FormatType

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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:

	Automatic	inherit from surrounding constructs
	InputForm	one-dimensional form suitable for direct keyboard input
	OutputForm	character‐based two-dimensional form
	StandardForm	standard two-dimensional form
	TraditionalForm	form 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

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Basic Examples (3)Summary of the most common use cases

By default, expressions are displayed using TraditionalForm in graphics:

In[1]:=1

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https://wolfram.com/xid/0bdo88qu2-vclm1

Out[1]=1

In[2]:=2

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https://wolfram.com/xid/0bdo88qu2-e2jq14

Out[2]=2

Display expressions using StandardForm:

In[1]:=1

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https://wolfram.com/xid/0bdo88qu2-nmmm8

Out[1]=1

In[2]:=2

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https://wolfram.com/xid/0bdo88qu2-cmg6xs

Out[2]=2

Labels are also affected by the FormatType setting:

In[1]:=1

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https://wolfram.com/xid/0bdo88qu2-98clt

Out[1]=1

Possible Issues (1)Common pitfalls and unexpected behavior

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

In[1]:=1

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https://wolfram.com/xid/0bdo88qu2-y7fbq

Out[1]=1

This is equivalent to:

In[2]:=2

✖

https://wolfram.com/xid/0bdo88qu2-n6t0i

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