WOLFRAM

Wolfram Language & System Documentation Center

FormatType

is an option for output streams, graphics, and functions such as Text that specifies the default format type to use when outputting expressions.

Details
Details and Options Details and Options
Examples  
Basic Examples  
Possible Issues  
See Also
Tech Notes
Related Guides
History
Cite this Page

FormatType

FormatType

is an option for output streams, graphics, and functions such as Text that specifies the default format type to use when outputting expressions.

Details

  • Typical settings for FormatType include:
  • Automaticinherit from surrounding constructs
    InputFormone-dimensional form suitable for direct keyboard input
    OutputFormcharacter‐based two-dimensional form
    StandardFormstandard two-dimensional form
    TraditionalFormform approximating traditional mathematical notation
  • SetOptions[stream,FormatType->type] resets the format type for an open stream.
  • For graphics functions, box‐based format types such as StandardForm and TraditionalForm can be used only when a notebook front end is present.

Examples

open all close all

Basic Examples  (3)

By default, expressions are displayed using TraditionalForm in graphics:

Display expressions using StandardForm:

Labels are also affected by the FormatType setting:

Possible Issues  (1)

When different format types are combined the result is likely to be unpredictable:

This is equivalent to:

Wolfram Research (1988), FormatType, Wolfram Language function, https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/FormatType.html (updated 1996).

Text

Wolfram Research (1988), FormatType, Wolfram Language function, https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/FormatType.html (updated 1996).

CMS

Wolfram Language. 1988. "FormatType." Wolfram Language & System Documentation Center. Wolfram Research. Last Modified 1996. https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/FormatType.html.

APA

Wolfram Language. (1988). FormatType. Wolfram Language & System Documentation Center. Retrieved from https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/FormatType.html

BibTeX

@misc{reference.wolfram_2025_formattype, author="Wolfram Research", title="{FormatType}", year="1996", howpublished="\url{https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/FormatType.html}", note=[Accessed: 10-August-2025]}

BibLaTeX

@online{reference.wolfram_2025_formattype, organization={Wolfram Research}, title={FormatType}, year={1996}, url={https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/FormatType.html}, note=[Accessed: 10-August-2025]}