Adding a "Delta" (Little Triangle) To Word Processing Software

[marclapierre13]

I am having to add a lot of deltas for mathematical equations, and I usually use "Pages". What is the easiest way to add a delta? Is there a keyboard shortcut?
I know you can go up file->Special Characters->Insert, but that takes to long. Any easier way, like alt+d or something? or can I program it?

 

[mkrishnan]

If you enable the international menubar widget (the flag icon in the menubar) through the international system preferences, you can get a character palette and a keyboard viewer under that icon.

Use this to open up the keyboard viewer, and you can see what characters are made by holding which key and pressing which key. I think the delta is there -- possibly option-d.

Once you know what the key is, you don't need the international pane anymore.

The only danger with doing this is that characters inserted this way don't always faithfully translate from system to system. If you're the only one viewing your Pages files, it's probably fine, but that's the reason why people are encouraged to use insert symbol instead of doing this in Word.

You could possibly also use one of those multiple clipboard type utilities.

 

[StealthRider]

It's Option+J

 

[marclapierre13]

Both great advice, but Option + J is exactly what I was looking for...tnxs!

PS: The character palette is something else useful to know about for other things Ill be doing, tnxs

 

[gron]

special characters

Two other ways:

in System Prefs>international>input menu, check greek. Then you can switch from US to Greek via the toolbar button. You only have to know the transcriptions: D = Δ, etc.

or, in any app under edit>special characters there is a Greek palette.

Unfortunately, here are two weaknesses in Pages.app: there is no way to create hot key combos for special characters as there is in Word, and there is no way to paste in a custom dictionary with chemistry jargon (mine in Word is about 1500 terms long).

 

[rdowns]

A great little widget for special keyboard characters.

http://www.tacowidgets.com/widgets/characterpal/