#219 defining a new matrix in the GUI (in a new way)

[Sven Schreiber]

Moved here from a lone post on the mailing list:
I think it could be useful to offer a fourth way of defining a new matrix in the GUI. Currently we have three options in the matrix-definition dialog:

1) create from series

2) use a formula

3) enter numbers, giving first the wanted rows and cols and the initial fill value.

This third thing is flexible, but you have to pre-specify row and column numbers, and if you get that wrong, then you have to start from scratch, AFAIK. (The width of the columns shown in the following window is also bit wide for my taste, but that's a different issue I guess.)

The fourth method I have in mind is simply an empty but multi-line text field for entering a literal string. At least two formats could be supported there:

4.i) The standard hansl way of writing a matrix literal, e.g.

"{3, 2.5; \

1, -3; \

0, NA}"

(without the quotes)

4.ii) Or the format used by the mwrite/mread functions, with the dimensions in the first line, so:

"3 2

3 2.5

1 -3

0 NA"

I would hope that since both of these formats are already used, it wouldn't be a big problem to support them. Another hope would be that GTK offers a multi-line editable text field with relative ease.

[Sven Schreiber]

Actually, let me modify the request a little:

• Since "using a formula" also allows to write a matrix literal with curly braces, basically only a bigger entry field is needed, and possibly support for multi lines. (I understand the latter point may be a bit of a problem.)
• The formula way only has the downside of the pre-specified row and col numbers. So if in the following dialog it were possible to add those on the fly, that would also be enough. Don't know how difficult this is, though.