Questions tagged [guidelines]

General guidelines and best practices for Mathematica usage and programming.

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6 votes
1 answer
151 views

Introductory material on machine learning?

Does Mathematica have a handbook or other introductory material on machine learning? Or are there any books on analyzing machine learning with Mathematica?
6 votes
1 answer
485 views

How to Learn as much about Mathematica as possible efficiently with the Documentation Center and books?

I have been using Mathematica for almost a year now and I am still learning about functions that make me kick myself for not knowing earlier. For example, I wish I had known about the functions ...
4 votes
1 answer
88 views

Optimizing some code for WolframCloud deployment/publishing

I am working on creating a demonstration and came across an instance where my code works fine on my machine locally but breaks down when deployed to the cloud (so that it can be publicly accessed). I ...
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0 votes
0 answers
428 views

Is there a beginners tutorial for Wolfram Engine users?

I was taking a look at WolframEngine. The fact that it is freely available, virtually making Wolfram tools and language accessible to anybody is very much attractive! Nevertheless, the first impact ...
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7 votes
1 answer
238 views

Understanding Dynamic, Refresh, and TrackedSymbols

I thought I had a pretty good handle on Dynamic, but some recent examples have made me suspect that I may have some misconceptions, and I am not finding good ...
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33 votes
2 answers
985 views

Custom atomic expressions - modern tutorial

Atomic but sophisticated expressions are all around for a long time: Graph SparseArray. More are coming with each new release, ...
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15 votes
2 answers
329 views

Hold attributes vs performance

Is there a reason to use Hold* attributes for functional code (e.g. no intention to mutate input)? I'd expect performance gains as in pass by value vs pass by ...
  • 135k
8 votes
1 answer
158 views

Memoization and packages

I am working in a package on symmetric functions, that sometimes are quite expensive to compute. I use memoization extensively, but what is the correct approach for a package intended for the public ...
13 votes
4 answers
472 views

Renaming options of custom functions while preserving backwards compatibility

I have a package with many functions. There is an option name that several functions share. I feel that the current name of this option was not the best choice. I would like to rename it, but at the ...
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6 votes
1 answer
110 views

Conditional rendering of items

Let's say I have a column to display and each of its items can be hidden separately. Question: Is there a way to make it work without re-rendering whole column whenever a particular item is hidden? ...
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3 votes
1 answer
99 views

Application example of RuleDelayed in options

In this question: Options which require RuleDelayed , an example was given, where the an option has to be given as a RuleDelayed: ...
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32 votes
5 answers
1k views

Different strategies to get a clean Kernel. Quit, Exit, ClearAll, Remove, CleanSlate?

Often new users face problems with lingering definitions that, if unaware, may cause unexpected and frustrating behaviour. There are several answers that illustrate different aspects of the solution, ...
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6 votes
0 answers
337 views

Multipart package creation, development and maintenance [closed]

I am a physics major. I focus on theoretical and mathematical physics. After spending some time with Mathematica I found that it is not straightforward to create separate files for logically distinct ...
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5 votes
0 answers
83 views

Handling rendering delays gracefully

I moved the second issue to a separate topic: 162013 Please run the code sample As you can see there is a delay between the moment the calculation is finished and when the graphics is shown. And ...
  • 135k
13 votes
1 answer
411 views

How to create (Header + Main area + Settings pane) notebook layout

cross-posted in community.wolfram.com The goal is something like in the picture below. Basic? I dare you to try to implement it in a manageable, scalable and flexible way. Requirements: The goal ...
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3 votes
0 answers
99 views

How to visualise Mathematica code and how to become a better coder [closed]

I seem to be using functional coding frequently. However, it does not come naturally and I usually copy from example, and then adapt for my own. How do you recommend I improve as a coder? I would ...
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30 votes
5 answers
764 views

Unexpected behaviors in built-in functions

Existence of this topic is discussed in this mathematica.meta post. I'm sure I am not the only non-beginner in WL who from time to time finds themselves not being able to predict an outcome of a ...
20 votes
1 answer
415 views

Is building an event-based parser possible/reasonable in Mathematica (WL)?

Too long? Go to Problems section Background I like to learn by doing small, sometimes artificial, projects. Among other things I had 'parsers', and 'stream methods / streams in MMA' on my to learn ...
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7 votes
2 answers
202 views

Impact of Linkage and DistanceFunction on Agglomerate clustering

I'm using Agglomerate function to find clusters of my experimental points. I have about 20 points with 10 parameters each. It seems it works fine, but there are plenty of Linkage and DistanceFunction ...
22 votes
2 answers
2k views

How are Accuracy and Precision related Mathematica for a given operation?

The common understanding for Accuracy and Precision in English language is given by this figure. Inspired by this question I have a follow up question relating ...
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14 votes
1 answer
270 views

Clean package update for API/FormFunctions on Wolfram Cloud

Cross posted on community.wolfram.com (new comments) TLDR There is a pool of kernels/sessions available for each user, you don't have control over the pool only over specific kernel you currently ...
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7 votes
1 answer
929 views

Begin["`Private`"] vs Module

So, if you have a package formatted like so: ...
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42 votes
2 answers
5k views

What are some common issues with fitting functions to data?

Mathematica has numerous functions designed to, or capable of, fitting known functions, and finding unknown functions to match data sets. What are some common issues that come with finding those fits?
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3 votes
1 answer
118 views

Questions about InlineCell vs InlineFormula vs DisplayFormula cells

I'm having trouble with typesetting, and can't get these questions straight in my head. What is the difference between "InlineCell" and ...
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18 votes
1 answer
870 views

How to handle package dependencies?

