

Format
Details

- Standard forms for formatted output are:
-
CForm C language input form FortranForm Fortran input form InputForm one‐dimensional form suitable for direct keyboard input MathMLForm MathML form OutputForm character‐based two-dimensional form StandardForm standard two-dimensional form TeXForm TeX input form TraditionalForm form approximating traditional mathematical notation - You can add your own forms for formatted output.
- Format[s]:=rhs defines a symbol s to print like rhs. »
- Format[f[…]]:=rhs defines a function f to print like rhs. »
- If you specify a new output format for an expression by giving a definition for Format, there is no guarantee that the Wolfram Language will be able to interpret this output format if it is used as input.
- Definitions given for Format are used before those given for MakeBoxes.
Examples
open all close allBasic Examples (1)
See an expression formatted in TraditionalForm:
Scope (3)
Format kappa as the Greek letter:
Format a function f differently if it has more than two arguments:
Define formatting for a specific form:
StandardForm output is unaffected:
Tech Notes
Related Guides
History
Introduced in 1988 (1.0) | Updated in 1996 (3.0) ▪ 2003 (5.0)
Text
Wolfram Research (1988), Format, Wolfram Language function, https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/Format.html (updated 2003).
CMS
Wolfram Language. 1988. "Format." Wolfram Language & System Documentation Center. Wolfram Research. Last Modified 2003. https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/Format.html.
APA
Wolfram Language. (1988). Format. Wolfram Language & System Documentation Center. Retrieved from https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/Format.html
BibTeX
@misc{reference.wolfram_2025_format, author="Wolfram Research", title="{Format}", year="2003", howpublished="\url{https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/Format.html}", note=[Accessed: 08-August-2025]}
BibLaTeX
@online{reference.wolfram_2025_format, organization={Wolfram Research}, title={Format}, year={2003}, url={https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/Format.html}, note=[Accessed: 08-August-2025]}