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InputForm[expr]

prints as a version of expr suitable for input to the Wolfram Language.

Details and Options
Details and Options Details and Options
Examples  
Basic Examples  
Scope  
Basic Objects  
Special Input Forms  
Special Output Forms  
Options  
NumberMarks  
Properties & Relations  
Possible Issues  
See Also
Tech Notes
Related Guides
Related Links
History
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InputForm

InputForm[expr]

prints as a version of expr suitable for input to the Wolfram Language.

Details and Options

  • InputForm always produces one-dimensional output, suitable to be typed as lines of Wolfram Language input.
  • The typeset form of InputForm[expr] is interpreted the same as expr when used in input. »
  • When an input evaluates to InputForm[expr], InputForm does not appear in the output. »
  • Put (>>) produces InputForm by default.
  • Short[InputForm[expr]] can be used, but may generate skeleton objects that cannot be given as Wolfram Language input.
  • The option NumberMarks can be used to specify whether ` marks should be used to indicate type, precision, or accuracy of approximate numbers. »

Examples

open all close all

Basic Examples  (2)

InputForm of a typeset expression:

Wolfram Language code: InputForm[(x/Sqrt[5]) + y^2 + 1 / z]

InputForm of a graphic:

Wolfram Language code: [image]//InputForm

Scope  (8)

Basic Objects  (2)

Integer, Rational, Real, and Complex numbers:

Wolfram Language code: Map[InputForm, {123, 1 / 23, 1.23, 1 + 23I}]

Arbitrary‐precision Real and Complex numbers:

Wolfram Language code: InputForm /@ N[{10 / 3, 10 / 3I}, 20]

Special constants:

Wolfram Language code: InputForm /@ {I, π, E}

Characters and strings of characters:

Wolfram Language code: InputForm /@ {"a", "α", "⊕"}

Control characters for strings:

Wolfram Language code: InputForm["A first line A second line"]

Special Input Forms  (4)

Different ways of representing Power expressions:

Wolfram Language code: InputForm /@ {a ^ x, a^x, a^(1/(3)), Exp[x], 1 / x, (1/x)}

Special typeset expressions:

Wolfram Language code: InputForm /@ {y'[x], ∫y[x]ⅆx, Subsuperscript[∑, k = 1, n]y[k], Subsuperscript[∏, k = 1, n]y[k], x∈Reals, x∧y∨z}

Different list structures:

Wolfram Language code: InputForm[{1, 2, 3}]
Wolfram Language code: InputForm /@ {(| | | | | - | - | - | | a | b | c | | d | e | f |), {{a, b, c}, {d, e, f}}}

Input without special interpretation:

Wolfram Language code: InputForm /@ {Subscript[x, a], Overscript[x, a], Underscript[x, a]}

With special characters in the same positions, there may be special interpretations:

Wolfram Language code: InputForm /@ {Subscript[x, - ], Overscript[x, _], Underscript[x, _]}

In the case of superscripts, most things get interpreted as Power:

Wolfram Language code: InputForm /@ {x^a, Subsuperscript[x, b, a], x^†}

Special Output Forms  (2)

Some objects use a special output representation:

Wolfram Language code: Series[Sin[x], {x, 0, 3}]
Wolfram Language code: InputForm[%]

Some objects use an elided output representation:

Wolfram Language code: i = Interpolation[{1, 2, 3, 1}]
Wolfram Language code: s = SparseArray[{{1, 2} -> 1}, {5, 5}]

The elided parts are visible using InputForm:

Wolfram Language code: InputForm[i]
Wolfram Language code: InputForm[s]

Options  (3)

NumberMarks  (3)

Machine numbers format without number marks by default:

Wolfram Language code: InputForm[N[1 / 3]]

The same number with number marks:

Wolfram Language code: InputForm[N[1 / 3], NumberMarks -> True]

Extended-precision numbers include number marks by default:

Wolfram Language code: InputForm[N[10 / 3, 20]]

Without number marks:

Wolfram Language code: InputForm[N[10 / 3, 20], NumberMarks -> False]

A mixed symbolic and numeric expression:

Wolfram Language code: expr = N[10, 4]Sin[.25x]
Wolfram Language code: InputForm[expr]

Include number marks for all numbers:

Wolfram Language code: InputForm[expr, NumberMarks -> True]

Omit all number marks:

Wolfram Language code: InputForm[expr, NumberMarks -> False]

Properties & Relations  (4)

The typeset form of InputForm[expr] is interpreted the same as expr when used in input:

Wolfram Language code: {InputForm[x ^ 2]}

Copy the output and paste it into an input cell. The x^2 is interpreted as x2:

Wolfram Language code: {InputForm[x^2]}

When an input evaluates to InputForm[expr], InputForm does not appear in the output:

Wolfram Language code: InputForm[x ^ 2]

Out is assigned the value x2, not InputForm[x^2]:

Wolfram Language code: %

InputForm has a linear formatting:

Wolfram Language code: InputForm[Exp[I x / n]]

FullForm has linear formatting without special syntax:

Wolfram Language code: FullForm[Exp[I x / n]]

OutputForm, StandardForm, and TraditionalForm all provide two-dimensional formatting:

Wolfram Language code: OutputForm[Exp[I x / n]]
Wolfram Language code: StandardForm[Exp[I x / n]]
Wolfram Language code: TraditionalForm[Exp[I x / n]]

Use ToString to generate a string in input form:

Wolfram Language code: ToString[(1/a) + x^2, InputForm]
Wolfram Language code: Head[%]

Possible Issues  (1)

Even when an output omits InputForm from the top level, it is not stripped from subexpressions:

Wolfram Language code: e = InputForm[x ^ 2]

The output does not have InputForm in it:

Wolfram Language code: %

However, the variable e does have InputForm in it, which may affect subsequent evaluations:

Wolfram Language code: FullForm[e]

The product is not evaluated due to the intervening InputForm:

Wolfram Language code: x * e

Assign variables first and then apply InputForm to the result to maintain computability:

Wolfram Language code: (f = x ^ 2)//InputForm
Wolfram Language code: x * f
Wolfram Research (1988), InputForm, Wolfram Language function, https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/InputForm.html (updated 1996).

Text

Wolfram Research (1988), InputForm, Wolfram Language function, https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/InputForm.html (updated 1996).

CMS

Wolfram Language. 1988. "InputForm." Wolfram Language & System Documentation Center. Wolfram Research. Last Modified 1996. https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/InputForm.html.

APA

Wolfram Language. (1988). InputForm. Wolfram Language & System Documentation Center. Retrieved from https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/InputForm.html

BibTeX

@misc{reference.wolfram_2026_inputform, author="Wolfram Research", title="{InputForm}", year="1996", howpublished="\url{https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/InputForm.html}", note=[Accessed: 07-October-2026]}

BibLaTeX

@online{reference.wolfram_2026_inputform, organization={Wolfram Research}, title={InputForm}, year={1996}, url={https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/InputForm.html}, note=[Accessed: 07-October-2026]}