# A simple way to insert Angstrom

### Use case or problem

I often take notes about stuff in the Angstrom order of dimension and I very often have to write Angstrom.
There are currently two ways to insert the Angstrom symbol:

• Insert the unicode character: Å (U+212B)
• Use Latex to introduce a ring over an A: $\mathring{A}$

The first option works, but you have to remember the unicode code every time and write it out, the second method is easier to remember, however the character is not really correct.
The second method can be improved as $\mathring{\mathrm{A}}$ which makes it a little bit more similar, but still incorrect; however it’s a much longer command to introduce.

### Proposed solution

In Latex exists an easy way to introduce the Angstrom symbol: the shortcut \AA, which is a shortcut of \r{A}. None of these work in Obsidian.
Would it be possible to introduce this shortcut in math mode in order to easily write this symbol in formulas?

@Bacracks70 I would recommend to use some text expansion tool (there are quite a few depending on your OS) and define e.g. aang to yield the Å character. This way you can conveniently insert Angstrom in normal text.

If you need to use Angstrom in LaTeX equations, you should put it in the argument of the \pu{...} command (which stands for physical unit):

$$r = \pu{0.2 Å}$$


This would render as:

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Workaround: Switch to Mac/iOS where typing letters like that is easier. (Long-press “A”, then choose “Å” from the pop-up.)

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Thanks, these are both good solutions, however these are workarounds for something a text editor should do by itself.
The text expansion tool seems an interesting idea and definitely will make it easier.
Since Obsidian supports latex I don’t see why I should use a workaround to write something in latex, as far as I know \r{A} is a standard command.

This is not a workaround and \r{A} is a LaTeX text command, which is not valid in math mode. You could use the \mathring{A} in formulas instead, or add $\newcommand{\r}[1]{\mathring{#1}}$ to redefine \mathring{...} to \r{...}, but you still need to put it inside the \pu{...} command to be rendered properly as a unit.

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I don’t think that a general-purpose editor like Obsidian should have as specific a feature as this. Most people won’t ever need this; if they used it then it would likely be on accident.

Use a text expander; it’s more robust, infinitely customizable to your needs, and it would work outside Obsidian—on these forums, too, or in places that don’t support TeX. I’m personally partial to espanso, where defining a substitution like this would be literally two lines of YAML.

Create a template with the angstrom in it as the only character. If you have a keystroke assigned to open the template modal, you have quick access to the angstrom whenever you want it.

And if you use Templater, you can create a specific hotkey for the angstrom template. I use CTRL OPT CMD A and get Å without having any intermediate modal to navigate.

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If you don’t use Templater, there’s a community plugin that enables hotkeys for templates.

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I learn. Thank you for that tip.

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