WD: Equilibrium Symbol Not Available in Symbol or Equation Editor (179595)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Word for Windows 2.0
  • Microsoft Word for Windows 2.0a
  • Microsoft Word for Windows 2.0b
  • Microsoft Word for Windows 2.0c
  • Microsoft Word for Windows 6.0
  • Microsoft Word for Windows 6.0a
  • Microsoft Word for Windows 6.0c
  • Microsoft Word for Windows NT 6.0
  • Microsoft Word for Windows 95
  • Microsoft Word for Windows 95 7.0a
  • Microsoft Word 97 for Windows
This article was previously published under Q179595

SYMPTOMS

When you attempt to insert into an equation of the Equation Editor or into a Word document through Symbol (on the Insert menu), the Left & Right Harpoon symbol or Right & Left Harpoon symbol (also called Double Harpoon), which are generally used to represent equilibrium, are not available.

CAUSE

In the case of the Equation Editor, the "Left & Right Harpoon" symbol or "Right & Left Harpoon" symbol are not included in its symbol set.

In the case of the Symbol dialog box, the font that contains these symbols, Math Ext (Mathext.ttf) is not installed on your computer, and because the Symbol dialog box can only insert characters from installed fonts, the symbols are not available.

WORKAROUND

To build an equation containing the equilibrium symbol, follow these steps:

  1. Install the Math Ext (Mathext.ttf) font. See the "More Information" section of this article for additional information.
  2. Build each side of the process in the equilibrium equation as a separate Equation Editor object.
  3. Insert the Left & Right Harpoon symbol or Right & Left Harpoon symbol between the two objects using the Symbol dialog box. To do so, follow these steps:
    1. On the Insert menu, click Symbol.
    2. In the Font list, click Math Ext.
    3. Select the Left & Right Harpoon symbol or Right & Left Harpoon symbol.
    4. Click Insert.

MORE INFORMATION

The Math Ext (Mathext.ttf) font is shipped with the following products:

  • Microsoft Word Supplemental WordPerfect Converter Kit (Mathext.ttf - 34KB - 5/8/95 2:16 PM)

    - or -
  • Microsoft Office for Windows 95, version 7.0, CD (Mathext.ttf - 34KB - 9/27/95 7:00 PM)

    NOTE: The font is not installed by Office 7.0 Setup, but is included in the following folder on the CD:

    <CD_ROM_drive>:\Valupack\Wpftutil\Fonts

If you are installing the font from the Microsoft Word Supplemental WordPerfect Converter Kit on a computer running Microsoft Windows 95 or Microsoft NT, version 4.0, follow these steps:

  1. Click the Start button, point to Programs, and then click Windows Explorer.
  2. Click the C drive icon. On the File menu, point to New, and then click Folder.
  3. Copy all files from the Microsoft Word Supplemental WordPerfect Converter Kit disk to the new folder you created in step 2.
  4. Double-click the Wpcnv.exe file to extract the files.
  5. Double-click the file called Setup.exe.
  6. If you receive a message that states Microsoft Word 6.0 could not be found, click OK.
  7. Click Custom.
  8. If you want to install all components of the WordPerfect Converter Kit, click Continue. If you only want the fonts, clear the check boxes of all the other components, except "Fonts," and then click Continue. When Setup is complete, click OK.
  9. Restart Windows.
If you are installing the font from the Office 7.0 CD, follow these steps:

  1. Insert Office 7.0 CD 1 into the CD-ROM drive.
  2. Click the Start button, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
  3. Double-click the Fonts icon.
  4. On the File menu, click Install New Font.
  5. Change the Drive to the CD-ROM drive.
  6. Select <CD-ROM_Drive>:\Valupack\Wpftutil\Fonts folder.
  7. Select "Math Ext (True Type)," and then click OK.
  8. Close the Fonts folder and Control Panel.
  9. Restart Windows.
These symbols cannot be used directly in an Equation Editor object. They cannot even be pasted from the clipboard.

The Left & Right Harpoon and Right & Left Harpoon symbols (also collectively known as Double Harpoon) consist of two horizontal harpoon symbols (an arrow with only one barb or diagonal line on the point), one over the other one, pointing in opposite directions. The order of direction in the name is determined by which way the top harpoon points. These are the symbols most commonly used to represent equilibrium. The Double Harpoon is the symbol most predominantly required in printed text.

Following are alternatives that may be acceptable in some circumstances:

  • The Left & Right Arrow (consisting of a single horizontal line with an outward-pointing arrowhead at each end).
  • The Double Left & Right Arrows (consisting of a left arrow over a separate right arrow).
  • The Double Left & Right Arrow (consisting of two horizontal lines, one over the other like an equal sign, with an outward-pointing arrowhead at each end).
HTML documents have standardized on the "Less-Than Double-Hyphen Greater- Than" string (<-->).
Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:8/17/2005
Keywords:kbFont kbprb KB179595
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