Re: The less ambiguous math delimiters in tables

[Rudolf Adamkovič]

Ihor Radchenko <yantar92@posteo.net> writes:

> Your example shows ambiguous markup that can be
> interpreted in multiple ways:
>
> 1. <begin cell> \(<end cell><begin cell>x<end cell><begin cell>\) <end cell>
> 2. <begin cell> <begin latex>|x|<end latex> <end cell>
>
> Org parser chooses one. It has to choose some.
> Org parser also chooses a simpler interpretation that does not require
> backtracking.

But (2) is a *much, much, much* better choice (for the user).

How often does a table row contain

  - a sole '\(` in one cell and
  - a sole '\)` in another cell?

Virtually never [excluding verbatim/code, which is a different problem.]

How often does LaTeX include `|'?  Often:

  - absolute value,
  - parallel lines,
  - vector length,
  - set cardinality,
  - various norms,

on and on.

The use starts at elementary school level, so

  it is like Org reserving the minus sign in LaTeX for itself,

which would be a similar usability disaster.

Rudy
-- 
"It is no paradox to say that in our most theoretical moods we may be
nearest to our most practical applications."  --- Alfred North
Whitehead, 1861-1947

Rudolf Adamkovič <rudolf@adamkovic.org> [he/him]
http://adamkovic.org