LyX ⇒ Editing math...

[sgbotsford]

Entering math is slick, and within a half an hour I could work as fast as I used to in Frame Maker, much faster than I can using asciimath (with the ton of extra ()'s)

I'm cursed with awful handwriting. I'm trying to find an evironment that does for math what word processing does for writing. Something that I can do algebra as fast with a keyboard as I can with pencil and paper.

What I haven't figured out how to do, is edit.

If I cut and paste one of the following happens:

1. The entire equation disappears.

2. I get only one of the nested boxes

3. I get nothing at all.

This sort of thing happens frequently. E.g. I discover a mistake in a derivation, and that mistake propagates for several lines unchanged, it is convenient to cut and paste the corrected term into successive equations.

****

Recently in a series of equations I had entered \frac instead of \dfrac. I could find no obvious way to convert from one to the other.

****
Is there a macro/preference to avoid typing \dfrac of \frac all the time. E.g. in a math display context can / be defined to mean 'take the previous box treat it as the numerator, and position the cursor in the denominator box.'

I suspect I'm missing a couple of crucial concepts in using Lyx. Could some kind soul either enlighten me directly, or point me to the right chunk of the documentation? I've read through the math section once, but obviously I glazed over the relevant bits.

[sgbotsford]

Groveling elsewhere I found a post suggesting that changing the binding for ^Command V from primary selection paste to selection paste may make pasting work better.

So hie off to the preferences -> editing -> shortcuts.

And there is:
clipboard-paste
clipboard-paste-simple
paste
primary-seletion-paste
and selection-paste.

Pray tell what is the difference? Can't find in the manual.

[scottkosty]

And there is:
clipboard-paste
clipboard-paste-simple
paste
primary-seletion-paste
and selection-paste.

Pray tell what is the difference? Can't find in the manual.

I don't know how informative it is for these particular LFUNs, but you could take a look in Help > LyX Functions. e.g. search for "clipboard-paste". There is a description.

[scottkosty]

Please always reference your other posts when cross-posting. Here is one of your other posts: http://tex.stackexchange.com/questions/ ... ons-in-lyx

[sgbotsford]

Scott:

Wasn't aware that there were enough common readers of this group and the SE tex group for it to be significant. I will mention that in future.

Interesting. Multiple help files. Didn't look for that. Should have. My bad.

Can't say as it helped a whole lot, and it doesn't help at all with my original question on editing.

[scottkosty]

Scott:

Wasn't aware that there were enough common readers of this group and the SE tex group for it to be significant. I will mention that in future.

That's not the point at all. In fact it's more important if there are not common readers. It takes time for someone who is trying to answer a question to investigate the question and write up a clear response. They do this for various reasons (e.g. to learn something themselves), but a common reason is to help you. It is a deflating feeling when you spend a lot of time (actually even when you spend just a little) to help someone and then you find out that the time was wasted because their question was already answered.

Another reason is that often people who have the same problem as you come across your question after googling. Perhaps it wasn't answered in one of the places you posted, but if you linked to the other place and it was answered there, then they can follow the trail.

I'm not upset at all because I don't think you were aware of the above issues. I just wanted to explain why I think it is good to link your questions.

[Johannes_B]

Our administrator Stefan once compared it to having a pizza delivered, please read more about the background: Gimme Pizza.

Cross- or multiposts are no problem, as long as you follow the rules of etiquette to properly mark them.

[scottkosty]

Our administrator Stefan once compared it to having a pizza delivered, please read more about the background: Gimme Pizza.

Cross- or multiposts are no problem, as long as you follow the rules etiquette to properly mark them.

That is a great post! Thank you for the link Johannes.

[sgbotsford]

Good points.

Now back to the original question: What am I doing wrong that I can't paste chunks of equations?