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Question

I am looking for a 'stair' or 'stairway' symbol that I can use in math mode to denote a stair-like curve, for example to be used as an integration path. I have included some pictures as examples below:

enter image description here

and for "full" stairs:

enter image description here

Feel free to add more appropriate tags.

@luchonacho: I thought so too, but I wasn't able to find anything even remotely close in there. Maybe I have overlooked something. — Sep 1 at 12:14

score 19 · Accepted Answer · 2018-09-02 12:15:24Z

You could build something on your own, like:

documentclassmemoir
usepackagetikz,xcolor, amsmath
usetikzlibrarycalc
tikzsetstairwayStyleLineWidth/.style=line width=0.04em
tikzsetstairwayStyleRound/.style=line join=round,line cap=round,stairwayStyleLineWidth
tikzsetstairwayStyleSharp/.style=stairwayStyleLineWidth
tikzsetstairwayStyle/.style=stairwayStyleRound


newcommandstairwayupmathbin
tikz[baseline=(stairwayanchor.base)]
 node (stairwayanchor) quad; 
 draw[stairwayStyle] 
 ($(stairwayanchor.south west) + (0.0em,0.4em)$)
 -- ++(0.20em,0) -- ++(0,0.20em)
 -- ++(0.20em,0) -- ++(0,0.20em)
 -- ++(0.20em,0) -- ++(0,0.20em)
 -- ++(0.20em,0) %-- ++(0,0.25em)
 ;



newcommandstairwaydownmathbin
tikz[baseline=(stairwayanchor.base)]
 node (stairwayanchor) quad; 
 draw[stairwayStyle] 
 ($(stairwayanchor.south east) + (0.0em,0.4em)$)
 -- ++(-0.20em,0) -- ++(0,0.20em)
 -- ++(-0.20em,0) -- ++(0,0.20em)
 -- ++(-0.20em,0) -- ++(0,0.20em)
 -- ++(-0.20em,0) %-- ++(0,-0.25em)
 ;



newcommandstairwayupfilledmathbin
tikz[baseline=(stairwayanchor.base)]
 node (stairwayanchor) quad; 
 draw[stairwayStyle,fill=.] 
 ($(stairwayanchor.south west) + (0.0em,0.4em)$)
 -- ++(0,0.20em)
 -- ++(0.20em,0) -- ++(0,0.20em)
 -- ++(0.20em,0) -- ++(0,0.20em)
 -- ++(0.20em,0) %-- ++(0,0.25em)
 -- ++(0,-0.60em)
 -- cycle
 ;



newcommandstairwayuphollowmathbin
tikz[baseline=(stairwayanchor.base)]
 node (stairwayanchor) quad; 
 draw[stairwayStyle] 
 ($(stairwayanchor.south west) + (0.0em,0.4em)$)
 -- ++(0,0.20em)
 -- ++(0.20em,0) -- ++(0,0.20em)
 -- ++(0.20em,0) -- ++(0,0.20em)
 -- ++(0.20em,0) %-- ++(0,0.25em)
 -- ++(0,-0.60em)
 -- cycle
 ;



begindocument
centering
Foo $5stairwayup6 stairwaydown 7, int_stairwayup, int_stairwaydown$ bar. \
$stairwayupfilled stairwayup stairwayuphollow$ 
colorboxbluecolor-blue $stairwayupfilled stairwayup stairwayuphollow$
$tiny stairwayup hugestairwayup$

beginalign*
 6 &stairwayup 5 stairwaydown 7\
 6 &> 5<7\
 int_stairwayup & int_stairwaydown
endalign*

tiny
beginalign*
 6 &stairwayup 5 stairwaydown 7\
 6 &> 5<7\
 int_stairwayup & int_stairwaydown
endalign*

huge
beginalign*
 6 &stairwayup 5 stairwaydown 7\
 6 &> 5<7\
 int_stairwayup & int_stairwaydown
endalign*

enddocument

Observe that the stairs have a round appeal. This way they blend better with <. You can choose sharp corners if you change

tikzsetstairwayStyle/.style=stairwayStyleRound

to

tikzsetstairwayStyle/.style=stairwayStyleSharp

if you want to. The thickness of the strokes varies with the font size and the symbols do change their color appropriately.

enter image description here

Thanks a lot for this and for the code example! I am still very new to tikz, so the code example really helps! — Sep 1 at 10:36
@M.G. TikZ is definitely worth learning. It comes with a great manual at ctan.org/pkg/pgf. — Sep 1 at 10:38

score 16 · Answer 2 · 2018-09-03 20:37:13Z

Yet another question of this type: IÃ‚Â begin to think that IÃ‚Â should seriously consider the idea of turning my halloweenmath package into a package generally aimed to making mathematical symbols out of arbitrary pictures. In this way, you get several frills for free, like the bolder look when the bold math version is in force, and automatic scaling in sub/superscripts. IÃ‚Â see no reason, however, why the symbols in question should behave as binary operators.

