Markdown and Mathematics

If you frequently write documents by voice, you should consider primarily using markdown. Markdown allows you to easily create basic document styling without clicking user interface controls, and with a very simple text syntax. It is not as expressive as other popular styled document formats (HTML, PDF, Microsoft Word, Google Docs, etc), but it is much easier to edit by voice, and you can create great looking documents.

This page provide basic information about using markdown with Utterly Voice, and it also includes information about using mathematical equations in your documents.

You can watch the Markdown and Mathematical Equations demo.

Markdown Syntax

Utterly Voice includes a "markdown" mode, which you should use to create and edit markdown files. Say "open help markdown" for details.

Markdown files typically include both basic syntax and extended syntax. There are different flavors of markdown supported by a variety of editors and viewers. All of these flavors use the same basic syntax, but the extended syntax can vary somewhat from flavor to flavor. The included "markdown" mode contains commands for the most commonly supported extended syntax. Depending on the flavor you end up using, you may want to make minor changes to the "markdown" mode commands to suit your flavor.

Markdown Editors and Viewers

In order to write documents with markdown, you need an editor that supports markdown, and you need a viewer which can display the markdown as formatted content. Most code editors (Notepad++, Visual Code, Emacs, etc) have support for editing markdown files. Some editors also provide a plugin which you can use to view the formatted content. However, many editors besides code editors support markdown.

You can find a list of tools that support, edit, and view markdown at the Markdown Guide Tools page.

One very convenient editor and viewer is Notable. It is a straight forward editor and viewer that is primarily designed as a note taking application. However, it is capable of creating great documents, and you can export to HTML or PDF for sharing with others who may not have a markdown viewer. Utterly Voice includes a "notable" mode with many commands to control the application. Say "open help notable" for details.

Mathematical Equations

Many markdown viewers, including Notable, support some form of LaTeX for mathematical equations. You can actually use LaTeX as an alternative to markdown for the entire document, but LaTeX is a much more verbose syntax than plain markdown. Using markdown for the normal content and LaTeX for the math equations works very well when creating documents by voice. Utterly Voice provides a "latex" mode specifically for creating mathematical equations in LaTeX. This mode is an exclusive mode that is optimized for equation editing. Say "open help latex" for details.

Overleaf is a popular online LaTeX document editing tool, and they provide a good overview of LaTeX mathematical equations syntax.