Scientific Work Place

Scientific Work Place

Scientific WorkPlace (often abbreviated to SWP) is a software package for scientific word processing on Microsoft Windows. It is shipped as a WYSIWYG LaTeX-based word processor, together with the LaTeX document preparation system and an optional computer algebra system.

Scientific WorkPlace allows one to edit and typeset mathematical and scientific text using the WYSIWYM paradigm. All formula layout and entering of special characters can be done by either mouse or via keyboard shortcuts. As the user edits, they see the document presented in a formatted and typeset form.

Documents are stored in LaTeX format and can be typeset using any LaTeX processor to obtain typeset pages. Scientific Workplace comes with the TrueTex implementation of LaTeX and pdfTeX.

In this way SWP provides the high quality of LaTeX typesetting without requiring users to learn the LaTeX language.

Scientific WorkPlace includes a built-in computer algebra system (Maple in earlier versions and/or MuPAD in later versions) with which one can perform computations and generate plots from inside the editor.

Many document shells (i.e., templates) are included to meet the typesetting styles of specific professional journals and institutions. These shells use the corresponding LaTeX style files.

Subsets of these capabilities are available as Scientific Word (no computer algebra) and Scientific Notebook (limited LaTeX import/export, no LaTeX typesetter included).

Scientific WorkPlace combines the ease of entering and editing mathematics in mathematical notation with the ability to compute and plot with the built-in computer algebra engine. In this integrated working environment, the user can enter mathematics and perform computations without having to think or work in a programming language.