HoldCompleteForm
HoldCompleteForm[expr]
prints as the expression expr, shielding expr completely from the standard Wolfram Language evaluation process.
Details
- HoldCompleteForm allows you to see the output form of an expression without performing any evaluation of the expression.
- HoldCompleteForm has attribute HoldAllComplete and performs no operation on its arguments.
- HoldCompleteForm is removed by ReleaseHold. »
- HoldCompleteForm can be inserted as a wrapper by such functions as ToExpression and Extract. »
- Unlike HoldForm, HoldCompleteForm[expr] remains unevaluated even if expr is of the form f[args] and upvalues for f have been defined. »
Examples
open allclose allBasic Examples (2)
Scope (2)
Properties & Relations (8)
HoldCompleteForm displays without a wrapper:
See the FullForm expression:
HoldComplete displays the held expression with a wrapper:
Evaluate cannot force evaluation of an argument of HoldCompleteForm:
Use Evaluate to force evaluation of an argument of HoldForm:
Sequence and Splice splicing does not happen inside HoldCompleteForm:
Use HoldForm to allow such transformations:
Upvalues do not work inside HoldCompleteForm:
They do work inside HoldForm:
ReleaseHold removes one level of HoldCompleteForm:
HoldCompleteForm gives an object that is never evaluated:
Copy the output and paste it into an input cell. The 1+2 is still unevaluated:
Defer gives an object whose evaluation is merely deferred until it is explicitly given as Wolfram Language input:
Copy the output and paste it into an input cell. The 1+2 is evaluated:
HoldCompleteForm maintains expressions in unevaluated form, and all parts are inactive:
Inactivate maintains symbols in inactive form and allows parts of expressions to be inactive:
Hold can be used to freeze the result of ToExpression before it is evaluated:
Possible Issues (1)
HoldPattern[expr] is equivalent to expr for pattern matching but maintains expr in an unevaluated form:
HoldCompleteForm[expr] is not equivalent to expr for pattern matching:
Only a literal HoldCompleteForm expression is matched:
Text
Wolfram Research (2025), HoldCompleteForm, Wolfram Language function, https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/HoldCompleteForm.html.
CMS
Wolfram Language. 2025. "HoldCompleteForm." Wolfram Language & System Documentation Center. Wolfram Research. https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/HoldCompleteForm.html.
APA
Wolfram Language. (2025). HoldCompleteForm. Wolfram Language & System Documentation Center. Retrieved from https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/HoldCompleteForm.html