# Specific type of box around equation

When I write notes by hand, if I want to box an equation, I usually do it in the following way. I find the lowest (highest) point of the equation, I go a little bit higher (lower) and take a line, cutting it a little before and after the aforementioned point. If there are more than one extrema of equal height I do it for all of them (pic related).

Is there any way to do this in LaTeX? (for example with TikZ I guess)

• Welcome to TeX.SX! Short answer: Package tcolorbox provides boxes like \tcbhighmath or \tcbboxmath for such thing. And please always add a minimal but working example (MWE) of what you already have. – Schweinebacke May 18 '17 at 12:02
• @Schweinebacke tcolorbox's boxes you suggested do not do what I asked for. You probably didn't even read the question. I knew about tcolorbox but I also knew it wasn't satisfying. And for MWE; wouldn't it be the same (if not worse, for cluttering the question) to provide a MWE with a simple colorbox around an equation? – Rrose Sélavy May 18 '17 at 12:13

EDITED to turn it into a macro. Took Dai's suggestion to add a \strut, to account for squat equations.

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{xcolor,stackengine}
\newcommand\redbox[1]{%
\fboxsep=-2pt
\def\tmp{\displaystyle\strut #1}
\def\shadow{\makebox[.4pt]{$\tmp$}}
\stackengine{0pt}{%
\stackengine{0pt}{%
\textcolor{red}{\fbox{~~$\phantom{\tmp}$~~}}%
}{$\tmp$}{O}{c}{F}{F}{L}
$\redbox{z(t) = \int D\vec m e^{-\int d^\alpha x \Phi[...]}}$
$\redbox{y = \int_0^\tau e^t dt}$
$\redbox{x = y + z}$

• renamed the macro to radbox in my file. Thanks :D – Rrose Sélavy May 18 '17 at 12:20
• Possibly using \fbox{~~$\phantom{\strut\tmp}$~~} would be desirable (e.g. \redbox{x=y+z} without the \strut is boxed rather tighter than likely to be preferable). – Dai Bowen May 18 '17 at 14:42