Palettes

Palettes make it easier for the user to handle some of Maple's more complicated syntax by giving the user a template for the input of such functions as int and diff. In addition, the symbol palettes make it easier for the user to insert various mathematical symbols into his worksheets. Maple also has matrix palettes which work similarly to expression palettes.

Symbol Palettes

To use the symbol pallette, you must open it. To do this, look under "View" at the top of the window, then "Pallettes" and then either "Symbol pallette" or "Show all pallettes".  Once you are in the midst of typing an expression, you can use the symbol pallette as follows:

1. In the expression, click on the location (placeholder) where you want to insert the symbol.

2. On the Symbol Palette, click on the symbol you want to enter; for example, to enter an alpha symbol, click on . Note that besides Greek letters, you can also use the symbol pallette to insert e, Pi, infinity and the complex number i.

When you click on a button on the palette, the mathematical symbol (if you are using Standard Math notation) or character name (if you are using Maple notation) is entered at the currently selected placeholder.

Expression Palettes

Entering a Palette Expression

To enter a palette expression, follow these steps:

•  1. Click on the location (Maple prompt or placeholder) where you want to enter the operation.
•  2. Click on the operation you want to enter; for example, for division, click on .
•  3. Fill in placeholders by entering numbers, symbols, or expressions.

Press the Tab key to move the cursor from placeholder to placeholder. If no more empty placeholders remain, the cursor moves to the end of the line. If you are using Maple notation, type a semicolon and press Enter to execute the expression.

For example:

To enter the expression for the integral of for x from 0 to 2, we would do the following:

>	int(%?, %?=%?..%?);

>	int(x^2, x=0..2);

Editing a Palette Expression (Standard Math Notation)

Clicking on an expression displays a copy of it in the edit field. To select the entire expression, triple-click anywhere on the expression. Select a portion of the expression (for example, a single placeholder) by clicking directly on it.

To edit a palette expression, follow these steps.

•  1. Select the expression you want to change.
•  2. Use the edit field to add, change, or delete information in the expression by typing directly in the  edit field.
•  3. When you have finished typing, press the Enter key to accept the changes.
•  4. Press Enter again to execute the new expression.

Note: If you want to have symbol, expression, or matrix as part of your text, while you are in the text mode, hit F5 key, a placeholder will appear for you to your symbol, expression, or matrix. Hit F5 key again to return to the text mode.