% My standard header for TeX.SX answers:
documentclass[a4paper]article % To avoid confusion, let us explicitly 
 % declare the paper format.

usepackage[T1]fontenc % Not always necessary, but recommended.
% End of standard header. What follows pertains to the problem at hand.

usepackagehalloweenmath % also loads "amsmath''

makeatletter

newcommand*@HwM@ironwire@stairway[2]%
 % #1 := font selector (e.g., "textfont")
 % #2 := line thickness, in unit of default-rule-thickness "fontdimen"
 begin@HwM@small@picture#14.6-2.3%
 roundcap
 linethickness#2@HwM@thickness@units@for #1%
 polyline(-2,-2)(-2,-1)(-1,-1)(-1,0)%
 (0,0)(0,1)(+1,1)(+1,2)(+2,2)relax
 end@HwM@small@picture%

newcommand*@HwM@Ironwire@Stairway[2]%
 % #1 := style selector (e.g., "textstyle")
 % #2 := font selector (e.g., "textfont")
 @HwM@choose@thicknesses@HwM@ironwire@stairway #2%
 1.25%
 2.5%


newcommand*@HwM@hollow@stairway[2]%
 % #1 := font selector (e.g., "textfont")
 % #2 := line thickness, in unit of default-rule-thickness "fontdimen"
 begin@HwM@small@picture#14.6-2.3%
 roundcap
 linethickness#2@HwM@thickness@units@for #1%
 polygon(-2,-2)(-2,-1)(-1,-1)(-1,0)%
 (0,0)(0,1)(+1,1)(+1,2)(+2,2)%
 (+2,-2)relax
 end@HwM@small@picture%

newcommand*@HwM@Hollow@Stairway[2]%
 % #1 := style selector (e.g., "textstyle")
 % #2 := font selector (e.g., "textfont")
 @HwM@choose@thicknesses@HwM@hollow@stairway #2%
 1.25%
 2.5%


newcommand*mathsimplerightstair@HwM@set@right@dir @HwM@mathsimplestair
newcommand*mathsimpleleftstair @HwM@set@left@dir @HwM@mathsimplestair
newcommand*@HwM@mathsimplestair%
 @HwM@general@ordinary@symbol @HwM@Ironwire@Stairway

newcommand*mathhollowrightstair@HwM@set@right@dir @HwM@mathhollowstair
newcommand*mathhollowleftstair @HwM@set@left@dir @HwM@mathhollowstair
newcommand*@HwM@mathhollowstair%
 @HwM@general@ordinary@symbol @HwM@Hollow@Stairway


makeatother



begindocument

In text, surrounded by square brackets so to check the sidebearings:
( [ mathsimplerightstair mathsimpleleftstair] ),
or ( [mathhollowrightstair mathhollowleftstair] ).
Now in display:
[
 mathsimplerightstair + int_mathsimplerightstair f(z),dz
 - mathhollowleftstair - int_mathhollowleftstair g(z),dz
]
Note that the symbols get smaller in the subscript, even if the main font size
doesn't change. This behavior extends to double scripts, emphe.g.,
( [mathhollowrightstair_mathhollowrightstair^mathhollowrightstair] ),
as one would expect.footnoteOf course, changes in the main font size are 
honored too:
( [mathhollowrightstair_mathhollowrightstair^mathhollowrightstair] ).

Furthemore, compare the looks of the four symbols in the textttnormal and in 
the textttbold math versions:
( [mathsimplerightstair mathsimpleleftstair
mathhollowrightstair mathhollowleftstair] )
bfseries boldmath versus
( [mathsimplerightstair mathsimpleleftstair
mathhollowrightstair mathhollowleftstair] ).

As already mentioned in a footnote, the symbols also scale with the main font 
size (compare them with the brackets).

bigskip

:
( [ mathsimplerightstair mathsimpleleftstair] +
mathhollowrightstair_mathhollowrightstair).

bigskip

Huge

bigskip

footnotesize

enddocument

See the comments in halloweenmath.dtx for an explanation of how the macros work. Some fine-tuning of the sidebearings and of the line thicknesses might still be necessary, of course.

This is the output:

Output of the code

Addition:
It crossed my mind that, in the above code, you might want to replace all occurrences of roundcap with roundcap roundjoin, to get round joins between the segments of the stairs as well as round caps; and as a matter of fact, roundcap is even useless in the case of @HwM@hollow@stairway, which has no caps at all!

