Function Repository Resource:

PrintAsCellObject

Source Notebook

Print an expression and get the corresponding CellObject

Contributed by: Richard Hennigan (Wolfram Research)

ResourceFunction["PrintAsCellObject"][expr]

prints expr as output and yields a CellObject corresponding to the printed cell.

Details and Options

In a notebook, ResourceFunction["PrintAsCellObject"] generates a cell with style "Print".

ResourceFunction["PrintAsCellObject"] can print any expression, including graphics and dynamic objects.

ResourceFunction["PrintAsCellObject"][expr₁,expr₂,…] prints expr₁ concatenated together, effectively using Row.

With a text-based interface, ResourceFunction["PrintAsCellObject"] ends its output with a single newline (line feed).

If no front end is available, the output of ResourceFunction["PrintAsCellObject"] is a Missing object.

You can arrange to have expressions on several lines by using Column.

ResourceFunction["PrintAsCellObject"] sends its output to the channel $Output.

ResourceFunction["PrintAsCellObject"] uses the format type of $Output as its default format type.

Examples

Basic Examples (3)

Print an expression:

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Get the printed CellObject for manipulation in the front end:

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View the corresponding Cell expression:

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Print the first five primes:

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Scope (4)

Print graphics:

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Multiple arguments will be concatenated together:

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Print an unevaluated expression:

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If no arguments are given, an empty cell will be printed:

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Properties and Relations (2)

The cells generated by PrintAsCellObject are equivalent to those generated by Print:

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However, the output of Print is always Null:

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PrintAsCellObject returns a CellObject similar to PrintTemporary, but does not automatically remove the cell:

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Possible Issues (3)

In a kernel session that has no front end, the output is a Missing object:

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Wrapping the evaluation in UsingFrontEnd will give a CellObject:

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However, that CellObject is only useful in the front end instance that created it:

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Unlike Print, PrintAsCellObject needs to wait for a response from the front end:

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PrintAsCellObject does not inherit settings for GeneratedCellStyles:

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SetOptions[EvaluationCell[], GeneratedCellStyles -> {"Print" -> {"Print", Background -> LightBlue}}];
Print["This has the correct style."];
ResourceFunction[
"PrintAsCellObject", ResourceSystemBase -> "https://www.wolframcloud.com/obj/resourcesystem/api/1.0"]["This does not."];

Neat Examples (1)

Create a version of Print that is automatically cleared after a specified amount of time:

In[25]:=

$PrintForAWhile[expr___, t_?Positive] := With[{cell = ResourceFunction[ "PrintAsCellObject", ResourceSystemBase -> "https://www.wolframcloud.com/obj/resourcesystem/api/1.0"][expr]}, SessionSubmit[ScheduledTask[NotebookDelete[cell], {t}]] ];$

In[26]:=

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In[27]:=

Do[With[{t = RandomReal[10]}, PrintForAWhile[
ResourceFunction["BirdSay"][
Row[{"This is only displayed for ", t, " seconds."}]], t]], 5]

Version History

2.0.0 – 13 September 2022
1.0.0 – 23 August 2019

Related Resources

License Information

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

Wolfram Function Repository

PrintAsCellObject

Details and Options