InputForm [expr]
prints as a version of expr suitable for input to the Wolfram Language.
InputForm
InputForm [expr]
prints as a version of expr suitable for input to the Wolfram Language.
Details and Options
- InputForm always produces one-dimensional output, suitable to be typed as lines of Wolfram Language input.
- The typeset form of InputForm [expr] is interpreted the same as expr when used in input. »
- When an input evaluates to InputForm [expr], InputForm does not appear in the output. »
- Put (>>) produces InputForm by default.
- Short [InputForm[expr]] can be used, but may generate skeleton objects that cannot be given as Wolfram Language input.
- The option NumberMarks can be used to specify whether ` marks should be used to indicate type, precision, or accuracy of approximate numbers. »
Examples
open all close allScope (8)
Basic Objects (2)
Special Input Forms (4)
Special Output Forms (2)
Some objects use a special output representation:
Some objects use an elided output representation:
The elided parts are visible using InputForm :
Options (3)
NumberMarks (3)
Machine numbers format without number marks by default:
The same number with number marks:
Extended-precision numbers include number marks by default:
Without number marks:
A mixed symbolic and numeric expression:
Include number marks for all numbers:
Omit all number marks:
Properties & Relations (4)
The typeset form of InputForm [expr] is interpreted the same as expr when used in input:
Copy the output and paste it into an input cell. The x^2 is interpreted as x2:
When an input evaluates to InputForm [expr], InputForm does not appear in the output:
Out is assigned the value x2, not InputForm [x^2]:
InputForm has a linear formatting:
FullForm has linear formatting without special syntax:
OutputForm , StandardForm , and TraditionalForm all provide two-dimensional formatting:
Use ToString to generate a string in input form:
Possible Issues (1)
Even when an output omits InputForm from the top level, it is not stripped from subexpressions:
The output does not have InputForm in it:
However, the variable e does have InputForm in it, which may affect subsequent evaluations:
The product is not evaluated due to the intervening InputForm :
Assign variables first and then apply InputForm to the result to maintain computability:
See Also
OutputForm FullForm StandardForm TextString Compress BinarySerialize
Function Repository: ReadableForm
Related Links
- An Elementary Introduction to the Wolfram Language : Strings and Text
- An Elementary Introduction to the Wolfram Language : Real-World Data
- An Elementary Introduction to the Wolfram Language : Units
- An Elementary Introduction to the Wolfram Language : Dates and Times
- NKS|Online (A New Kind of Science)
History
Introduced in 1988 (1.0) | Updated in 1996 (3.0)
Text
Wolfram Research (1988), InputForm, Wolfram Language function, https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/InputForm.html (updated 1996).
CMS
Wolfram Language. 1988. "InputForm." Wolfram Language & System Documentation Center. Wolfram Research. Last Modified 1996. https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/InputForm.html.
APA
Wolfram Language. (1988). InputForm. Wolfram Language & System Documentation Center. Retrieved from https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/InputForm.html
BibTeX
@misc{reference.wolfram_2025_inputform, author="Wolfram Research", title="{InputForm}", year="1996", howpublished="\url{https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/InputForm.html}", note=[Accessed: 05-December-2025]}
BibLaTeX
@online{reference.wolfram_2025_inputform, organization={Wolfram Research}, title={InputForm}, year={1996}, url={https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/InputForm.html}, note=[Accessed: 05-December-2025]}