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How do I integrate my software with Mathematica? |
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MathLink
is a program that can be used to connect other custom software systems
such as spreadsheets, word processors, databases, or software
libraries to Mathematica. A simple MathLink program is
all that is needed to call Mathematica from an existing
customized program. By using MathLink in this way, users can
work freely within their own programs and call upon the computational
and graphing power of Mathematica.
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| Q: |
How do I get MathLink? |
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The professional version of Mathematica ships with a
MathLink Developers Kit, which includes libraries, interface files,
example programs, and other tools needed to make the connections.
MathLink is available on Macintosh, Microsoft Windows, and Unix
platforms. You can also download the kit
from our web site.
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| Q: |
How does the link from Mathematica to my software
work? |
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MathLink-compatible programs range from very simple to very
complex, with a simple program being just a few lines long. Much of
the power of MathLink comes from its use of Mathematica
expressions. MathLink provides a way to
exchange Mathematica expressions between programs, and such
expressions can represent absolutely any kind of data. Data that can
be represented include:
- An array of numbers
- A collection of geometrical objects
- A sequences of commands
- A stream of text
- The records in a database
- The cells of a Mathematica notebook
The MathLink library consists of a collection of routines that
allow external programs to send and receive Mathematica
expressions. The MathLink Developers Kit provides utilities
for incorporating these routines into external programs. The utilities
are primarily intended for applications written in the C programming
language; however, by adding the appropriate links to
the MathLink library, it is possible to make any
program MathLink-compatible.
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| Q: |
Can I write my own routines in Mathematica and run
them with my software? |
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Yes, you can. Mathematica's combination of computational
sophistication and powerful programming capabilities makes it ideal
for developing complete applications, complicated routines, or
individual functions. Your software can take full advantage of
everything Mathematica has to offer. Because it provides a
high-level environment, you can spend time concentrating on what's
unique to your work instead of coding generic functionality.
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| Q: |
Will my customers need to learn Mathematica? |
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It depends on the level of integration. You can have Mathematica run
completely in the background while customers work with your existing
software interface, or your users can have access through a
Mathematica notebook with command-line access, taking full
advantage of all of Mathematica's features and programming
capabilities.
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| Q: |
Will linking Mathematica with my software
significantly increase the memory footprint of my
application? |
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Whatever extra memory is added is insignificant in current computer
configurations. The extra code to make Mathematica work is
minimal, and MathLink itself resides in libraries that are put
in operating system-specific places.
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| Q: |
Is there additional assistance for integrating my software
with Mathematica? |
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We can provide higher-level technical support for approved projects.
If you are not already in our Mathematica
Developer Program, please visit the developer
site and enroll soon. You can then fill out a project proposal
form that we will review for approval. We also have a list of accredited
Mathematica consultants with expertise in many fields to
assist you with your project.
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| Q: |
What is the cost for integrating Mathematica? |
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This depends on the number of Mathematica licenses you
incorporate into your software. We have special pricing with volume
purchases for OEMs. Contact us for
details on our OEM pricing.
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