--- title: "Cell" language: "en" type: "Symbol" summary: "Cell[contents] is the low-level representation of a cell inside a Wolfram System notebook. Cell[contents, style] represents a cell in the specified style. Cell[contents, SubscriptBox[style, 1], SubscriptBox[style, 2], ...] represents a cell with multiple styles applied to it." keywords: - notebook content - notebook cell structure - fundamental notebook element - notebook cell - low-level notebook representation - BoxData - TextData - StyleData canonical_url: "https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/Cell.html" source: "Wolfram Language Documentation" related_guides: - title: "Low-Level Notebook Structure" link: "https://reference.wolfram.com/language/guide/LowLevelNotebookStructure.en.md" - title: "Low-Level Notebook Programming" link: "https://reference.wolfram.com/language/guide/LowLevelNotebookProgramming.en.md" related_workflows: - title: "Create a Section Heading" link: "https://reference.wolfram.com/language/workflow/CreateASectionHeading.en.md" - title: "Delete In, Out Cell Labels" link: "https://reference.wolfram.com/language/workflow/DeleteInOutCellLabels.en.md" - title: "Programmatically Insert a Cell in a Notebook" link: "https://reference.wolfram.com/language/workflow/ProgrammaticallyInsertACellInANotebook.en.md" - title: "Add a Banner to a Notebook" link: "https://reference.wolfram.com/language/workflow/AddABannerToANotebook.en.md" related_functions: - title: "ExpressionCell" link: "https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/ExpressionCell.en.md" - title: "TextCell" link: "https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/TextCell.en.md" - title: "CellGroup" link: "https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/CellGroup.en.md" - title: "Notebook" link: "https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/Notebook.en.md" - title: "CellPrint" link: "https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/CellPrint.en.md" - title: "CellObject" link: "https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/CellObject.en.md" related_tutorials: - title: "Cells as Wolfram Language Expressions" link: "https://reference.wolfram.com/language/tutorial/ManipulatingNotebooks.en.md#24199" - title: "The Structure of Cells" link: "https://reference.wolfram.com/language/tutorial/ManipulatingNotebooks.en.md#5793" - title: "Options for Cells" link: "https://reference.wolfram.com/language/tutorial/ManipulatingNotebooks.en.md#3548" --- # Cell Cell[contents] is the low-level representation of a cell inside a Wolfram System notebook. Cell[contents,"style"] represents a cell in the specified style. Cell[contents,"Subscript[style, 1]","Subscript[style, 2]",\[Ellipsis]] represents a cell with multiple styles applied to it. ## Details * Wolfram System notebooks consist of lists of ``Cell`` objects. * You can see the form of a cell as an expression by using the [Show Expression](https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/menuitem/ShowExpression.en.md) menu command in the standard Wolfram System front end. * You can access cells in a notebook directly using the front end. You can also access the cells from the kernel using ``NotebookRead`` and ``NotebookWrite``, or using ``Options``, and ``SetOptions`` on ``NotebookSelection[obj]``. * The contents of cells can be the following: | | | | :--------------------------------------- | :-------------------------------------- | | "text" | plain text | | TextData[exprs] | general text objects | | BoxData[boxes] | formatted Wolfram Language expressions | | OutputFormData["itext", "otext"] | text as generated by OutputForm | | RawData[data] | unformatted expressions | | GraphicsData["type", data] | non-expression graphics or sound data | | CellGroupData[{cell1, cell2, …}, status] | group of cells | | StyleData["style"] | sample cell for a particular style | * In any given notebook, a collection of possible cell styles is defined, typically with names such as ``"Title"``, ``"Section"``, ``"Input"``, and ``"Output"``. * Cells can have many options, including: | | | | :------------ | :------------------------------------------------------ | | Background | the color of the background for the cell | | CellFrame | whether to draw a frame around the cell | | CellTags | tags for the cell | | Editable | whether to allow the contents of the cell to be edited | | FontSize | the default size of text in the cell | | TextAlignment | how to align text in the cell | --- ## Examples (18) ### Basic Examples (2) Create a text cell from a low-level description: ```wl In[1]:= CellPrint[Cell["abc", "Text"]] ``` abc --- Create an expression cell from a low-level description: ```wl In[1]:= CellPrint[Cell[BoxData[SuperscriptBox["x", "2"]], "Print"]] x^2 ``` ### Scope (5) Cells can contain complex typeset forms: ```wl In[1]:= CellPrint[Cell[BoxData[ToBoxes[Integrate[Abs[1 + Abs[x]], x, Assumptions -> x∈Reals]]], "Print"]] Piecewise[{{x - x^2/2, x <= 0}}, x + x^2/2] ``` --- Cells can contain graphics: ```wl In[1]:= CellPrint[Cell[BoxData[ToBoxes[Plot[Sin[x], {x, -2, 2}]]], "Print"]] [image] ``` --- Cells can