This is great! I will admit to my shame that I wasn't aware of the existence of your package. But now I am! — Sep 1 at 15:22

score 19 · Accepted Answer · 2018-09-02 12:15:24Z

You could build something on your own, like:

documentclassmemoir
usepackagetikz,xcolor, amsmath
usetikzlibrarycalc
tikzsetstairwayStyleLineWidth/.style=line width=0.04em
tikzsetstairwayStyleRound/.style=line join=round,line cap=round,stairwayStyleLineWidth
tikzsetstairwayStyleSharp/.style=stairwayStyleLineWidth
tikzsetstairwayStyle/.style=stairwayStyleRound


newcommandstairwayupmathbin
tikz[baseline=(stairwayanchor.base)]
 node (stairwayanchor) quad; 
 draw[stairwayStyle] 
 ($(stairwayanchor.south west) + (0.0em,0.4em)$)
 -- ++(0.20em,0) -- ++(0,0.20em)
 -- ++(0.20em,0) -- ++(0,0.20em)
 -- ++(0.20em,0) -- ++(0,0.20em)
 -- ++(0.20em,0) %-- ++(0,0.25em)
 ;



newcommandstairwaydownmathbin
tikz[baseline=(stairwayanchor.base)]
 node (stairwayanchor) quad; 
 draw[stairwayStyle] 
 ($(stairwayanchor.south east) + (0.0em,0.4em)$)
 -- ++(-0.20em,0) -- ++(0,0.20em)
 -- ++(-0.20em,0) -- ++(0,0.20em)
 -- ++(-0.20em,0) -- ++(0,0.20em)
 -- ++(-0.20em,0) %-- ++(0,-0.25em)
 ;



newcommandstairwayupfilledmathbin
tikz[baseline=(stairwayanchor.base)]
 node (stairwayanchor) quad; 
 draw[stairwayStyle,fill=.] 
 ($(stairwayanchor.south west) + (0.0em,0.4em)$)
 -- ++(0,0.20em)
 -- ++(0.20em,0) -- ++(0,0.20em)
 -- ++(0.20em,0) -- ++(0,0.20em)
 -- ++(0.20em,0) %-- ++(0,0.25em)
 -- ++(0,-0.60em)
 -- cycle
 ;



newcommandstairwayuphollowmathbin
tikz[baseline=(stairwayanchor.base)]
 node (stairwayanchor) quad; 
 draw[stairwayStyle] 
 ($(stairwayanchor.south west) + (0.0em,0.4em)$)
 -- ++(0,0.20em)
 -- ++(0.20em,0) -- ++(0,0.20em)
 -- ++(0.20em,0) -- ++(0,0.20em)
 -- ++(0.20em,0) %-- ++(0,0.25em)
 -- ++(0,-0.60em)
 -- cycle
 ;



begindocument
centering
Foo $5stairwayup6 stairwaydown 7, int_stairwayup, int_stairwaydown$ bar. \
$stairwayupfilled stairwayup stairwayuphollow$ 
colorboxbluecolor-blue $stairwayupfilled stairwayup stairwayuphollow$
$tiny stairwayup hugestairwayup$

beginalign*
 6 &stairwayup 5 stairwaydown 7\
 6 &> 5<7\
 int_stairwayup & int_stairwaydown
endalign*

tiny
beginalign*
 6 &stairwayup 5 stairwaydown 7\
 6 &> 5<7\
 int_stairwayup & int_stairwaydown
endalign*

huge
beginalign*
 6 &stairwayup 5 stairwaydown 7\
 6 &> 5<7\
 int_stairwayup & int_stairwaydown
endalign*

enddocument

Observe that the stairs have a round appeal. This way they blend better with <. You can choose sharp corners if you change

tikzsetstairwayStyle/.style=stairwayStyleRound

to

tikzsetstairwayStyle/.style=stairwayStyleSharp

if you want to. The thickness of the strokes varies with the font size and the symbols do change their color appropriately.

enter image description here

Thanks a lot for this and for the code example! I am still very new to tikz, so the code example really helps! — Sep 1 at 10:36
@M.G. TikZ is definitely worth learning. It comes with a great manual at ctan.org/pkg/pgf. — Sep 1 at 10:38

score 16 · Answer 4 · 2018-09-03 20:37:13Z

Yet another question of this type: IÃ‚Â begin to think that IÃ‚Â should seriously consider the idea of turning my halloweenmath package into a package generally aimed to making mathematical symbols out of arbitrary pictures. In this way, you get several frills for free, like the bolder look when the bold math version is in force, and automatic scaling in sub/superscripts. IÃ‚Â see no reason, however, why the symbols in question should behave as binary operators.

