Book Template for Pages?

[Tuttle]

I just downloaded the latest update for iOS Pages and was pleasantly surprised to see that it now has the ability to add LaTex equations. So now Pages can perhaps be used to do serious technical writing.

Here is my question: does anyone know of a good iOS Pages template for a technical book?

 

[twerppoet]

No, but out of curiosity, what kind of things would you expect a technical book template to contain?

 

[Tuttle]

Hmmm---. Good question. I think I had in mind a template which looks like a textbook as opposed to, say, an sf novel. I don't really know quite how to specify this more precisely. But I do know that "bare knuckles" LaTeX has a characteristic look that is, let us say, somewhat plainer than texts put out by McGraw-Hill and other textbook houses.

 

[giradman]

No, but out of curiosity, what kind of things would you expect a technical book template to contain?

@ Tuttle - same here w/ TP about 'needs' - I could see special templates for equations, etc.; but, I was an academic radiologist for 34 years and have published peer-review articles, chapters in books, and edited a dozen books - did virtually all of my writing on a DOS/Windows computer using Word - my needs were fairly basic: 1) Text; 2) Tables; 3) Figure legends; and 4) References; and in Radiology publications, there were usually a LOT of photos needing legends. The Publishers had their specific guidelines, so that was always a consideration in organizing a manuscript. Dave

 

[Tuttle]

Yep, I think you have hit on the crucial factor: equations. My work tends to have a lot of math. LaTeX, for instance, has a very efficient way of referencing equation numbers, and it is not clear how to handle this in Pages. So I thought perhaps a template would provide this feature.

 

[twerppoet]

You insert equations much the same way you insert page breaks, tabs, and other stuff. And from the same keyboard menu. It brings up an equation editor, where you can enter either LaTex or MathML code.

From what I've read it's better to use an app that specializes in creating the equations, then copy/pasting them into the equation editor in Pages (not directly onto the page). The app I've heard recommended is Myscript MathPad, which lets you enter the equation by hand (using the Apple Pencil), then coverts it to to LaTeX or MathML.

In my screenshot below, I used the Apple Pencil to create an equation in Nebo to do the same thing. It kind of suprised me when it worked, since Nebo doesnt' mention that it's equation mode convets to LaTeX.

In my quick experiments I could change the size and color of the equation, but nothing else.

Note: I'm using a hardware keyboard, which is why you only see the keyboard's shortcut bar at the bottom of the screen. Hirango Sans is not the equation's font. It's just the font I tried to change the equation to when experimenting.

 

[Tuttle]

Thanks for reporting your experiments. Interesting to know that other apps generate LaTeX, which can be pasted into Pages.

I think the key thing I need is the ability to crossreference equation numbers---which I haven't been able to figure out for pages. I have been able to center the equation using a "centering" tab, then use a "left-looking" tab for the equation number. (Don't know the professional jargon for these tabs!) But how do I build in a reference to, say equation (15) that changes appropriately when I go back and add or delete an earlier equation? TeX Writer, for instance, does this. But the TeX document which results has a certain plain look characteristic of all TeX editors, and to the best of my knowledge one can't add widgets and other embellishments which do seem to pep up a book.

Far too many apps overlook the distinction between in-line and display equations.

 

[twerppoet]

I'm not sure what you are asking. The only kind of referencing I know of in Page are footnotes, and the new bookmarks.

I haven't really played with boomarks much. You can create a bookmark, say to your equation, then you can create links to that bookmark in other parts of your document. Or the other way around, link the equation to a bookmark in the descriptive paragraph.

If I understand right, these are mostly meant for the author to quicly skip back and forth between related parts of the document, not as a way of making Pages interactive or generating table of contents, indexes, or other references. I don't think they show up at all in the printed or PDF versions of the document.

 

[Tuttle]

In TeX, one can name an equation, say call it euler, for example (and you don't have to be grammar conscious because the characters euler are never displayed). The TeX compiler assigns an equation number to it, say (10.1), which is displayed. If you go back and edit the document, adding another equation, the compiler will reassign an updated value, say (10.2), to euler.

 

[twerppoet]

No. Nothing like that in Pages.