Common Reference to Add New Question: Using Formula Editor

About the formula editor

When you add new questions, a rich text editor includes an option to use the formula editor. This is a comprehensive and advanced formula editor that you can use to design questions for technical subjects. For example, you can write mathematics questions for advanced formulae and equations, and use the symbols for writing questions in Chemistry, Physics, or other sciences. When you insert a formula, there are advanced configuration settings for the styling and properties to set up the usability or behavior of the formula in the questions.

Find the question location

If you want to use the formula editor in an existing question, follow the steps below.

Sign into biz:Examiner.
Switch into the ‘author’ role using the role-switcher in the top right corner of the screen. In the sidebar, the ‘Questions’ option is selected by default.
If one or more topics exist, these appear in a hierarchical structure, as the folders. Locate the topic and the target question.

Using the formula editor

The ‘Question text’ tab is selected by default. In the text format editor, locate the formula editor, as below.

Click on the ‘Formula editor’ icon. The ‘Formula Editor’ dialog opens.

Know the formula editor

The ‘Format’ tab helps you format the formula or individual symbols, by using the formatting icons or by editing the code. You can see the code just as you work on a code in the web browser.
The ‘Edit’ tab helps you in the basic edit actions such as to cut, copy, paste any symbols, or to undo or redo an action.
The ‘Insert’ tab gives you options to insert different types of symbols and icons to design your formula.
The ‘View’ tab helps you see the formula in different layouts such as portrait or landscape, or in print layout or full-screen view.

The ‘Insert’ tab is selected. A small toolbar shows different categories of symbols for your use. For example, the ‘Variables’ category is seen by default and you can see different symbols in this category. Here is the list of all categories of symbols.

The ‘Variables’ category shows all the symbols and signs for the variables.
The ‘Operators’ category shows all symbols of operators and a group of symbols in basic geometry.
The ‘Constants’ category shows all the symbols of the constants
The ‘Fractions’ category shows all the symbols of fractions
The ‘Scripts’ category shows all the symbols of scripts
The ‘Radicals’ category shows all the symbols of radicals
The ‘Limits’ category shows all the symbols of limits such as for the questions in calculus
The ‘Sum like’ category shows all the symbols of sum and summation type
The ‘Derivatives’ category shows all the symbols of derivatives such as for the questions in calculus
The ‘Integrals’ category shows all the symbols of integrals such as for the questions in calculus
The ‘Brackets’ category shows all the symbols of brackets
The ‘Enclosures’ category shows all the symbols of enclosures
The ‘Tables’ category shows all the symbols to insert a tabular data
The ‘Matrix’ category shows all the symbols of different types of matrices
The ‘Functions’ category shows all the symbols of functions
The ‘Accents’ category shows all the symbols of accents for use over the numbers or other symbols
The ‘Diverse’ category shows all the symbols to insert some image placeholders
The ‘Char’ category shows all the symbols of characters. When you select, a drop-down is available for the category of characters such as ‘Basic Latin’, ‘Latin-1 Supplement’, ‘Latin Extension A’, ‘IPA Extensions’, ‘Habrew’, ‘Arabic’, and many more.
The ‘Templates’ category shows you a few predefined templates that you can add to this question.

Using the symbols

The formula area shows you ‘x = ‘ to get you started. Before you add any symbol from any category, select any element where you want to insert the new symbol.

Click on any symbol to add it to the formula. For example, if you select the ‘Constants’ category and click on the ‘Lambda’ icon, the symbol is added to the equation at the exact location that you had selected.
Follow the same steps to add more symbols and write the complete formula, equation, or a simple set of symbols as part of this question.

Important: You need to click on ‘Insert equation’ to add this formula in the question text.

Using the mathml code editor

When we are writing a formula or an equation, a mathml code editor is available in the split-view to help you write the exact values in the code, in real time. For example, if you are adding radicals, and want to give specific values as the power of ‘X’, either you can double click in the space and write the number, or you can write it in the code as well, as below.

The ‘Select Element’ shows you the exact path of elements in the code. If you write it in the code, the formula or equation shows the changes in real time.

Using the LaTeX code editor

In the view tab you can change the mathml editor into a LaTeX editor and insert your LaTeX code there.

Set up general settings

For all the elements and symbols in the formula, the ‘General Settings’ help you set up custom styling such as margins, colored borders, and symbol-specific customization for different categories of elements.

Click on any symbol in the formula, or the entire formula. The options to define settings appear such as ‘Set Margin’, ‘Set Border’, and so on.

The settings are available in different tabs, such as setting for margin, for border color, and symbol-specific settings.

Expand any setting tab to set up or define the values for the selected element or symbol.

The ‘General Settings’ shows you corresponding properties and options depending on what you selected. For example, if the formula includes symbols from a ‘Radicals’ category, the settings show a corresponding ‘Square Root Properties’ tab for its specific settings.

Common settings

Set margin

Select the element or symbol where you want to add a margin.
Click on the ‘Set margin’ setting. A few icons appear to enable you to select the margin property such as at the top of the selected element, or on any side.
Select a property such as ‘Top width’. You see an option to set its value for the margin, and the unit such as px, pt, em, and others.
Click on the small toggle arrow in the ‘Set margin’ row to see the other margin properties, such as margin on the left, on the right, or on the bottom.
Assign the width for each margin side, and select the unit, as required.

Set border and padding

Click on ‘Set border’, or ‘Set padding’ to set up the border or padding for the selected element or symbol. Follow the same steps to select specific properties in border or padding, and to define the values, as these are explained for ‘Set margin’ in the previous section.

Symbol specific settings

Many elements or symbols in the formula have their own specific properties that you can define and customize. For example:

Brackets show ‘Fence properties’
Operators such as the equal to sign show ‘Operator properties
Scripts show image properties for the placeholders and text properties when you write the values and select any of these numbers

Insert formula into the question

Click on ‘Insert Equation’ to insert this equation in the question text.

Edit formula

After you insert a formula, you can edit it if required.

Double click on the equation in the question text. The ‘Formula Editor’ dialog opens.
The equation shows in the editor view. Follow the same steps to remove or add new symbols in the equation, or to change its general or styling settings for the formula or its symbols.
Click on ‘Insert Equation’ to insert the updated formula into the question text.