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How to add quotes to each element in a list? For example, we have a list as:

    list = {{k, \[Beta], Subscript[A, 1], Subscript[b, 1], Subscript[b, 
   2]}, {k, \[Delta], \[CapitalTheta]}}

How to get

{"{k, \[Beta], Subscript[A, 1], Subscript[b, 1], Subscript[b, 
   2]}", "{k, \[Delta], \[CapitalTheta]}"}
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  • $\begingroup$ Is this what you need? "\"" <> ToString[InputForm@#] <> "\"" & /@ list? $\endgroup$
    – N.J.Evans
    Jun 28 at 14:06
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    $\begingroup$ also ToString[InputForm[#]] & /@ list $\endgroup$
    – Nasser
    Jun 28 at 14:09

2 Answers 2

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Generally you would use ToString for this. That will result in a different formatting for Subscript elements, however. You can wrap the items in InputForm first:

ToString@*InputForm /@ list

or

ToString /@ InputForm /@ list
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My attempt is the following:

ToSubscriptHoldForm[expr_?VectorQ] := Block[{asymb, asub},
asymb = Array[Subscript[ToExpression["a"], #] &, 2, 1];
asub = Array[Subscript[ToExpression["a"], #] &, 2, 1, HoldForm[Subscript]];
Which[Length[expr] === 1, expr, Length[expr] === 2, ReplaceAll[Thread[asymb -> expr]][asub], Length[expr] > 2, expr]]

Test:

list2 = ReleaseHold@Map[ToString, Map[Composition[ToSubscriptHoldForm, Level[#, {1}] &], list, {-2}], {-1}]

enter image description here

Go back to your list:

Map[ToExpression, Map[InputForm[#] &, list2], {-1}] === Map[InputForm[#] &, list]
(*True*)

Your list:

Map[ToExpression, Map[InputForm[#] &, list2], {-1}]

enter image description here

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  • 1
    $\begingroup$ Interesting. Based on the expected output provided in the original post, I thought that each of the two lists needed to be string-ified, not the lowest level elements. Maybe the OP can clarify. $\endgroup$
    – lericr
    Jun 28 at 17:46
  • $\begingroup$ You're right @lericr, I misunderstood and went a little further. :) $\endgroup$
    – E. Chan-López
    Jun 28 at 18:00

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