$f=b_o+\frac{a_1}{b_1+\frac{a_2} {b_2+\frac{a_3}{b_3+a_4}}}$	m i m e T e X m a n u a l ( for mimeTeX version $\versionnumber$ ) Click for: LaTeX tutorial mimeTeX QuickStart mimeTeX Source Listing download mimeTeX	$\scr{J}^{ij}=\frac12\varepsilon_{ijk} \left[\begin{array}{cc}\sigma_k&0\\0&\sigma_k\end{array}\right]$ more_examples...
This page discusses mimeTeX, a program that displays math on the web. (See Writing Math on the Web for a more general discussion.)

Copyright © 2002-2012, John Forkosh Associates, Inc.
email: john@forkosh.com

$\blue\begin{matrix} \large\today\\\normalsize\today[3]\end{matrix}$
C o n t e n t s

- - - T u t o r i a l - - -	- - - - - - - - - - - - - - R e f e r e n c e - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
(I) Introduction a. Quick Start b. Examples c. Scripts&Plugins d. GPL License	(II) Building mimeTeX a. Compile b. Install c. Compile Options d. Command Line	(III) Syntax Reference a. Math & White Space b. Symbols, Sizes, Modes c. Delimiters d. Accents, Arrows, etc. e. \begin{array} f. \picture( ){ } g. Other Commands h. Other Exceptions i. Errors and Messages	(IV) Appendices a. Fonts b. make_raster() c. gifsave.c Remarks

This page contains more information than you'll probably need to read. If you follow the Installation and Usage Summary below, try installing mimeTeX immediately. Or continue reading until you feel comfortable trying to install mimeTeX. Prerequisites are: some knowledge of your OS's shell, of installing cgi's, of LaTeX.
"Computers are like Old Testament gods: lots of rules and no mercy."
–– Joseph Campbell, The Power of Myth (Doubleday 1988, page 18)

- - - - - - I n s t a l l a t i o n a n d U s a g e S u m m a r y - - - - - -

Installation:	Download mimetex.zip and then type unzip mimetex.zip cc -DAA mimetex.c gifsave.c -lm -o mimetex.cgi Now just mv mimetex.cgi to your cgi-bin/ directory, set permissions as necessary, and you're all done.

Usage:	To see the image $x=\frac{-b\pm\sqrt{b^2-4ac}}{2a}$ just write the tag <img src="/cgi-bin/mimetex.cgi? x=\frac{-b\pm\sqrt{b^2-4ac}}{2a}">

(I) Introduction

MimeTeX, licensed under the gpl, lets you easily embed LaTeX math in your html pages. It parses a LaTeX math expression and immediately emits the corresponding gif image, rather than the usual TeX dvi. And mimeTeX is an entirely separate little program that doesn't use TeX or its fonts in any way. It's just one cgi that you put in your site's cgi-bin/ directory, with no other dependencies. So mimeTeX is very easy to install.
Just download mimetex.zip and then type
unzip mimetex.zip
cc –DAA mimetex.c gifsave.c –lm –o mimetex.cgi
Now just mv mimetex.cgi to your cgi-bin/ directory,
set permissions as necessary, and you're all done.

And mimeTeX is equally easy to use: just place an html <img> tag in your document wherever you want to see the corresponding LaTeX expression.
For example, the <img> tag
<img src="../cgi-bin/mimetex.cgi?f(x)=\int_{-\infty}^xe^{-t^2}dt" >
immediately generates the corresponding gif image on-the-fly,
displaying $f(x)=\int\limits_{-\infty}^xe^{-t^2}dt$ wherever you put that tag.

MimeTeX doesn't need intermediate dvi-to-gif conversion, and it doesn't create separate gif files for each converted expression. (But you can enable image caching with mimeTeX's -DCACHEPATH=\"path/\" compile option.) And there's no inherent need to repeatedly write the cumbersome <img> tag illustrated above. You can write your own wrapper scripts, discussed below, around mimeTeX to simplify the notation.

