Inconsistent behavior of bold numbers (results) (version: 3.34.1)
If I understand this correctly, as long as the result is written in bold, it is treated as a mathematical variable, and writing anything before that value will cause the bold and non-bold numbers to be multiplied together. This means that 22=22, but 22=2*2=4. Frankly, this can look pretty bizarre, especially since the equation history has no bold numbers in it:
To see what I mean, try doing the following:
- Make a calculation (simply typing a number and pressing enter will do)
- Type a number before the result, while the numbers are still written in bold and press enter
I've made the following observations regarding bold numbers:
- Typing a number to the right of the result will overwrite it, but typing on the left side will not
- Typing a number to the right of the result will not overwrite it if a non-bold number already exists on the left side of the result
- Modifying a result will cause it to lose it's "bold" status and cause it to be treated normally, even if those changes are manually reversed (for example adding numbers between the digits or removing a digit from a multi-digit number)
In my opinion, the bold numbers should be treated the same way as user-provided ones or simply become non-bold when the user starts writing into the field, as this feels rather inconsistent. If those numbers should for any reason remain to be treated differently, I would like to propose two possible solutions to avoid some confusion among users:
- The bold number could get automatically surrounded by parentheses when an adjacent non-bold number exists, or
- A multiplication symbol could automatically appear between the bold and non-bold numbers