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:
-
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
open allclose allBasic Examples (3)Summary of the most common use cases
By default, expressions are displayed using TraditionalForm in graphics:

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


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

Display expressions using StandardForm:

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


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

Labels are also affected by the FormatType setting:

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

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).
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.
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
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: 19-June-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: 19-June-2025
]}