OutputForm [expr]
prints as a two-dimensional representation of expr using only keyboard characters.
OutputForm
OutputForm [expr]
prints as a two-dimensional representation of expr using only keyboard characters.
Details
- OutputForm is an approximation to StandardForm which uses only ordinary keyboard characters.
- The OutputForm of many kinds of expressions is quite different from their internal representation.
- When an input evaluates to OutputForm [expr], OutputForm does not appear in the output. »
- OutputForm cannot be used directly for input to the Wolfram Language.
- When possible, OutputForm uses approximations to special characters. Thus ≥ is given as >= and é as e'. »
Examples
open all close allBasic Examples (2)
OutputForm of a typeset expression:
OutputForm of a graphic:
Scope (8)
Basic Objects (2)
Special Input Forms (4)
Different Power expressions:
Special typeset expressions:
Different list structures:
Inputs with subscripts, superscripts, etc.:
Special Output Forms (2)
Some objects use a special output representation:
Compare the OutputForm with the underlying FullForm of the expression:
Some objects use an elided output representation:
The elided information is visible in the FullForm :
Properties & Relations (5)
When an input evaluates to OutputForm [expr], OutputForm does not appear in the output:
Out is assigned the value x2, not OutputForm [x^2]:
Special characters format as keyboard characters:
OutputForm formats in two dimensions:
StandardForm and TraditionalForm are two-dimensional with additional formatting:
InputForm and FullForm provide one-dimensional formatting:
Use ToString to generate a string in OutputForm :
Add formatting via Format :
Possible Issues (1)
Even when an output omits OutputForm from the top level, it is not stripped from subexpressions:
The output does not have OutputForm in it:
However, the variable e does have OutputForm in it, which may affect subsequent evaluations:
The product is not evaluated due to the intervening OutputForm :
Assign variables first and then apply OutputForm to the result to maintain computability:
Tech Notes
Related Guides
Related Workflows
- Deploy and Use a Cloud-Based API on the Command Line
History
Introduced in 1988 (1.0) | Updated in 1996 (3.0)
Text
Wolfram Research (1988), OutputForm, Wolfram Language function, https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/OutputForm.html (updated 1996).
CMS
Wolfram Language. 1988. "OutputForm." Wolfram Language & System Documentation Center. Wolfram Research. Last Modified 1996. https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/OutputForm.html.
APA
Wolfram Language. (1988). OutputForm. Wolfram Language & System Documentation Center. Retrieved from https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/OutputForm.html
BibTeX
@misc{reference.wolfram_2025_outputform, author="Wolfram Research", title="{OutputForm}", year="1996", howpublished="\url{https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/OutputForm.html}", note=[Accessed: 17-November-2025]}
BibLaTeX
@online{reference.wolfram_2025_outputform, organization={Wolfram Research}, title={OutputForm}, year={1996}, url={https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/OutputForm.html}, note=[Accessed: 17-November-2025]}