Alternative solutions...

MimeTeX's benefit over similar math-on-the-web solutions is, as mentioned above, its easy installation. But if that's not a problem for you, and if your site's server already has a LaTeX distribution installed, and suitable image conversion utilities like ImageMagick, then you may prefer to look at a math rendering script like latexrender which uses LaTeX to create higher quality images than mimeTeX produces. For comparison, $f(x)=\int\limits_{-\infty}^xe^{-t^2}dt$ , with arbitrary mean $\mu$ and standard deviation $\sigma$ , and at mimeTeX's next larger font size, looks like

latexrender	$\hspace{30}$	mimeTeX
		$f(x)={\Large\frac1{\sigma\sqrt{2\pi}}} \int_{\small-\infty}^xe^{-\small\frac{(t-\mu)^2}{2\sigma^2}}dt$

Similar LaTeX-based solutions that you may want to look at are mathtran, textogif and gladTeX. Additional discussion and several more links are at www.tug.org/interest.html and in the tex-faq.

For example, mathtran is a public LaTeX web service that's particularly easy to use by following these simple instructions. In the <head> of your html page, place the tag
<script type="text/javascript"
src="http://www.mathtran.org/js/mathtran_img.js"></script>
and in the <body>, wherever you want to see latex images, place tags like
<img alt="tex:any latex math expression">
For comparison,
<img alt="tex: f(x) = \frac1{\sigma\sqrt{2\pi}}
\int_{-\infty}^x e^{-\frac{(t-\mu)^2}{2\sigma^2}}dt">
looks like

mathtran	$\hspace{30}$	mimeTeX
unavailable		$f(x)={\Large\frac1{\sigma\sqrt{2\pi}}} \int_{\small-\infty}^xe^{-\small\frac{(t-\mu)^2}{2\sigma^2}}dt$

You may now want to browse the additional Examples below before proceeding, to make sure mimeTeX suits your needs before you spend more time learning to use it.

(Ia) Quick Start

MimeTeX is as TeX-like as possible (though not 100% compliant), and you must already be familiar with LaTeX math markup to use it. If you're not, many online LaTeX turorials are readily available. You may also want to browse Andrew Roberts' Latex Math I and Latex Math II, or my own LaTeX math tutorial. Then, instead of continuing to read this page, you can just Submit any LaTeX math expression you like in the Query Box below. I've started you out with a little example already in the box, or you can Click any of the Examples below to place that corresponding expression in the Query Box.

Meanwhile, here are just a few quickstart tips for Submitting your own mimeTeX expressions in the Query Box below:

MimeTeX currently has eight font sizes selected by one of the usual directives \tiny or \small or \normalsize , or \large (default) or \Large or \LARGE , or \huge or \Huge . Unlike standard LaTeX, font size directives may appear within math mode expressions. They affect everything to their right, except that their scope will be limited to any { }-enclosed subexpression in which they occur. For example, "a+\small b+c" renders $a+\small b+c$ , whereas "\small a+{\Large b+}c" renders $a+{\Large b+}c$ .
By default, mimeTeX renders limits textstyle $\textstyle \sum_{n=0}^\infty\frac{x^n}{n!}$ at sizes \normalsize and smaller, and renders them displaystyle $\displaystyle \sum_{n=0}^\infty\frac{x^n}{n!}$ at sizes \large and larger. The LaTeX directives \displaystyle or \textstyle, and \limits or \nolimits, override mimeTeX's default in the usual way. Or see the -DDISPLAYSIZE=n compile option below to change the default.
There are occasional exceptions where I couldn't program mimeTeX to recognize valid LaTeX syntax. One particular "gotcha" is that mimeTeX bindings are pretty much left-to-right. Thus, for example, although mimeTeX correctly interprets \frac12 as well as \frac1{x^2}, etc, the legal LaTeX expression x^\frac12 must be written x^{\frac12}. Otherwise, mimeTeX interprets it as {x^\frac}12, i.e., the same way x^\alpha12 would be interpreted, which is nonsense for \frac. The same "gotcha" also applies to other combinations of commands, e.g., you must write \sqrt{\frac\alpha\beta}, or \frac\alpha{\sqrt\beta}, etc. The Syntax Reference section contains much additional information.
And there are various additional syntactic and cosmetic differences between LaTeX and mimeTeX. For example, bounding boxes for mimeTeX's character bitmaps don't accommodate italic corrections. Therefore, an expression like \int\nolimits_a^b renders $\displaystyle\int\nolimits_a^b$ rather than $\displaystyle\smashmargin{2}{\int\nolimits_a}^b$ . To render the latter image you have to write the somewhat cumbersome expression {\smashmargin2{\int\nolimits_a}^b} instead (see smash below).
Besides such exceptions, mimeTeX also provides various LaTeX extensions (such as font size directives like \Large permitted within mimeTeX math mode expressions, as discussed above).

