Using a Word Processor to
Put Math Symbols on the Home Page
Katherine Creery
Instructor
The University of Memphis
Abstract
Introduction
Pre-Planning
Saving Documents Using HTML
Creating a New Document
Conclusion
Contact
This presentation demonstrates the use of Word 97 and WordPerfect 8 to get mathematics symbols onto the web. Participants will learn to use the Equation Editor and web pages to make, or take existing documents and save them as HTML files. They will also learn how to draw graphics and add them to their web pages. Lastly, they will learn a simple way to organize them on their server.
Using a Word Process to Put Math Symbols on the Home Page
Putting math symbols onto a home page does not require the purchase of a special mathematical or graphics program. It can be done using word processors such as, Microsoft Word or Corel Word Perfect. The documents can be created in any version that has an equation editor, but must be changed into an html file using a later version that has this capability. This means that material already created can be converted to an html and placed on a homepage. There is no need to retype your work into a special program. Any new material can be created as a web page and easily saved as an html file. If you do it this way, you will not be able to make it back into a regular word page and have the image files shown on the screen. Therefore, if this is something that you would like to have as both a word document and an html document, start the document as a regular word document, and then change it to the Web document.
The trick that is not clearly given in the directions of these word processor programs, is that when your program is saved as an html, one image file for each equation will be saved at the same time. If you are saving to a file folder that includes other things, the image files will be hard to find. In the word processors, the image files are numbered by the computer, and you have no control over the numbers. Therefore they can get lost in a maze of other image files in your folder.
The solution is simple, but does require a little pre-planning. Make a file folder for each document you will be putting onto the home page. Save your document as an html to this file folder. Then you will have captured all of the image files that go with that document. The pre-planning comes in deciding how you want to name the documents for your home page. If you are going to have test reviews and solutions to the tests both on your home page and this will be for different courses, you will need to make a lot of different file folders on your hard drive or floppy disks. You will also have to have names for other documents like handouts, syllabi, quizzes, etc. Here is an example so you can see some possibilities:
Name of item Abbreviated name
Elementary Algebra test 1 review ealg1rev or 08201rev
Elementary Algebra test 2 review ealg2rev or 08202rev
Elementary Algebra test 1 solutions ealg1sol or 08201sol
Elementary Algebra test 2 solutions ealg2sol or 08202sol
Elementary Algebra factoring worksheet ealgfac or 0820fac
Elementary Algebra syllabus ealgsyl or 0820syl
Intermediate Algebra test 1 review ialg1rev or 0821rev
Intermediate Algebra test 2 solutions ialg2sol or 08212sol
Intermediate Algebra synthetic division ialgsyndiv or 0821syndiv
Intermediate Algebra syllabus ialgsyl or 0821syl
Keep your abbreviated names short and easy for you to understand. When appropriate, course numbers may be easier to use. The new word processing programs now allow you to use more than the old 8 character name, but when you move this to your home page you will find that the shorter the better.
Once you have made all of the file folders on your hard or floppy drive, you are ready to start saving your existing documents as html. Be sure that your version of the program is capable of doing this, or find someone with a computer that can. If you plan to use someone else’s computer, you will need to make the file folders on your floppy disks.
Follow the steps below for Microsoft Office:
For Corel Word Perfect the steps are similar. You will find what you need under "File" on the upper left hand corner of your screen, then under "Internet publisher", and then select "Format as web document". To save you go to "File" then "Internet publisher" and then "Publish to html --> save a copy of the current document as html format".
In your file folder, you should have the document you just saved, and an image file for each time you used the equation editor in that document. Repeat these steps for each existing document that you want on your home page.
To create a new document to put on your home page, follow the steps below for Microsoft Office:
For Corel Word Perfect the steps are similar. You will find what you need under "File" on the upper left hand corner of your screen, then under "Internet publisher", and then select "New web document". To save you go to "File" then "Internet publisher" and then "Publish to html --> save a copy of the current document as html format".
Again in your file folder, you should have the document you just saved, and an image file for each time you used the equation editor in that document.
Before you put your documents onto the server, you will again need to make separate file folders on your server for each document, to keep the image files with the document file. These should have the same names as you have already used. Each server is different, and there are different programs to put the documents onto the server, therefore if you are not familiar with the process, you will have to use your manuals/help to determine how to do this. From this point on, you will treat this document as you would any other in organizing your home page. When you create your link, you will only link to the document name and can disregard the image files. Your document file will contain the information to also link the image files for you.
When your document gets onto your homepage, it may not look exactly as it was on the printed page. If you would like to change the way it looks you can edit them in your homepage. Netscape Communicator Professional Edition (This is free to educators and can be downloaded from the Netscape Icon on the Netscape screen) for this purpose. It generally works like any word processor. However, you will not be able to edit equations this way (Make sure the equations are correct before you put them on your server.), but you will be able to move their location on the screen.
If you would like to include graphs or other drawings on you page you can. Use your paint program, draw what you need and save it. In Microsoft Office 97 there is a program called Microsoft Photo Editor. You will need to start this program, open the drawing from the paint program and save it as a JPEG file. This can now be placed in your document while on the Web page document. It will be saved in your folder when you save the program.
Katherine W. Creery
The University of Memphis
Memphis, TN 38125
E-mail: kwcreery@memphis.edu
Homepage: www.people.memphis.edu/~kwcreery
Phone: (901) 755-1143
This information is free for your personal use