contain interactive controls: ```wl In[1]:= CellPrint[Cell[BoxData[ToBoxes[Slider[]]], "Print"]] Slider[0.5] ``` --- Cells can contain other cells: ```wl In[1]:= CellPrint[Cell[TextData[{"the ", Cell[BoxData["x"]], " factor"}], "Text"]] ``` the x factor --- Combine multiple styles in a cell: ```wl In[1]:= CellPrint[Cell["I'm a TB cell", "TB"]];CellPrint[Cell["I'm a Small cell", "Small"]];CellPrint[Cell["I'm both", "TB", "Small"]]; ``` I'm a TB cell I'm a Small cell I'm both ### Options (10) #### CellFrame (1) Put a frame around a cell: ```wl In[1]:= CellPrint[Cell["abc", "Text", CellFrame -> True]] ``` abc Specify a width for the frame: ```wl In[2]:= CellPrint[Cell["abc", "Text", CellFrame -> 5]] ``` abc #### CellFrameColor (1) ```wl In[1]:= Do[CellPrint[Cell["abc", "Text", CellFrame -> 5, CellFrameColor -> c]], {c, {Red, Green, Blue}}] ``` abc abc abc #### CellFrameLabels (2) ```wl In[1]:= CellPrint[Cell["abc", "Text", CellFrame -> True, CellFrameLabels -> {{"L", "R"}, {"B", "T"}}]] ``` abc --- Cell frame labels can be displayed without a frame: ```wl In[1]:= CellPrint[Cell["abc", "Text", CellFrame -> False, CellFrameLabels -> {{"L", "R"}, {"B", "T"}}]] ``` abc #### CellTags (1) Use a cell tag to locate a particular cell by referring to the tag: ```wl In[1]:= CellPrint[Cell["text", CellTags -> {"C1"}]] ``` text ```wl In[2]:= NotebookLocate["C1"] ``` ``NotebookFind`` can also be used: ```wl In[3]:= NotebookFind[InputNotebook[], "C1", Next, CellTags]; ``` #### Editable (1) By default cells are editable; set ``Editable`` to ``False`` to disable this behavior: ```wl In[1]:= CellPrint[Cell["not editable", "Text", Editable -> False]] ``` not editable #### FontColor (1) ```wl In[1]:= Do[CellPrint[Cell["text text", "Text", FontColor -> c]], {c, {Red, Green, Blue}}] ``` text text text text text text #### FontSize (1) ```wl In[1]:= Do[CellPrint[Cell["text", "Text", FontSize -> s]], {s, {12, 24, 36}}] ``` text text text #### Hyphenation (1) Define some text: ```wl In[1]:= text = "Advanced experimentation with counterintuitively organized automatic aeronautically optimized mechanical anisotropic intermediaries"; ``` The same text with and without hyphenation: ```wl In[2]:= Do[CellPrint[Cell[text, "Text", CellMargins -> {{200, 250}, Inherited}, Hyphenation -> h]], {h, {True, False}}] ``` Advanced experimentation with counterintuitively organized automatic aeronautically optimized mechanical anisotropic intermediaries Advanced experimentation with counterintuitively organized automatic aeronautically optimized mechanical anisotropic intermediaries #### ShowCellBracket (1) Cells with and without a cell bracket, and with a cell bracket that shows up only on mouseover: ```wl In[1]:= Do[CellPrint[Cell["text text text", "Text", ShowCellBracket -> cb]], {cb, {False, True, Automatic}}] ``` text text text text text text text text text ### Properties & Relations (1) ``NotebookPut`` creates notebook windows from low-level ``Notebook`` and ``Cell`` expressions: ```wl In[1]:= nb = NotebookPut[Notebook[{Cell["first"], Cell["last"]}]]; ``` [image] ```wl In[2]:= SelectionMove[nb, Next, Cell] ``` [image] ``NotebookRead`` returns a ``Cell`` expression for the selected cell: ```wl In[3]:= NotebookRead[nb] Out[3]= Cell["first"] ``` ## See Also * [`ExpressionCell`](https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/ExpressionCell.en.md) * [`TextCell`](https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/TextCell.en.md) * [`CellGroup`](https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/CellGroup.en.md) * [`Notebook`](https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/Notebook.en.md) * [`CellPrint`](https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/CellPrint.en.md) * [`CellObject`](https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/CellObject.en.md) ## Tech Notes * [Cells as Wolfram Language Expressions](https://reference.wolfram.com/language/tutorial/ManipulatingNotebooks.en.md#24199) * [The Structure of Cells](https://reference.wolfram.com/language/tutorial/ManipulatingNotebooks.en.md#5793) * [Options for Cells](https://reference.wolfram.com/language/tutorial/ManipulatingNotebooks.en.md#3548) ## Related Guides * [Low-Level Notebook Structure](https://reference.wolfram.com/language/guide/LowLevelNotebookStructure.en.md) * [Low-Level Notebook Programming](https://reference.wolfram.com/language/guide/LowLevelNotebookProgramming.en.md) ## Related Workflows * [Create a Section Heading](https://reference.wolfram.com/language/workflow/CreateASectionHeading.en.md) * [Delete In, Out Cell Labels](https://reference.wolfram.com/language/workflow/DeleteInOutCellLabels.en.md) * [Programmatically Insert a Cell in a Notebook](https://reference.wolfram.com/language/workflow/ProgrammaticallyInsertACellInANotebook.en.md) * [Add a Banner to a Notebook](https://reference.wolfram.com/language/workflow/AddABannerToANotebook.en.md) ## History * Introduced in 1996 (3.0) \| [Updated in 2007 (6.0)](https://reference.wolfram.com/language/guide/SummaryOfNewFeaturesIn60.en.md) ▪ [2017 (11.2)](https://reference.wolfram.com/language/guide/SummaryOfNewFeaturesIn112.en.md)