Now enter your own LaTeX expression, use the sample provided, or Click any of the Examples. Then press the Submit button, and mimeTeX's rendering should be displayed in the little window immediately below it.

Now click Submit to see it rendered below...

You should see $f(x)=\int\limits_{-\infty}^x e^{-t^2}dt$ if you submit the sample expression already in the box. Or see error messages whenever an unexpected image is displayed instead. And (as discussed above) the <img> tag to embed this same integral anywhere in your own document is
<img src="../cgi-bin/mimetex.cgi?f(x)=\int_{-\infty}^xe^{-t^2}dt" >

(Ib) Examples

Here are various additional random examples further illustrating mimeTeX's features and usage. To see how they're done, Click any one of them to place its corresponding expression in the Query Box above. Then press Submit to re-render it, or you can edit the expression first to suit your own purposes.

(1)

$\red\normalsize\displaystyle e^x=\sum_{n=0}^\infty\frac{x^n}{n!}$ $\green\large\displaystyle e^x=\sum_{n=0}^\infty\frac{x^n}{n!}$ $\blue\Large e^x=\sum_{n=0}^\infty\frac{x^n}{n!}$ $\reverse\opaque \LARGE e^x=\sum_{n=0}^\infty\frac{x^n}{n!}$ $e^x=\lim_{n\to\infty} \left(1+\frac xn\right)^n$

(2)

$\frac{dv^m}{ds}=-\Gamma^m_{oo}v^{o^2} =-g^{mn}\Gamma_{noo}v^{o^2}=\frac12g^{mn}g_{oo,n}v^{o^2}$

(3)

$\varepsilon=\sum_{i=1}^{n-1} \frac1{\Delta x}\int_{x_i}^{x_{i+1}}\left\{\frac1{\Delta x}\big[ (x_{i+1}-x)y_i^\ast+(x-x_i)y_{i+1}^\ast\big]-f(x)\right\}^2dx$

(4)

$x=\frac{-b\pm\sqrt{b^2-4ac}}{2a}$	solution for quadratic

$f^\prime(x)\ = \lim_{\Delta x\to0}\frac{f(x+\Delta x)-f(x)}{\Delta x}$	definition of derivative

(5)

$f=b_o+\frac{a_1}{b_1+ \frac{a_2}{b_2+\frac{a_3}{b_3+a_4}}}$

illustrating \frac{}{} for continued fraction

(6)

$\tilde y=\left\{ {\ddot x\text{ if \vec x odd}\atop\hat{\,\bar x+1}\text{ if even}}\right.$

illustrating \left\{...\right.
and note the accents

(7)

$\overbrace{a,...,a}^{\text{k a^,s}}, \underbrace{b,...,b}_{\text{l b^,s}}\hspace{10} \large\underbrace{\overbrace{a...a}^{\text{k a^,s}}, \overbrace{b...b}^{\text{l b^,s}}}_{\text{k+l elements}}$