When an application written in C++ depends on some libraries, the libraries are usually shipped together with the application. Two applications that depend on the same library will not share the same ...
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7 votes
0 answers
108 views

More documentation on stylesheets?

I am finding the "help" for manipulating stylesheets in Mathematica is limited. I have a found a number of helpful tips in the documentation center and StackExchange, including help with ...
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2 votes
0 answers
221 views

Any Colocalization measuring methods or WL functions?

[Cross-posted on the Wolfram Community.] Is anyone aware of any Wofram image-processing tutorial or documentation/example that specifically address: 1) Intensity Correlation Coefficient-Based: (e.g. ...
10 votes
0 answers
159 views

URL functions overload

All these functions seem capable of doing the same things: Import, URLFetch, URLSave, ...
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6 votes
1 answer
136 views

How to work with BoxOptions (ButtonBoxOptions, PanelBoxOptions, etc.)

The main question is in the title. Here are subtopics I'd like to focus on: Is there a tutorial related to them anywhere in documentation? How can I check what are current values of e.g. ...
  • 135k
25 votes
3 answers
1k views

Package organization

When writing a Mathematica package Foo, with functions f1, f2 and f3, one can use the template: ...
73 votes
6 answers
5k views

Q&A Mathematica v.11 Neural Networks: A comprehensive look at Layers, Net Functions, and pioneering into this [[experimental]] code

Motivation As Mathematica v.11 was released earlier this month with a host of new [[experimental]] functions and a limited number of examples on curated data that ...
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14 votes
2 answers
553 views

Wolfram Cloud deployment obstacles

What are official restrictions about FormFunctions/general deployment contents? There are problems with many things which sometimes I have workarounds for but I ...
  • 135k
15 votes
1 answer
347 views

Working with DynamicModule: SetDelayed + OwnValues

Shortly, definitions in form of e.g. x:= RandomReal[] have to be avoided inside DynamicModule[{x}, ...]. Why?, this ...
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19 votes
1 answer
470 views

Any manual on cell grouping management?

Recently I come back to the problem of cell grouping and performed extensive search on this site and on MathGroup archive for information on how to use the possible values of the ...
58 votes
3 answers
5k views

Is manual adjustment of AccuracyGoal and PrecisionGoal useless?

This is a problem confusing me for years. AccuracyGoal and PrecisionGoal are two options that I never truly understand and, to ...
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11 votes
1 answer
216 views

Nested association values validation. POJsO handling

Sometimes it is convenient to work in your package/app with "objects" like: ...
  • 135k
19 votes
4 answers
616 views

Internal DynamicModule steals scope of external DynamicModule

I have two dynamic objects, one nested in the other. Both have their own functions defined, as follows. I have simplified them to the point where they don't make much sense, but can still illustrate ...
14 votes
2 answers
701 views

Good clearing practices

I have been using Mathematica for about 2 years and I'm pretty ok to write and optimize my code. Wanting to improve my practice, I often look at code examples. However, I can not determine if there is ...
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39 votes
2 answers
2k views

General techniques for creating complex animations

I love good animations of abstract concepts, and when I try to create them myself, I prefer doing so in code to make sure they are exact (and because some things are just way too fiddly to do by hand)....
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154 votes
9 answers
14k views

General strategies to write big code in Mathematica?

I think after six months of exposure to Mathematica and the Wolfram Language I am fairly OK with writing short codes and snippets. However, what are some general strategies to use in order to write ...
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70 votes
2 answers
2k views

Guidelines for planning custom GUI in Mathematica

This post is here to save your time during GUI development in Mathematica. And one way to do this is to know where limits are and to be aware of features that are awaiting. Background Usually I don't ...
  • 135k
4 votes
0 answers
167 views

RealDigits and functional style

So while thinking about Replacing numbers of which you only know certain digits I have faced, again, a problem that I find hard to extract from RealDigits' output ...
  • 135k
10 votes
2 answers
390 views

Naming convention for symbols exported from package

I know this is a little opinion based, but so is Mathematica style guide and similar topics. The issue is important so I think this topic will be beneficial for future visitors. Q: So ...
  • 135k
19 votes
1 answer
1k views

What is the difference between MathLink and WSTP? Which one should I use?

What is the difference between MathLink and WSTP programs? Will the use of MathLink protocol be maintained or not?
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14 votes
2 answers
10k views

How to draw confidence ellipse from a covariance matrix?

I am studying a two-dimensional dataset, whose mean vector and covariance matrix are the following: ...
44 votes
7 answers
5k views

Mathematica style guide?

I encountered this site today https://code.google.com/p/google-styleguide/ regarding the programming style in some languages. What would be best programming practices in Mathematica, for small and ...
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13 votes
2 answers
3k views

How to train a convolutional neural net on images?

The functions Predict[] and Classify[] both have the option Method -> "NeuralNetwork", ...
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6 votes
1 answer
146 views

To TagSet or not to TagSet when using MakeBoxes

What is the difference between the following two: ...
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7 votes
3 answers
350 views

What is the recommended way to define numeric function with special cases?

What is the recommended way to define a purely numeric function with special cases? Should I define many special cases with pattern matching? ...
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37 votes
2 answers
3k views

Best practice of passing a large number of parameters to functions

I have a number of functions that all take a large number of parameters. I am wondering what is the best practice of passing these parameters to those functions. I could, of course, simply specify ...
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