Vibecoder adventures in Word: Automating MathType formula conversion

The author shares their experience solving a technical issue encountered by a physicist colleague while preparing scientific papers in Microsoft Word. Using the MathType plugin for equations creates difficulties when working with AI tools like Copilot, which struggle to interpret MathType objects. To allow the AI to process the text, formulas must be converted to LaTeX and then back again. However, MathType's built-in function only allows for single-formula conversion, which is highly inefficient for documents containing hundreds of equations. The author sets out to automate the mass conversion of LaTeX formulas back into MathType throughout the entire document. The article details the process of finding a solution, highlighting the gap between the capabilities of modern LLMs and the practical needs of users working with specialized scientific software.