# Making a summation sign adjust to contents of summation

I'd like to make my summations adjust in size just as brackets and parenthesis do when using \left and \right - in principle, something like this:

\left\sum_i \frac{a+b}{x+y}\right.


This example, however, doesn't compile.

I've seen this question, and others like it, that detail how to make the summation sign larger, but it's not dynamic. Is there a way to do this dynamically?

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Have you seen my answer to the linked question? The macro \resum{<stuff>} kind of re-sizes to <stuff> but could probably be written more robust. –  Qrrbrbirlbel Feb 13 '13 at 15:19
I would just like to point out that this is not a good idea. As copy editor of a scientific journal I would definitely reject such feature for "bad typography". –  yo' Feb 25 '13 at 20:08

Does this work for you? A command \scalerel intended for math mode that takes two arguments. It scales the first argument's height to match that of the second argument. It also vertically shifts the first argument to match the bounds of the second.

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{calc}
\usepackage{graphicx}

\global\newlength\thewidth
\global\newlength\theheight
\global\newlength\blobheight
\global\newlength\blobdepth
\newsavebox{\prebox}

\newcommand\finddims[1]{\setbox0\hbox{#1}}

\newcommand\scalerel[2]{%
\sbox{\prebox}{$#1$}%
\finddims{$#2$}%
\setlength\blobheight{\ht0+\dp0}%
\setlength\blobdepth{\dp0}%
\finddims{$#1$}%
\setlength\thewidth{\wd0*\ratio{\blobheight}{\ht0+\dp0}}%
\setlength\theheight{\ht0*\ratio{\blobheight}{\ht0+\dp0}}%
\raisebox{-\blobdepth+\dp0*\ratio{\blobheight}{\ht0+\dp0}}%
{\resizebox{\thewidth}{\theheight}{\usebox{\prebox}}}#2%
}

\begin{document}

\def\preblob{\displaystyle\sum_{i=0}^3}
\def\blob{\displaystyle\frac{\displaystyle\frac{x^3}{z+r^3}}%
{\displaystyle\frac{y}{x^2}}%
}

Unscaled: $\preblob\blob$\rule{20ex}{0ex}%
Scaled: $\scalerel{\preblob}{\blob}$

\vspace*{1em} Of course, this can be take to crazy extremes

$\scalerel{i}{\blob}$
\end{document}


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A more generalized version of the \scalerel command given above has been bundled with several other related routines into a new package called scalerel. It was submitted to CTAN on 2013-02-27 –  Steven B. Segletes Feb 27 '13 at 11:46