Technical Writing on shocksolution.com

Insert an EPS file into an Asymptote Vector Graphics document

Wed, 23 Oct 2013 13:08:06 +0000

It’s surprisingly difficult to find out whether it is possible to include an image from an Encapsulated PostScript (EPS) file into an Asymptote vector graphics document. It turns out that it is easy, but difficult to find in the Asymptote docs (I finally found the answer, via Google, in the FAQ). It turns out that you use the label function to insert an image into an Asymptote document. Here is a snippet of code that I used to assemble a multi-part figure from several EPS documents:

Publication-quality plots with Excel

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 21:36:11 +0000

Microsoft Office tools are not the best choice for scientific publications, but sometimes you have to use them. Some journals actually require Word documents, and many of my collaborators simply don’t do LaTeX. The process outlined below is they best way that I’ve found to make high-quality plots and charts with Microsoft Excel. High-quality graphics with consistent size, aspect ratio, typeface, and font size will make your publications look much more professional. You can do this with Excel, but it requires some effort. You will need to install the free Bullzip PDF Printer before you begin. 1. Create and format the chart correctly in Excel. It’s better to insert a “floating” chart in an existing worksheet, as shown below, rather than creating a new worksheet that contains only the chart. Set the size of the chart by right-clicking near the edge of the chart and selecting Format Chart Area. Then select Size and set the actual size and aspect ratio that you want (try 3 inches by 4 inches). If you want a set of plots to have consistent formatting, it is very important that they are the exact same size in Excel! If the finished plots must be different sizes but have the same formatting, make the outer dimensions for all the charts big enough to accommodate the largest plot. Then shrink the plot within the frame, leaving whitespace which will be cropped out at a later step. Also set correct font sizes, line widths, colors, etc.

Numbering equations in Word 2007

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 20:00:35 +0000

Microsoft Word isn’t the best software for technical writing, but sometimes we have to use it. Here is the best way I’ve found to emulate the automatic equation numbering that LaTeX has been doing for years:

Insert an equation (old-style)

Use the Object button on the Insert tab to bring up the dialog box. Choose Microsoft Equation 3.0 and enter an equation.

Insert equation

In Word 2007 and later, you can also use the new style of equations, but you’ll need to use a different method for numbering the new equations. Be warned that the new style is not compatible with Powerpoint 2007 or Word for Mac, which is why I’m not using them yet.