This is already possible.

Those commands always apply only to the next unit and especially
not(!) to a whole formula.
If you want to apply such an attribute to more than the next unit use
the grouping braces { }. See below.

color red a + color green b = color blue {c+d} newline
font sans x_n cdot font fixed {nitalic a^{italic bold 2} + b^2} newline

However the may be no 'newline' within the expression formed by { }.
(For this there already exists a bug to improve that behaviour.)

O.k., I get the point.  I need to know:
1) The font's abbreviated names
2) How the formula editor works  (what's the tool bar for if what
you've written can't be found easily in the toolbar)

I'm not saying that the equation editor isn't great, you've shown 
that!  What I am saying is how is the "typical" user supposed to 
figure those things out?  I see the toolbar and figure that I can do 
everything via the toolbars and I can't.  I can't change the colors, 
at least it isn't laid out in an easy to perform manner nor is the 
font changing.

Before you go off and think that I'm an oaf.  I'm just trying to 
promote the improvement of this program by making it easier for the 
end-user.  No doubt that you guys know this inside and out but most of
 us don't and I also know it is hard to respect our views when you
have  all that knowledge and we don't. 

1) The font commnds available are
   font sans "some text..."
   font serif "some text..."
   font fixed "some text..."
The fonts used are the ones listed in "Format/Fonst".

2) I'm not sure if I understtod your question fully.
  But I think what you are looking for is probably found in
  the "Selection" Toolbox (see "View/Selection").

As to the handling of colors:
It's a known issue, it should be somwhat similar to the other
applications if possible. But since the number of our developers isn't
that much usually there are always other issues with higher to take
care of. :-(

If this satisfies you but for the handling of colors I'll pass this on
to "user experience" as request for enhancement.

Please drop a note here if that is OK or do you have further points?

Go ahead and pass it on as an enhancement.  It would be nice if we
could select the text that we want colored and then choose a color
pallete and then select the color for that part of the equation instead.  
 In other words it would be nice to have the equation editor behave
like the text editor.

Reopened because the request for setting text colors to work like in
the Writer is a request for enhancement.

TL->BH: To you.

I have seen that the last entry to this issue was in August 2003. Is this enhancement already 
implemented in a newer version than 1.1beta? If so: Could this issue be closed or could someone change 
the status of this issue (or add a target milestone)?

If there is one thing that I've learned from the OO developers it is this,

They really don't care too much about the educational/scientific/mathematics
community which is evident by their handling of issues like this or

http://www.openoffice.org/issues/show_bug.cgi?id=366

.

Ok, as the issue stands it is a request to enhance colour handling. (The similar
difficulty in selecting a font is also a duplicate of other issues).

Currently there is some support for colours (taken from i48526), try:
" 2 + color cyan 100 over color yellow { 5 } "
There are 8 color values predefined:
black, blue, cyan, green, magenta, red, white and yellow.

However, it seems that Issue 5156 will provide 'Colors in formulas' and has
progressed further- so marking this issue as a duplicate. Please add comments
and votes to i5156.

Regards,
Andrew


*** This issue has been marked as a duplicate of 5156 ***

Closing. Please reopen if required.