November 2009

From: Dr Christopher Mabb, Scientific Word Ltd.
To: Our Scientific Word/WorkPlace/Notebook Technical Typesetting list

 

1. Compiling .tex files without editing in Scientific Word:    Some time ago we received a question asking whether it was possible to use Scientific Word to compile .tex files one had written outside of Scientific Word. The question may surprise you, but there are some people who have invested a significant amount of effort in learning to write LaTeX by hand - and it's a steep learning curve. These people tend to dislike Scientific Word, since our programs diminish the value of the skills (writing LaTeX by hand) they acquired at so high a cost.
       We replied that - Yes, it is possible to write LaTeX documents (by hand), and compile and preview them using the Scientific Word tools without relying on the editing screen. Here's how you can do it:

   1. Write the document using any text editor such as WordPad (available on Start - Programs - Accessories); open, for example, c:\sw55\SWSamples\checkout.tex and SaveAs checkouttest.tex in c:\sw55\docs . Be sure to give it the .tex extension, otherwise WordPad will save it as a .doc or .rtf file.
   2. To compile into a DVI file, use the Scientific Word TrueTeX Formatter (available on Start - Programs - Scientific Word 5.5). Locate your .tex file checkouttest.tex, and click on Open. This will compile it into checkouttest.dvi, which you can view using the TrueTeX Previewer (also available on Start - Programs - Scientific Word 5.5).
   3. Alternatively, to compile into a PDF file, you will need to open a Command Prompt (available on Start - Programs - Accessories) and navigate using DOS commands to the folder containing your .tex file (c:\sw55\docs ). Then enter

      ---

      c:\sw55\TCITeX\TrueTeX\runpdflatex checkouttest.tex

      ---

      and it will Compile to PDF, creating the file checkouttest.pdf in the same folder. You can then open this PDF file from your Acrobat Reader.

   The same instructions work, of course, for Scientific WorkPlace: just replace \sw55 with \swp55.



2. 64-bit compatibility:    A long-term user Emailed last week, asking whether Scientific WorkPlace 5.5 was compatible with 64-bit operating systems (Windows 7 lay behind the request). Our response said:

   "I can't speak for Windows 7 - we've not seen it yet. But I'm running Scientific WorkPlace very happily on a 64-bit Windows Vista..."




3. Increasing body text size:    Our webpages at http://www.scientific-workplace.com/ and http://www.scientific-word.com/ allow the online submission of technical questions. Recently someone asked how to change the font size in body text to be 14pt. Here are some brief notes on how to increase (or decrease) font size:

   Use the scalefnt package (Typeset - Options and Packages - Package Options - Add - scalefnt) and put an encapsulated TeX field (Insert - Typeset Object - TeX Field) before the text, saying \begingroup <CR> \scalefont{x} , where x is the scale factor; and at the end of the text put another encapsulated TeX field saying \endgroup . Note that <CR> is a Carriage Return.

   We'd encourage you to read the scalefnt package documentation in the online Help by clicking on Help - Search - scalefnt - scalefnt package - package documentation.



4. Previous mailings:    Back issues of these circular mailings are now available to browse online, save or print out, at https://www.sciword.co.uk/mailings/ . If you've got a typesetting question, you might well find the answer in this mixed bag of tips going back to 2006.



5. 10% Discount Voucher expiring shortly:    Our Midsummer's Day Partnership programme closes at the end of December. If you haven't yet taken advantage, please see our Midsummer's Day mailing, available using the link above.



6. VAT:    It looks as though the Government intends to follow through on returning the VAT rate to 17.5% from the beginning of January. So this makes, er, now, the best time to buy further copies of Scientific Word, Scientific WorkPlace and Scientific Notebook! Current pricing - with only 15% VAT - is available on our Licence Calculator at https://www.sciword.co.uk/pricing.htm .



7. Referrals always welcome:    Just click the button below and enter the names and Email addresses of your science/maths-based colleagues, and they'll receive an automatic Email inviting them to our website. We won't even receive their name unless they choose to take advantage of our free 30-day demo and Email us requesting an appropriate serial number. And they absolutely won't be added to any junk mail lists: please see our Anti-Spam policy .