% My standard header for TeX.SX answers:
documentclass[a4paper]article % To avoid confusion, let us explicitly 
 % declare the paper format.

usepackage[T1]fontenc % Not always necessary, but recommended.
% End of standard header. What follows pertains to the problem at hand.

usepackagehalloweenmath % also loads "amsmath''

makeatletter

newcommand*@HwM@ironwire@stairway[2]%
 % #1 := font selector (e.g., "textfont")
 % #2 := line thickness, in unit of default-rule-thickness "fontdimen"
 begin@HwM@small@picture#14.6-2.3%
 roundcap
 linethickness#2@HwM@thickness@units@for #1%
 polyline(-2,-2)(-2,-1)(-1,-1)(-1,0)%
 (0,0)(0,1)(+1,1)(+1,2)(+2,2)relax
 end@HwM@small@picture%

newcommand*@HwM@Ironwire@Stairway[2]%
 % #1 := style selector (e.g., "textstyle")
 % #2 := font selector (e.g., "textfont")
 @HwM@choose@thicknesses@HwM@ironwire@stairway #2%
 1.25%
 2.5%


newcommand*@HwM@hollow@stairway[2]%
 % #1 := font selector (e.g., "textfont")
 % #2 := line thickness, in unit of default-rule-thickness "fontdimen"
 begin@HwM@small@picture#14.6-2.3%
 roundcap
 linethickness#2@HwM@thickness@units@for #1%
 polygon(-2,-2)(-2,-1)(-1,-1)(-1,0)%
 (0,0)(0,1)(+1,1)(+1,2)(+2,2)%
 (+2,-2)relax
 end@HwM@small@picture%

newcommand*@HwM@Hollow@Stairway[2]%
 % #1 := style selector (e.g., "textstyle")
 % #2 := font selector (e.g., "textfont")
 @HwM@choose@thicknesses@HwM@hollow@stairway #2%
 1.25%
 2.5%


newcommand*mathsimplerightstair@HwM@set@right@dir @HwM@mathsimplestair
newcommand*mathsimpleleftstair @HwM@set@left@dir @HwM@mathsimplestair
newcommand*@HwM@mathsimplestair%
 @HwM@general@ordinary@symbol @HwM@Ironwire@Stairway

newcommand*mathhollowrightstair@HwM@set@right@dir @HwM@mathhollowstair
newcommand*mathhollowleftstair @HwM@set@left@dir @HwM@mathhollowstair
newcommand*@HwM@mathhollowstair%
 @HwM@general@ordinary@symbol @HwM@Hollow@Stairway


makeatother



begindocument

In text, surrounded by square brackets so to check the sidebearings:
( [ mathsimplerightstair mathsimpleleftstair] ),
or ( [mathhollowrightstair mathhollowleftstair] ).
Now in display:
[
 mathsimplerightstair + int_mathsimplerightstair f(z),dz
 - mathhollowleftstair - int_mathhollowleftstair g(z),dz
]
Note that the symbols get smaller in the subscript, even if the main font size
doesn't change. This behavior extends to double scripts, emphe.g.,
( [mathhollowrightstair_mathhollowrightstair^mathhollowrightstair] ),
as one would expect.footnoteOf course, changes in the main font size are 
honored too:
( [mathhollowrightstair_mathhollowrightstair^mathhollowrightstair] ).

Furthemore, compare the looks of the four symbols in the textttnormal and in 
the textttbold math versions:
( [mathsimplerightstair mathsimpleleftstair
mathhollowrightstair mathhollowleftstair] )
bfseries boldmath versus
( [mathsimplerightstair mathsimpleleftstair
mathhollowrightstair mathhollowleftstair] ).

As already mentioned in a footnote, the symbols also scale with the main font 
size (compare them with the brackets).

bigskip

:
( [ mathsimplerightstair mathsimpleleftstair] +
mathhollowrightstair_mathhollowrightstair).

bigskip

Huge

bigskip

footnotesize

enddocument

See the comments in halloweenmath.dtx for an explanation of how the macros work. Some fine-tuning of the sidebearings and of the line thicknesses might still be necessary, of course.

This is the output:

Output of the code

Addition:
It crossed my mind that, in the above code, you might want to replace all occurrences of roundcap with roundcap roundjoin, to get round joins between the segments of the stairs as well as round caps; and as a matter of fact, roundcap is even useless in the case of @HwM@hollow@stairway, which has no caps at all!

This is great! I will admit to my shame that I wasn't aware of the existence of your package. But now I am! — Sep 1 at 15:22

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