tea.mathoverflow.net - Discussion Feed (Any way to "copy source" all at once in a comment containing LaTeX)

Kevin Ventullo comments on "Any way to "copy source" all at once in a comment containing LaTeX" (11894)

Kevin Ventullo — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 23:57:57 -0800

This doesn't help for copying other users' comments, but if you press ctrl+Z (or "undo") after submitting a comment, you recover what was just written.

Anton Geraschenko comments on "Any way to "copy source" all at once in a comment containing LaTeX" (11646)

Anton Geraschenko — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 20:41:19 -0800

I think a view-source for the whole comment would be tricky to implement. A preview for the comment is more likely, but not likely any time soon.

For instance, I wanted to post a BCnrd comment as a community-wiki answer but when I copied and pasted it, it got all mangled.

Kludge: turn off javascript (thereby neutering MathJax) and copy the comment.

Harry Gindi comments on "Any way to "copy source" all at once in a comment containing LaTeX" (11645)

Harry Gindi — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 20:34:03 -0800

@Gerry: I'm sorry if I came off as being rude. That was not my intention.

Gerry Myerson comments on "Any way to "copy source" all at once in a comment containing LaTeX" (11642)

Gerry Myerson — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 19:30:31 -0800

Harry: I take it that was directed to me. Well, suit yourself, but know that even a token display of gratitude goes far, and costs nothing.

Harry Gindi comments on "Any way to "copy source" all at once in a comment containing LaTeX" (11631)

Harry Gindi — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 15:48:59 -0800

This is a feature request, not a question about how to do it.

HJRW comments on "Any way to "copy source" all at once in a comment containing LaTeX" (11630)

HJRW — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 15:31:45 -0800

Harald - on my Mac, that shortcut would replace what I just wrote with the contents of my clipboard! I think you meant ⌘A⌘C.

Harald Hanche-Olsen comments on "Any way to "copy source" all at once in a comment containing LaTeX" (11629)

Harald Hanche-Olsen — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 15:16:13 -0800

I have gotten into the habit, whenever entering a comment that has some mathematics in it, to copy the entire text before commiting. It's quickly done: Just ⌘A⌘C (on the Mac) or ⌃A⌃C (on other machines) will do it. Then if the formatting comes out wrong, I just copy into a new comment box. (Edited: I have these keystrokes in muscle memory, I hardly ever stop to think what letters are involved. Rest assured that Henry's response below was absolutely correct before this edit.)

Gerry Myerson comments on "Any way to "copy source" all at once in a comment containing LaTeX" (11626)

Gerry Myerson — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 14:09:52 -0800

Harry: Steve answered the question you asked. That he didn't answer the question you didn't ask is no reason for failing to acknowledge his assistance.

Harry Gindi comments on "Any way to "copy source" all at once in a comment containing LaTeX" (11615)

Harry Gindi — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 10:53:17 -0800

Steve: That Kludge doesn't allow me to copy from other people's comments though. For instance, I wanted to post a BCnrd comment as a community-wiki answer but when I copied and pasted it, it got all mangled.

Kevin Buzzard comments on "Any way to "copy source" all at once in a comment containing LaTeX" (11614)

Kevin Buzzard — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 10:52:27 -0800

I don't think comments are parsed in the same way as answers. But I agree that this is a lot better than nothing.

Steve Huntsman comments on "Any way to "copy source" all at once in a comment containing LaTeX" (11613)

Steve Huntsman — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 10:46:04 -0800

Kludge: type it in the answer box to preview, then post as a comment.

Harry Gindi comments on "Any way to "copy source" all at once in a comment containing LaTeX" (11612)

Harry Gindi — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 10:42:16 -0800

Given how wily our administrators here are, I figured I'd ask if this could be done:

Right now, if you write a comment containing LaTeX, and there is an error, you have to retype all of the LaTeX stuff. What would be nice is if there were a way to either "view source" for the entire comment at once or somehow copy the source to the clipboard.

No problems if you can't figure out how to do it using methods available to you. I just figured I'd give you the challenge and see how things work out!