\overbrace{}^{} and \underbrace{}_{}
(TeXbook page 181, Exercise 18.41)

(8)

$\scr{J}^{i0}=+\frac i2 \left[\begin{array}{cc}\sigma_i&0\\0&-\sigma_i\end{array}\right] \hspace{10}\scr{J}^{ij}=\frac12\varepsilon_{ijk} \left[\begin{array}{cc}\sigma_k&0\\0&\sigma_k\end{array}\right]$

$A\ =\ \large\left( \begin{array}{c.cccc}&1&2&\cdots&n\\ \hdash1&a_{11}&a_{12}&\cdots&a_{1n}\\ 2&a_{21}&a_{22}&\cdots&a_{2n}\\ \vdots&\vdots&\vdots&\ddots&\vdots\\ n&a_{n1}&a_{n2}&\cdots&a_{nn}\end{array}\right)$	demonstrating \begin{array}'s dashed lines

(9)

$\left(\large\begin{array}{GC+23} \varepsilon_x\\\varepsilon_y\\\varepsilon_z\\\gamma_{xy}\\ \gamma_{xz}\\\gamma_{yz}\end{array}\right)\ {\Large=} \ \left[\begin{array}{CC} \begin{array}\frac1{E_{\fs{+1}x}} &-\frac{\nu_{xy}}{E_{\fs{+1}x}} &-\frac{\nu_{\fs{+1}xz}}{E_{\fs{+1}x}}\\ -\frac{\nu_{yx}}{E_y}&\frac1{E_{y}}&-\frac{\nu_{yz}}{E_y}\\ -\frac{\nu_{\fs{+1}zx}}{E_{\fs{+1}z}}& -\frac{\nu_{zy}}{E_{\fs{+1}z}} &\frac1{E_{\fs{+1}z}}\end{array} & {\LARGE 0} \\ {\LARGE 0} & \begin{array}\frac1{G_{xy}}&&\\ &\frac1{G_{\fs{+1}xz}}&\\&&\frac1{G_{yz}}\end{array} \end{array}\right] \ \left(\large\begin{array} \sigma_x\\\sigma_y\\\sigma_z\\\tau_{xy}\\\tau_{xz}\\\tau_{yz} \end{array}\right)$

Block diagonal form using nested \begin{array}'s.
Also, note rows aligned across all three arrays.

(10)

$\left.\begin{eqnarray} x+y+z&=&3\\2y&=&x+z\\2x+y&=&z\end{eqnarray}\right\}$

using \begin{eqnarray} to align equations

(11)

$\begin{array}{rccclBCB} &f&\longrightarrow[75]^{\alpha:{\normalsize f\rightarrow g}}&g\\ \large\gamma&\longdownarrow[50]&&\longdownarrow[50]&\large\gamma\\ &u&\longrightarrow[75]_\beta&v\end{array}$

commutative diagram using \begin{array}

(12)

$\hspace{5}\unitlength{1} \picture(175,100){ (50,50){\circle(100)} (1,50){\overbrace{\line(46)}^{4$\;\;a}} (52,50){\line(125)} (50,52;115;2){\mid} (52,55){\longleftar[60]} (130,56){\longrightar[35]} (116,58){r} (c85,50;80;2){\bullet} (c85,36){\large-q} (c165,36){\large q} (42,29){\underbrace{\line(32)}_{\small a^2/r\;\;\;}} }$

mimeTeX \picture(size){pic_elems} "environment", illustrating the image charge - q for a grounded conducting sphere of radius a with a charge q at distance r > a outside it.

