Author: Jan Willem Knopper

The MathDox Formulaeditor: An Easy Way to Input Semantic Mathematics on the Web

The exist different ways to enter mathematical expressions on a computer. Some examples are by pressing buttons on a calculator, by selecting mathematical expressions from a palette (possibly with different tabs), or by entering them in LaTeX syntax, a linear way of entering mathematics known by most mathematicians.
There is no standard way of entering mathematics. There is however the need to exchange mathematical information on the web. We have developed
a Formula Editor that tries to combine the best parts of these input methods, and that also produces the mathematics in a semantic format,
OpenMath, that describes what the formula means, rather than how it looks.

The MathDox Formulaeditor is a web-based editor written in JavaScript, that draws sprites on a HTML Canvas. It can make the semantic
mathematics available through a hidden HTML TextArea. It can be used without plugins, is available under an open source license (LGPL), and
is easy to extend and adjust.

The MathDox Formulaeditor is currently being used as an input editor for interactive mathematical exercises by 1000 students.

Some other applications (that are currently being developed) will also be shown:
- Using the Formula Editor as a front-end to a Computer Algebra System
(with evaluation)
- The MathDox Editor an editor of mathematical texts