Handwriting
The handwriting recognizer will let you input one character at a time. It supports the same set of symbols that the speech and keyboard input allow, except for the backslash character. When you first get the program there will be a basic set of symbols provided for you. To see a list of all available symbols and determine which ones have been trained you can select Train Handwriting in the Handwriting menu. The previously trained symbols are displayed with an asterix in front of their name. You can also view the Included Math Symbols that are supported in this program.
The recognizer uses training data to determine which symbol has been drawn by the way the pen strokes were made, not by how the drawn symbol looks on the screen. For this reason, a particular symbol should always be made in the same fashion. It should have the same number of strokes which are always in the same relative position.
One limitation of the recognizer is that it does not use context to determine which character has been drawn. If you have more than one symbol that look very similar, such as a minus sign and a dash, the recognizer will not be able to distinguish the difference. The alternates window that is displayed to the right of Math Speak & Write should help with this problem.
The alternates window presents a list of 9 other symbols which are the next closest matches to your drawn symbol. You can select an alternate and have it replace the inserted character by selecting an alternate in the window and clicking 'Replace Last Char With Selected'. It is also possible to speak 'Alt' followed by the alternate number if speech is enabled.
When drawing characters, your pen strokes can be anywhere inside the main Math Speak & Write window. Drawing larger characters is recommended. To select a colorbox rather than making a new symbol you simply need to draw a stroke contained entirely within the colorbox you wish to choose. This can be achieved by simply tapping the screen with the stylus inside the colorbox.