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CreateDataStructure["type",arg1,arg2,…]

creates a data structure with the specified type.

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CreateDataStructure   

Listing of Data Structures »

CreateDataStructure["type",arg1,arg2,…]

creates a data structure with the specified type.

Details

  • Data structures provide efficient operations for holding and manipulating data.
  • CreateDataStructure[…] returns a DataStructure.
  • $DataStructures gives a list of the currently supported data structures.
  • Certain data structures, like "DynamicArray" or "HashTable", provide mutable operations in the Wolfram Language.
  • Data structures are built with the Wolfram Compiler.

Examples

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Basic Examples  (4)

Create an instance of an array that grows dynamically:

Wolfram Language code: ds = CreateDataStructure["DynamicArray"]

Append an expression to the array:

Wolfram Language code: ds["Append", f[1]]

Update an element of the array:

Wolfram Language code: ds["Part", 1] = f[-1]

The stack contents can be viewed as a normal expression:

Wolfram Language code: Normal[ds]

Create a "Stack" data structure:

Wolfram Language code: ds = CreateDataStructure["Stack"]

Push elements onto the stack:

Wolfram Language code: Do[ds["Push", i], {i, Characters["Hello world!"]}]

"Pop" removes the most recently added element:

Wolfram Language code: ds["Pop"]

The stack contents can be viewed as a normal list:

Wolfram Language code: ds["Elements"]

Create an "OrderedHashTable" to store and retrieve values by key:

Wolfram Language code: ds = CreateDataStructure["OrderedHashTable"]

Insert a key–value:

Wolfram Language code: ds["Insert", "x" -> 10]

List all keys in insertion order:

Wolfram Language code: ds["Keys"]

Look up a value by key:

Wolfram Language code: ds["Lookup", "x"]

Create an "ExprStruct" to store and manipulate expressions without evaluation:

Wolfram Language code: ds = CreateDataStructure["ExprStruct", f[x, y]]

Visualize the stored expression:

Wolfram Language code: ds["Visualization"]

Return a new "ExprStruct" that wraps the expression with h:

Wolfram Language code: ds1 = ds["ConstructWith", h]

Return the expression held in the new data structure:

Wolfram Language code: ds1["Get"]

Scope  (2)

Create an empty "DynamicArray":

Wolfram Language code: CreateDataStructure["DynamicArray"]

Create an empty "HashSet":

Wolfram Language code: CreateDataStructure["HashSet"]

Create an empty "OrderedHashTable":

Wolfram Language code: CreateDataStructure["OrderedHashTable"]

Create a "DynamicArray" with initial values:

Wolfram Language code: CreateDataStructure["DynamicArray", Range[1000]]

Create a "HashSet" with initial elements:

Wolfram Language code: CreateDataStructure["HashSet", {x, y, z}]

Create an "OrderedHashTable" with initial key-value pairs:

Wolfram Language code: CreateDataStructure["OrderedHashTable", <|"a" -> 1, "b" -> 2, "c" -> 3|>]

Properties & Relations  (2)

$DataStructures gives a list of the currently supported data structures:

Wolfram Language code: $DataStructures

DataStructureQ tests whether an expression is a valid DataStructure:

Wolfram Language code: DataStructureQ[CreateDataStructure["HashSet"]]

Use the second argument of DataStructureQ to test whether a data structure is of a specific type:

Wolfram Language code: DataStructureQ[CreateDataStructure["HashSet"], "HashSet"]
Wolfram Language code: DataStructureQ[CreateDataStructure["HashSet"], "OrderedHashSet"]
Wolfram Research (2020), CreateDataStructure, Wolfram Language function, https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/CreateDataStructure.html.

Text

Wolfram Research (2020), CreateDataStructure, Wolfram Language function, https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/CreateDataStructure.html.

CMS

Wolfram Language. 2020. "CreateDataStructure." Wolfram Language & System Documentation Center. Wolfram Research. https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/CreateDataStructure.html.

APA

Wolfram Language. (2020). CreateDataStructure. Wolfram Language & System Documentation Center. Retrieved from https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/CreateDataStructure.html

BibTeX

@misc{reference.wolfram_2026_createdatastructure, author="Wolfram Research", title="{CreateDataStructure}", year="2020", howpublished="\url{https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/CreateDataStructure.html}", note=[Accessed: 12-June-2026]}

BibLaTeX

@online{reference.wolfram_2026_createdatastructure, organization={Wolfram Research}, title={CreateDataStructure}, year={2020}, url={https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/CreateDataStructure.html}, note=[Accessed: 12-June-2026]}