InitializationCell

InitializationCell

is an option for Cell that specifies whether the cell should be tagged to be evaluated by the Wolfram Language kernel immediately before the first evaluation performed by the user after the notebook is opened.

Details

  • Cells with InitializationCellTrue are referred to as "initialization cells" in the documentation.
  • When packages are opened in the notebook front end, package code is represented in initialization cells. Any cell that is not an initialization cell, even if the cell is evaluatable, will be commented out in the package.
  • Additional front end options determine the precise behavior of initialization cells when a notebook is opened.
  • Initialization cells with PrivateCellOptions{"InitializationCellStyle"style} will have style added to their base style.

Examples

Basic Examples  (1)

Create and save a notebook that has an input cell marked as initialization:

Initialization cells are useful when you reopen the saved notebook:

You can use Evaluation ▶ Evaluate Initialization Cells to evaluate initialization cells:

Or, when you evaluate any cell, the Wolfram System asks if you want to evaluate the initialization cells:

If you choose Yes, initialization cells are evaluated:

Close the notebook and delete the temporary file:

Wolfram Research (1996), InitializationCell, Wolfram Language function, https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/InitializationCell.html (updated 2022).

Text

Wolfram Research (1996), InitializationCell, Wolfram Language function, https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/InitializationCell.html (updated 2022).

CMS

Wolfram Language. 1996. "InitializationCell." Wolfram Language & System Documentation Center. Wolfram Research. Last Modified 2022. https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/InitializationCell.html.

APA

Wolfram Language. (1996). InitializationCell. Wolfram Language & System Documentation Center. Retrieved from https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/InitializationCell.html

BibTeX

@misc{reference.wolfram_2025_initializationcell, author="Wolfram Research", title="{InitializationCell}", year="2022", howpublished="\url{https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/InitializationCell.html}", note=[Accessed: 25-July-2025 ]}

BibLaTeX

@online{reference.wolfram_2025_initializationcell, organization={Wolfram Research}, title={InitializationCell}, year={2022}, url={https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/InitializationCell.html}, note=[Accessed: 25-July-2025 ]}