(13)

$\hspace{10}\unitlength{.75} \picture(120,220){ (60,200){\circle(120,40)} (0,20){\line(0,180)} (5,189;0,-30){\pict(110,20){(c20,10;70;2){ \pict(40,20){(20,10){\circle(40,20)}(c10,10)+(c30,10)-}} } } (119,20){\line(0,180)} (60,20){\circle(120,40;34)}}$

\picture "environment" illustrating the surface polarization charge induced by a uniform electric field. Inside the slab of material, the volume polarization charge clearly vanishes.

The little $\unitlength{.75} \pict(40,20){(20,10) {\circle(40,20)}(c10,10)+(c30,10)-}$ dipole image is drawn only once, then multiput across two columns, and then that result is further multiput down the rows. MimeTeX \picture's can be used as picture elements in other pictures, nested to any level. The image at left is picture-in-picture-in-picture.

(Ic) Scripts & Plugins

Some useful scripts that automatically construct mimeTeX <img> tags for you are illustrated below. And you can also write your own scripts to simplify the HTML notation required to incorporate mimeTeX math images in your pages.

mimeTeX plugins...

The following javascript snippet (based on mathtran's mathtran_img.js) lets you just write <img alt="mimetex:c=\sqrt{a^2+b^2}"> wherever you want to see $c=\sqrt{a^2+b^2}$

   <script type="text/javascript">
   <!--
   // Create a namespace to hold variables and functions
   mimetex = new Object();
   // Change this to use your server
   mimetex.imgSrc = "http://www.yourdomain.com/cgi-bin/mimetex.cgi?";
   // Transform the whole document: add src to each img with
   // alt text starting with "mimetex:", unless img already has a src.
   mimetex.init = function () {
       if (! document.getElementsByTagName) return;
       var objs = document.getElementsByTagName("img");
       var len  = objs.length;
       for (i=0; i<len; i++) {
          var img = objs[i];
          if (img.alt.substring(0,8) == 'mimetex:')
             if (!img.src) {
                var tex_src = img.alt.substring(8);
                img.src = mimetex.imgSrc + encodeURIComponent(tex_src);
                // Append TEX to the class of the IMG.
                img.className +=' tex'; }
          }
       mimetex.hideElementById("mimetex.error"); }
   // Utility function
   mimetex.hideElementById = function (id) {
       var obj = document.getElementById(id);
       if (obj) obj.style.display = 'none'; }
   // resolve a cross-browser issue (see CBS events)
   mimetex.addEvent = function (obj, evType, fn, useCapture) {
       if (obj.addEventListener) { //For Mozilla.
           obj.addEventListener(evType, fn, useCapture);
           return true; }
       else if (obj.attachEvent) { //For Internet Explorer.
           var r = obj.attachEvent("on"+evType, fn);
           return r; }
       }
   // Initialize after entire document is loaded
   mimetex.addEvent(window, 'load', mimetex.init, false);
   -->
   </script>

Bulletin boards, wikis, etc, can also incorporate mimeTeX images with short scripts. For example, if you're using phpBB2, then Jameson contributed the following typical one-line mod that lets you write [tex] c=\sqrt{a^2+b^2} [/tex] to obtain the same $c=\sqrt{a^2+b^2}$ image illustrated above

   #--------[open]-----------------------------------------------------
     /includes/bbcode.php
   #--------[find]-----------------------------------------------------
     // Remove our padding from the string..
   #--------[before, add]----------------------------------------------
     $text = preg_replace('/\[tex\](.*?)\[\/tex\]/ie',
     "'<img src=\"/cgi-bin/mimetex.cgi?'.rawurlencode('$1').'\" align=\"middle\" />'",
     $text);

If you're using phpBB3, then no mod is even needed. Just click Postings from the Administrator Control Panel, and add the custom BBCode [tex]{TEXT}[/tex] with the HTML replacement <img src="/cgi-bin/mimetex.cgi?{TEXT}" align=middle>

Similarly, PmWiki also has a mimeTeX plugin that lets you just write {$ f(x)=\int_{-\infty}^xe^{-t^2}dt $} to obtain that same image. Several other packages also have similar mimeTeX plugins:

