Ihor Radchenko <yanta...@posteo.net> writes: > "Fraga, Eric" <e.fr...@ucl.ac.uk> writes: > >> On Saturday, 17 Feb 2024 at 14:06, Ihor Radchenko wrote: >>> Inconsistent with LaTeX syntax, Org mode not only allows >>> x^{superscript}, but also x^(superscript) with round braces used for >>> grouping. >> >> Inconsistent with LaTeX is not a sufficient reason for removing this, in >> my opinion. Org has /dwim/ elements which make it easier to write some >> expressions than in LaTeX. Another example is ~x^-1~ which works as I >> want but would make no sense in LaTeX (where only the "-" would be >> superscripted, not the 1). > > Good point. > Although, do note that unlike x^word, x^(some text) is not documented. > Moreover, options like ^:{} create an impression that only curly braces > are accepted.
Upon further examination, I found that ^:{} does accept _only_ curly braces: #+options: ^:{} x^word x^{word} x^(word) yields (in latex export): x\^{}word x\textsuperscript{word} x\^{}(word) So, round braces can be seen as another variant of DWIM behavior. I conclude that there is no reason to change the existing syntax. I will need to update `org-use-sub-superscripts' docstring and https://orgmode.org/worg/org-syntax.html#Subscript_and_Superscript to document this special case. Maybe also update the manual section 12.3 Subscripts and Superscripts. -- Ihor Radchenko // yantar92, Org mode contributor, Learn more about Org mode at <https://orgmode.org/>. Support Org development at <https://liberapay.com/org-mode>, or support my work at <https://liberapay.com/yantar92>