Using Mathematica notebooks in presentations?
- To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
- Subject: [mg97590] Using Mathematica notebooks in presentations?
- From: AES <siegman at stanford.edu>
- Date: Mon, 16 Mar 2009 04:25:06 -0500 (EST)
- Organization: Stanford University
Graphics material prepared in Mathematica (figures, charts, graphs, tables, animations, movies, demonstrations) can for the most part be exported to external files, which can then be inserted into or used in documents or presentations prepared in PDF, PPT, or other widely used formats using Acrobat, Word, PowerPoint, Preview, Keynote, QuickTime, and innumerable other editing and presentation tools. In general tools like these (the presentation tools in particular) allow for either _embedding_ these materials within the presentation itself, or for _linking_ to these materials as separate free-standing (and hence separately updatable or replaceable) files, which are in some cases then actually displayed by their parent app, which is temporarily activated within the presentation itself. [Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Reader, and PowerPoint can, for example, link to and activate QuickTime movies and certain other apps from within presentations that they are presenting.] A quick experiment shows that PDF files in particular can also contain links to Mathematica notebooks, such that one can open and view or display notebooks within a PDF document or presentation that one is viewing or displaying using Acrobat (or, I suspect, Adobe Reader); and then revert back to or continue with the PDF presentation itself. [PDF files seem to have the general capability in fact to link to, open, and let you execute most any kind of external file whose parent app is also present on your system.] Per a recent thread in this group, Mathematica notebooks can also be made auto-starting or auto-executing, such that they can begin executing immediately when linked to from within a PDF document. I've yet to explore whether Mathematica-linking capabilities similar to the above are also available in PowerPoint, Keynote, or other widely used presentation programs (though programs like these can certainly link to and execute QuickTime movies and other dynamic media); and I've also yet to explore whether these links to notebooks from within PDF presentations can be made to display within a specific window within the underlying basic presentation (although this is also certainly possible with certain combinations of presentation apps and other external files). Because of its potential usefulness, I'd appreciate seeing posts from anyone else who has experience with this overall mode of operation -- that is, with linking to notebooks (or any other Mathematica formats) from _within_ other varieties of presentation software -- and who can add further helpful hints, tricks, or pointers to tutorial material. [Debates on _whether_ one _should_ present Mathematica-generated material in this fashion -- that is, by starting with other presentation applications and linking from within them to Mathematica notebooks -- are a separate topic, and might be be the subject of a separate thread.]