Mathematica symbols are the ultimate atoms of symbolic data. Every symbol has a unique name, exists in a certain Mathematica context or namespace, and can have a variety of types of values and attributes.
27
votes
3answers
644 views
Is there an equivalent of MATLAB's Workspace window in Mathematica?
For example, in MATLAB, a panel is available where one can see straightaway which variables are used and their dimension sizes. Is such a feature available in Mathematica? I really find it hard to ...
26
votes
2answers
655 views
Is there a way to separate variables between multiple notebooks?
I often correct homework by checking the calculations in Mathematica. Sometimes you would like to have two solutions open at once. However often defined symbols such as ...
22
votes
1answer
286 views
What is the story with Removed symbols?
The system function Remove evidently exists primarily to turn a fatal problem into an annoying one, by giving the user a (rather blunt) instrument with which to ...
18
votes
1answer
349 views
Local variables in Module leak into the Global context
From the Mathematica documentation on Module:
Module allows you to set up local variables with names that are local to the module.
But after using ...
17
votes
2answers
701 views
How can I use the Klingon alphabet symbols?
Mathematica apparently supports the Klingon alphabet:
MemberQ[$CharacterEncodings, "Klingon"]
True
UnicodeFontMapping.tr excerpt:
...
16
votes
4answers
475 views
How can I randomly generate a unique, unused symbol?
In a previous question on collecting terms for a multivariable polynomial, I answered with a solution that required a unused symbol to be used for a temporary substitution and back substitution.
It ...
16
votes
2answers
320 views
Automated testing for compatibility with older Mathematica versions
I have several packages which I actively develop and maintain. I try to stay up to date with new releases of Mathematica and usually update within a couple of months of a new version coming out. As a ...
15
votes
5answers
3k views
How do I clear all user defined symbols?
Is there some way to do this other than going to Evaluation -> Quit kernel and firing a new one up?
14
votes
5answers
367 views
How do I reassign canonical ordering of symbols?
I have a big polynomial that evaluates to:
$$A^2 e^2 \phi ^- \phi ^++A e \phi ^- \phi ^+ c_{2 w}
g_Z+\frac{1}{2} A e g h W^- \phi ^+ +\ll13\gg,$$
which is supposed to represent some terms in the ...
13
votes
1answer
181 views
Is the sharing of variables in Module/Block within Compile documented behavior?
Today I noticed something, I think for the first time.
When used inside Compile variable values within Module (and ...
12
votes
6answers
333 views
How to clear all variables except one?
I have a lot of variables: $a,b,c,d, \ldots $
I want to clear the values of all of them except $b$. It's really lengthy to write
Clear[a];
Clear[c];
...
Is ...
11
votes
5answers
619 views
How to pass a symbolname to a function with any of the Hold attributes?
Given a function with the attribute HoldFirst, HoldAll or similar, and a variable, list, how ...
10
votes
2answers
329 views
How do you programatically load data into symbols?
I am trying to convert a list of string names into symbols, which will then be used to store data. I have 24 files (where the name of each file is a member of the list mentioned above) that I need to ...
10
votes
2answers
265 views
Defining symbol shortcuts in the Front End
I was wondering (because I could not find any documentation on this) if it is possible to do shorthand abbreviations for domains or could one define them?
E.g.
In[1]:= Element[p,Complexes]
...
10
votes
2answers
360 views
How to unload automatically loaded packages?
I know that this has been discussed here (How do I clear all user defined symbols?), but my case is somewhat different. How does one unload packages during runtime that were loaded with the start of ...
8
votes
3answers
153 views
How can I test properties of a symbol from the string name without the symbol completely evaluating
Suppose I have a few symbols, one of which has a value:
{abc1, abc2 = 5, abc3};
I can use Names to get the list of names, as ...
8
votes
1answer
109 views
Get the name of a symbol passed to a function
I'm trying to get the name of a symbol passed to a function with this:
f[x_] := {SymbolName[x], x}
SetAttributes[f, HoldFirst]
x = 5;
f[x]
But ...
8
votes
1answer
264 views
How to properly DumpSave & Get Global`s symbols inside packages while not touching Global context?
For efficiency reasons I prefer to use DumpSave instead of Save.
For ease of access I prefer to save symbols in ...
7
votes
2answers
365 views
List of Mathematica textual symbols
Context
I am using Mathematica to create live documents - documents that are both interactive and show mathematical derivations. Now, I'm aware that there are certain symbols that are available via:
...