Package		Plugin
PmWiki		mimeTeX plugin
MediaWiki		"mimeTeX alternative"
PunBB		mimeTeX plugin
Movable Type		mimeTeX plugin
WordPress		mimeTeX plugin
Joomla		mimeTeX plugin
Mambo		"mimeTeX bot"

Please note: If you're writing your own plugin for mimeTeX, please don't write php code using system( ), or any other shell escape mechanism, just to cache images. Use mimeTeX's -DCACHEPATH=\"path/\" compile option instead. system( ) raises security issues, either real ones if used carelessly, or just in the minds of system administrators. Either way, I've received many emails from people unable to use mimeTeX because of unnecessary system( ) calls prohibited by security-conscious sysadmins. MimeTeX itself poses minimal risk when used as illustrated above, but you're responsible for any plugin/wrapper script you write around it.

Vertical alignment...

An image like $f(x)=\int\limits_{-\infty}^xe^{-t^2}dt$ doesn't look as good as the same image $f(x)=\int\limits_{-\infty}^xe^{-t^2}dt$ that's vertically aligned with your surrounding text. Along with several standard HTTP header fields, mimeTeX also emits a special Vertical-Align: –nn header, where –nn is the number of pixels (usually negative as illustrated) needed for a style="Vertical-Align: –nn px" attribute in the <img> tag used to render your expression.

But mimeTeX's special Vertical-Align: header is unrecognized and ignored by your browser. You have to get the header, interpret it, and write the corresponding <img> tag. The only feasible way to do all this is using a scripting language, as illustrated by the following, rather naive, php code

   <?php
   $mimetexurl = "http://www.yourdomain.com/cgi-bin/mimetex.cgi?";
   function verticalalign( $expression ) {
      global $mimetexurl;
      // note: curl_init() stops at the first whitespace char in $url argument
      $expression = ereg_replace(" ","~",$expression); // so remove whitespace
      $url     = $mimetexurl . $expression;
      $valign  = "0";
      $ch      = curl_init( $url );
      curl_setopt( $ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true );
      curl_setopt( $ch, CURLOPT_HEADER, true );
      $gif     = curl_exec( $ch );
      $errno   = curl_errno( $ch );
      curl_close( $ch );
      if ( $errno == 0 ) {
        $fields = explode("Vertical-Align:",$gif);
        $vfield = trim($fields[1]);
        $fldlen = strspn($vfield,"+-0123456789");
        $valign = substr($vfield,0,$fldlen); }
      return $valign;
      }
   function mimetextag( $expression ) {
      global $mimetexurl;
      $valign = verticalalign($expression);
      $url    = $mimetexurl . $expression;
      echo ' <img src="',$url,'" ';
      echo ' style="Vertical-Align:',$valign,'px" ';
      echo ' alt="" border=0>', "\n";
      }
   ?>

Now you can write <?php mimetextag('\frac12\left(a^2+b^2\right)'); ?> wherever you want to see $\frac12\left(a^2+b^2\right)$ correctly aligned. This code calls mimeTeX twice to render each expression, once to get the Vertical-Align: header and build an <img> tag, and then again to render that tag. If you're a good php programmer and write better code, please email me a copy.

If you're using mimeTeX's -DCACHEPATH=\"path/\" compile option, prefix your path/ with a leading % and write -DCACHEPATH=\"%path/\" instead. That leading % won't become part of your cache directory's path/, but it will signal mimeTeX to cache headers along with each image. Otherwise, the Vertical-Align: information is lost, and attempts to align cached images will fail.

(Id) GPL License

"My grandfather once told me there are two kinds of people:
Those who do the work and those who take the credit.
He told me to try to be in the first group; there was much less competition."
Indira Gandhi, the late Prime Minister of India

M.5em;marghi, the late Prime Minister of India

M.5em;marghi, the late Prime Minister of India<