3.5 L^aT_eX  + BaKoMa: editable

BaKoMa TeX is a L^aT_eX  implementation with a complete visual “what you see is what you get” editor. It is available from http://www.bakoma-tex.com/. A copy of the base L^aT_eX  source and any files to which it refers would need to be provided to the user. It is important to recall that the user will have access to the L^aT_eX  source and hence comments in the L^aT_eX  will be available to them.

This format is a flexible, editable format suitable for users who do not require large print or a specialist editing environment.

Steps to undertake for a better user experience:

1. Open BaKoMa and click on Open an Existing File; select the L^aT_eX  file to open.

2. Select TeX Format: L^aT_eX2e; leave other parameters as defaults and click OK. A visual display of the document will appear.

3. This is equivalent to running L^aT_eX  once. L^aT_eX  documents typically require 1-3 runs of L^aT_eX  before they are visually stable. Refresh the document twice using the top, left most icon on the toolbar.

4. To view document navigation click on Options $\rightarrow $ Document Properties .... In the pop-up window click on the Outline tab. Select Outline Source: TOC and click OK.

BaKoMa includes a version of TeX4ht which is configured via a graphical interface. As a consequence it is possible for the user to produce speech enabled XHTML and MathML documents for use with text-to-speech in literacy support software. However, much of the configuration is lost so this format will not provide clear enough speech information to rely on speech alone.

BaKoMa is particularly suited to students who use text-to-speech software such as those with specific learning disabilities or conditions which affect concentration. It is suitable for users who need to edit or annotate documents and for those for whom producing handwritten mathematics is a difficulty. However, BaKoMa requires fluent keyboard and mouse use and text size cannot be increased substantially without difficulty. For more flexible editable formats see sections 3.6 and 3.7.