* part of it is that someone
using Word 2003+compatibility pack can save it as a docx, send it back
to you (or send it to you as doc and you can save it as docx), then
*you* can edit the equations once again. The equation information is
retained in XML of the docx format. Keep in mind though, the more
times it's converted from docx to doc and back to docx again, the more
chances there will be for document corruption. I'd minimize this if it
were my document.

2) "What happens if a Word 2003 user installs the Word Compatibility
Pack and opens these docx files and saves them as docx files?"

I pretty implied the answer to that in the first answer above, but
I'll explicitly state -- the Word 2003 user cannot edit an OMML
equation no matter what format the document's in. As long as the
document is not corrupted in transport, you (or anyone else using Word
2007 or 2010) should be able to edit the equations once it gets back
to you. The Compatibility Pack does not add OMML Equation Editor
functionality to Word 2003.

Let me also state something that you didn't ask or allude to --
MathType can convert OMML equations to MathType equations. This is
true even if you send a Word 2007 document to a colleague using Word
2003 -- he can open the document, and even though the OMML equations
will be "uneditable" images, if he has MathType, he can convert them
to MathType equations and edit them. This is considered a one-way
street though -- if he sends the document back to you, you should
consider the equations to be permanently in MathType format.

--
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, MathFlow, MathPlayer, MathDaisy, Equation Editor

 

[LaurenceL]

Jay, Bob,

Thank you for your informative replies.

Much Appreciated.

Laurence

 

[nikkiLR]

There's some great information here. I just wondered if anyone knew if this
problem with equation editor has been fixed in Word 2010? We're looking at
"up"grading from Office 2003 and I'm trying to persuade the powers that be
that it is a very bad idea; however, if this bug has been fixed in 2010 then
we could maybe make the case for skipping 2007 and going straight for 2010.

Any advice gratefully received!

 

[Jay Freedman]

What is the "problem" or "bug" that you refer to? If it's the
inability to edit OMML equations while the document is open in Word
2003, nothing about that is going to change with Word 2010. It would
have to change in the Compatibility Pack, and there's no indication
that MS has any plans in that direction.

--
Regards,
Jay Freedman
Microsoft Word MVP
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the
newsgroup so all may benefit.

 

[nikkiLR]

Thanks Jay. I was referring to the reduced ability to exchange documents
between different versions of Word.

I've been playing with documents in Word 2003 and Word 2007 and have found
that equations created in Word 2003 with MathType can't be edited in Word
2007; equations created in Word 2007 can't be edited in Word 2003.

Does Word 2007 no longer use the slimmed-down version of MathType it's used
(almost) forever? It seems such a shame to have done away with that as its
equation editor. I was really just wondering whether the ability to exchange
scientific/mathematical documents would be improved in 2010 so it was as easy
as in the past...

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

Yes, you can still use the Design Science Equation Editor in Word 2007. You
can go the long way through Insert | Text | Object | Object | Create New |
Microsoft Equation 3.0 or add the Equation Editor button to the QAT.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
http://word.mvps.org

 

[Jay Freedman]

And if you don't see Microsoft Equation 3.0 in the Object list, you
can install it by rerunning the Office setup and using the "Add or
Remove Features" path -- it's listed as "Equation Editor" under Office
Tools in the list of features.

 

[nikkiLR]

Thanks both, that's really helpful. Can this be set as the default? Or should
I just add it to the QAT and remove it from the toolbar/ribbon (although that
would only work in 2010 not 2007 I assume)?

And sorry, one more question related to Susanne's answer: Can I also choose
to edit existing equations in the design science equation editor? Your method
is perfect for inserting new equations but I've got existing documents with
MathType equations in that Word 2007 says it can't edit (but Word 2003 just
uses equation editor for).

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

I don't know the answer to that, but it seems to me you could easily enough
find out by trying!

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
http://word.mvps.org

 

[nikkiLR]

I spent a large part of the day trying various things and I was only asking
things here that I couldn't figure out myself.

I can't find a way to set the design science editor as default or even a way
to edit individual equations in it - only to create new ones as you
suggested. There don't seem to be obvious options for dealing with existing
equations.

Thanks for your help earlier and sorry to have bothered you.

 

[Bob Mathews]

If by "default", you mean "Can I set the Design Science equation
editor to be the one that opens when I click the Equation button on
the Insert tab, or when I use the shortcut Alt+=?", then the answer is
"no". You should just add it to the QAT. This will work in Word 2007
and 2010, and in Word 2010 you'll have the capability to edit the
Ribbon itself. Having said "add it to the QAT" though, it's not as
easy as a right-click and choosing "Add to QAT". You have to write or
record a macro that opens Equation Editor 3.0, and put a button on the
QAT that runs that macro. You may be quite comfortable doing that
without further instruction, but others reading this may not be, so
let me point you to instructions we have on our website for that:
http://www.dessci.com/en/support/mathtype/tsn/tsn124.htm

You also asked if you could edit existing OMML equations (i.e., those
created in the new Word 2007 equation editor) with Equation Editor
3.0. The answer is "no" here too. You say "I've got existing documents
with MathType equations", but based on things you've said in other
posts, I'm not sure if you really mean the product named MathType that
is for sale, or the version of Equation Editor that Design Science
licenses to Microsoft to include with MS Office. The latter is not
MathType. If you're asking "can I edit Equation Editor 3.0 equations
with the OMML editor" -- then, no. However, MathType (i.e., the one
you buy) can edit Equation Editor 3.0 equations, and it can edit OMML
equations. Doesn't matter if the Equation Editor equations were
created in Word 2003, or last century in Word version 2 for Windows
3.1 -- MathType should be able to handle them.

--
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, MathFlow, MathPlayer, MathDaisy, Equation Editor

 

[Jay Freedman]

Hi Nikki,

Presuming you have the "Microsoft Equation 3" editor properly installed in
Word 2007 -- which you must have, if you can create new equations with it --
then you should be able to edit existing ones either by double-clicking one
or by right-clicking one and choosing Equation Object > Edit.

To answer an earlier question, there's a way to add a QAT button for the
editor, although it's a bit roundabout. There isn't any command for it in
the list in the Customize dialog (the Equation items there all refer to the
new equation editor). However, if you add the following macro to your
Normal.dotm template (see http://www.gmayor.com/installing_macro.htm), you
can then use the item that appears in the Macros category of the Customize
list to make a button.

Sub RunEqnEditor()
ActiveDocument.InlineShapes.AddOLEObject _
ClassType:="Equation.3", Range:=Selection.Range
End Sub

To remove the button for the new editor from the ribbon, you would need to
hide the default Symbols group and replace it with your own version. For
information about how to do it in Word 2007, see
http://gregmaxey.mvps.org/Customize_Ribbon.htm.

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

Dang! I could have sworn Equation Editor was still listed in Customize: All
Commands.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
http://word.mvps.org