Editing Meta:How to contribute (section)

=== Typesetting math ===

To typeset math, use the templates [[Template:$|$]] (for inline math) and [[Template:$$|$$]] (for displayed math).
For example, <code><nowiki>{{$|F : \mathbf C \to \mathbf D}} and {{$$|\sum_{i{{=}}1}^{N} a_i \cdot x^i.}}</nowiki></code> produces: {{$|F : \mathbf C \to \mathbf D}} and {{$$|\sum_{i{{=}}1}^{N} a_i \cdot x^i.}}

Notice the <code><nowiki>{{=}}</nowiki></code> producing an = sign (this is needed inside template arguments).

An important remark is that '''the λLab does not run LaTeX''', but some web libraries that use LaTeX-like syntax. Hence all your preferred LaTeX commands are not available. More precisely:
* Currently, the default behaviour of [[Template:$|$]] and [[Template:$$|$$]] is that they use MediaWiki's [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:Math Math extension], which runs [https://www.mathjax.org/ MathJax] on server-side (and caches the result). See [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:Math/Syntax here] a list of available commands.
* We also have [https://katex.org/ KaTeX] installed, which is executed client-side (hence being slower) but supports more functions (see the [https://katex.org/docs/support_table support table]). If needed, KaTeX rendering can be enabled by <code><nowiki>{{$ or $$|some math...|k=1}}</nowiki></code>.

If using a template is too painful for you, we have been enabling the usual LaTeX syntax: <code>\(...\)</code> for inline math, <code>\[...\]</code> for displayed math. This is rendered through KaTeX.

This behaviour may be modified in the future if we find better options: '''please do ''only'' use syntax described here, and not MediaWiki's built-in <code><nowiki><math></nowiki></code> tags!'''