Subject: Feature request if it is not too much work
From: Richard Hennessy
Date: Mon, 7 Jul 2008 13:15:46 -0400
Regarding wxMaxima there is the already present the ability to select all or part of an output expression and right click it. This bring's up a context menu that allows the user to factor, expand, integrate, differentiate, solve and substitute the selection. This is done too just the part of the expression that is highlighted. But the result of the command chosen is displayed in a new line. I would like that there be an option to factor "in place", just a part of the whole expression. Same for the other commands available in the context menu. By "in place" I mean the result of applying the commands to a part of an expression will not be plucked out of the larger expression and put on a new line. Instead the operation would just affect the portion without creating a new input line. e.g. consider this factor example
a^2-b^2 + 6*a*b + a
if you highlight with the mouse just the a^2-b^2 you would be able to generate the following temporary result
factor(a^2-b^2) + 6*a*b + a.
The noun form of factor would immediately be carried out and the final result would be a new expression "in the same line"
e.g. (a-b)*(a+b) + 6*a*b +a.
Is this really hard to do? Is there already some feature that gives this kind of control? And with the same degree of "really easy to use"?
I think you would have to save output and input in order for this to work right (at least the way I described). Anyway I am wondering how to do this type of thing.
Rich