latex : equation variables defined such that makeglossary can use it

Question

Say there is an equation e = m * c^2 now I want to define each variable as : where, e = .. m = ... c = ..... This can be achieved using equation environment. But the question is, is there any way to define e, m and c so that they will be automatically added to the glossary when I use \makeglossary ?

Answer 1

Using the glossaries package, we can write a command to define a glossary entry at the same time we display it, like so:

\documentclass{report}

\usepackage[colorlinks]{hyperref}
\usepackage{glossaries}
\makeglossaries

\newcommand{\mathgloss}[2]{
    \newglossaryentry{#1}{name={#1},description={#2}}
    \gls{#1} = #2
}

\begin{document}

Consider the equation
\begin{equation}
e = m * c^2
\end{equation}
in which\\
\mathgloss{e}{energy}\\
\mathgloss{m}{mass}\\
\mathgloss{c}{speed of light}

\printglossaries

\end{document}

You can edit the \mathgloss command to match your preferred formatting style.