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MathType for Moodle

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Type and handwrite mathematical notation in Moodle with MathType. The popular equation editor for MS Word is now seamlessly integrated into Moodle.

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ChemType is a flavor of MathType designed to help you work with chemical notation. A personalized toolbar with the common chemical symbols but also a different user experience adapted to chemical notation needs. Look for the ChemType icon.

Install MathType for Moodle

To install MathType plugin for Moodle, you should install two components:

  • The MathType filter. It is a compulsory component.

  • Depending on your Moodle version and configuration you may also install:

    • MathType plugin for ATTO

    • MathType plugin for TinyMCE

Download

Note

These apps are part of the set WIRIS math & science.

MathType filter

view in Moodle page

MathType for Atto

view in Moodle page

MathType for TinyMCE

view in Moodle page

Tip

MathType is provided as a subscription that allows you to enjoy the same quality solution in your LMS and word processors. Free usage is available under specific circumstances. If you are interested in purchasing, contact us by filling out this form or writing an e-mail to sales@wiris.com.

Requirements

  • Moodle 3.5 or higher

  • mbstring extension must be installed and enabled in the server.

  • There must be no errors in {MOODLE_URL}/admin/environment.php.

Note

You can still use an older version of the MathType plugin if your Moodle version is prior to 3.5. You just need to select your Moodle version on the download page.

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Install MathType filter

MathType filter for Moodle is a Moodle filter responsible for rendering the formulas, while the plugins above allow you to edit them using the editor built into Moodle.

To install the filter, it suffices to copy the content of the package into the folder filter under the root of Moodle.

Install MathType plugin

Install MathType plugin for Atto

To install it just copy the wiris directory into lib/editor/atto/plugins under the root of Moodle.

Install MathType plugin for TinyMCE

MathType plugin for TinyMCE is a standard Moodle plugin. To install it, just copy the tiny_mce_wiris directory into lib/editor/tinymce/plugins under the root of Moodle.

Note

If you want to use an old version of the MathType plugin for Moodle 2.2 or 2.3, the procedure to install it is quite different:

  • Copy the files in TinyMCE plugins folder

  • You need to install a pre-configured version of the MathType plugin for TinyMCE that can be found here. Unzip the above file and copy the tiny_mce_wiris directory into lib/editor/tinymce/tiny_mce/<tiny_mce-version>/plugins under the root of Moodle.

Activate MathType icons in the TinyMCE editor

Edit the file lib/editor/tinymce/lib.php and before the line (which is by the end of the file) return $params; insert the following code:

$params['plugins'] .= ",tiny_mce_wiris";
$params['theme_advanced_buttons3'] = "tiny_mce_wiris_formulaEditor,tiny_mce_wiris_CAS,|," . $params['theme_advanced_buttons3'];

Enable the filter

To enable the MathType plugin for Moodle, log in as administrator and go to Settings>Site administration>Plugins>Filters>Manage filters. You will see the MathType filter, and you will be able to enable it.

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To avoid problems, the MathType filter must be the first in the list. For sure it must be placed before Convert URLs into links and images. If you enable client-side rendering, Convert URLs into links and images filter must be disabled, as it is incompatible with this solution.

Enable MathType client-side rendering

Caution

It is is strongly recommended to leave server-side rendering enabled, which is set by default. It is only recommended to enable client-side render in high-concurrency environments, where a very large number of simultaneous users need to represent several complex mathematical expressions simultaneously.

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The Render type option set to Client enables MathType client-side rendering. MathType uses Javascript, instead of server-side PHP, to convert LaTeX or MathML to formulas. Set to PHP (option set by default), it calls the Wiris rendering service from the filter module. This latter option may be less efficient in contexts with high concurrency.

Caution

To activate the client-side rendering feature, it is important to disable the 'Conver URLs to into links and images' filter in the filters administration page.

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Enable Chemistry editor

Log in as administrator and go to Settings>Site administration>Plugins>Filters>Math & Science by WIRIS. Mark the checkbox Chemistry editor if it is not checked by default.

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Testing

The best way to check all is OK is just to create a formula, save, and display it. Additionally, there is an info page at {MOODLE_URL}/filter/wiris/info.php.

Uninstall MathType for Moodle

First, you need to start uninstalling all components that depend on the filter.

Uninstall MathType for Tiny or Atto

Go to editor settings (Atto, TinyMCE or both) and uninstall MathType plugin.

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Uninstall MathType filter

Once you have uninstalled all the components depending on the filter, you can uninstall MathType filter. MathType filter can be uninstalled from general filter settings.

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Settings Math & Science by WIRIS

To view and manage the general settings log in as administrator and go to Settings>Site administration>Plugins>Filters>Math & Science by WIRIS.

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