7
votes
3answers
129 views
How to set a TraditionalForm output for a symbol
How do I set a TraditionalForm output for a particular symbol/function?
In particular I would like my user-defined symbol ...
6
votes
1answer
95 views
Functions, Options and Symbols
In the normal Mathematica language, where no built-in symbols are redefined and no evil things happen, is it a valid assumptions, that no function symbol (Plot, ...
6
votes
1answer
81 views
Go to definition of symbol/variable
Is there any easy way of directly jumping to the definition of a Variable like it is implemented in some good IDEs? Currently I have to search manually (ctrl+f) through the whole workbook to find it ...
5
votes
1answer
268 views
Using the symbol I for electrical current [duplicate]
I would like to use the I as a symbol for the electrical current. How can I redefine it, so it is not interpreted as the imaginary unity?
5
votes
2answers
166 views
Delete contexts from a string representation of a symbol
I want to delete the string representing the context of a symbol.
For info I need such a functionality in my ShowIt function defined here
I'd like to know how I ...
4
votes
2answers
90 views
Lesser and greater symbols in the axeslabels
I need a plot with $\Gamma^<$ as axeslabel using:
AxesLabel -> { $\Gamma^<$}
But I get an error.
AxesLabel -> { $\Gamma^{a<b}$} works though.
I think I've to tell mathematica that ...
4
votes
1answer
276 views
How to create symbol whose name has subscript?
I can do
Symbol["foobar"]
to create a symbol foobar. How to create a symbol $\theta_1$?
...
4
votes
0answers
55 views
Is there a way to check whether two notebooks share the same variables?
When I code in Mathematica, I often re-use code from old notebooks which fulfilled a specific purpose; for example, one testing for soft matches in strings, or one that identifies outliers on a graph ...
3
votes
1answer
117 views
Using external variable as a variable inside WhenEvent & NDSolve
I'm trying to use the new WhenEvent functionality of NDSolve in Mathematica 9, in order to perform an action when a variable in the system reaches a certain value. I would like this variable to come ...
3
votes
1answer
88 views
FeynCalc “May shadow or be shadowed by other definitions”
So I've downloaded the latest FeynCalc from this site and put the extracted folder in user/me/library/Mathematica/application, but when I write the command
...
3
votes
1answer
84 views
Manipulate a Plot that contains a variable that contains symbol
This snippet
mm = m
Manipulate[{mm, Plot[mm x, {x, 0, 1}]}, {m, 0, 1}]
(m is not defined anywhere) produces a sadly fixed ...
2
votes
2answers
254 views
Single dot textual form
How do I render a letter with a single dot above it?
I see \[DoubleDot] and \[TripleDot] are readily available, but what about ...
2
votes
3answers
140 views
How to make a defined symbol stay in symbol form?
How to make a defined symbol stay in symbol form?
w = 3; g = 4;
{w, g}[[2]]
3
I want the output to be ...
2
votes
2answers
280 views
Generating a vector of dummy variables
So I'm the situation of needing analytical solutions to a family of equations of the form Ax=b, where A is an nxn matrix. I've written a function that does what I want, but I'm currently using a bit ...
2
votes
1answer
51 views
strange output from ToExpression
I want to set constraints to my parameters, e.g., "m", but Mma gives nonsensical output. How could I avoid this phenomenon by using another but "equivalent expression"?
Or, is this just in my computer ...
2
votes
0answers
72 views
Transfer of symbols between contexts
As many others (I guess) I'm struggling with the handling of contexts within Mathematica. I'm working on a new package definition with the usual syntaxt specified by the Mathematica documentation:
...
1
vote
1answer
68 views
How can one type a box with “x” marked?
In some text portion of my notebook, I would like to be write check boxes which are empty, check marked or "x" marked.
The following commands work for the first two:
...
1
vote
2answers
171 views
How to define a vector with automatically added symbolic elements with subscripts
I want to define a vector lets say k containing elements Symbolize[Subscript[k, 1]], k2, k3 ... etc. When I define lets say k4 . I want the symbol automatically added to vector k. Something like ...
0
votes
1answer
285 views
Symbolic Optimisation
I'm trying to solve symbolically the following optimisation:
$$
\min_{q_uu}\ \Biggl[ q_u q_{uu}\psi B_{uu} + q_u q_{ud}\psi B_{ud} + q_d q_{du}\psi B_{ud} + q_d q_{dd}\psi B_{dd}
$$
$$
+ ...
