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RawBoxes[boxes]

is a low-level construct which is formatted as boxes without further interpretation.

Details
Details and Options Details and Options
Examples  
Basic Examples  
Scope  
Properties & Relations  
Possible Issues  
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RawBoxes

RawBoxes[boxes]

is a low-level construct which is formatted as boxes without further interpretation.

Details

  • When typeset, RawBoxes[boxes] inserts boxes verbatim into the resulting box structure, to be rendered by the front end.
  • RawBoxes[boxes] performs no validation of boxes before inserting them.
  • If the front end determines that a given box structure is invalid, it may display the result with an error indicator.

Examples

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Basic Examples  (2)

Display the formatted box expressions:

Wolfram Language code: RawBoxes[RowBox[{"a", "b", "c"}]]

Create a button that applies a template:

Wolfram Language code: PasteButton[RawBoxes[SqrtBox[""]]]

Scope  (1)

Render an output that does not directly correspond to an input expression:

Wolfram Language code: RawBoxes[RowBox[{OverscriptBox["∫", "—"], RowBox[{"f", RowBox[{"ⅆ", "μ"}]}]}]]

Properties & Relations  (2)

MakeBoxes returns the content of RawBoxes:

Wolfram Language code: MakeBoxes[RawBoxes[RowBox[{"1", "+", "2"}]]]

MakeBoxes will not validate the contents and may return illegally formed boxes:

Wolfram Language code: MakeBoxes[RawBoxes[FractionBox["1", "2", "3"]]]

RawBoxes of a string typesets as if the contents of the string were literally typed:

Wolfram Language code: RawBoxes["+"]

This can be used to display arbitrary content without using string quoting:

Wolfram Language code: Style[{"+", RawBoxes["+"]}, ShowStringCharacters -> True]

It can also be used to represent an operator that vertically spans:

Wolfram Language code: Row[{f, RawBoxes["["], 1 / 2}]

Possible Issues  (2)

Not all box expressions that are valid for display purposes correspond to input expressions:

Wolfram Language code: RawBoxes[RowBox[{OverscriptBox["∫", "—"], RowBox[{RowBox[{"f", "[", "x", "]"}], RowBox[{"ⅆ", "x"}]}]}]]

Attempting to convert such expressions to an input will produce an ErrorBox construct:

Wolfram Language code: MakeExpression[First[%], StandardForm]

It is possible to send invalid boxes to the front end with RawBoxes:

Wolfram Language code: RawBoxes[FractionBox["1", "2", "3"]]
Wolfram Research (2007), RawBoxes, Wolfram Language function, https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/RawBoxes.html (updated 2017).

Text

Wolfram Research (2007), RawBoxes, Wolfram Language function, https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/RawBoxes.html (updated 2017).

CMS

Wolfram Language. 2007. "RawBoxes." Wolfram Language & System Documentation Center. Wolfram Research. Last Modified 2017. https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/RawBoxes.html.

APA

Wolfram Language. (2007). RawBoxes. Wolfram Language & System Documentation Center. Retrieved from https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/RawBoxes.html

BibTeX

@misc{reference.wolfram_2026_rawboxes, author="Wolfram Research", title="{RawBoxes}", year="2017", howpublished="\url{https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/RawBoxes.html}", note=[Accessed: 12-June-2026]}

BibLaTeX

@online{reference.wolfram_2026_rawboxes, organization={Wolfram Research}, title={RawBoxes}, year={2017}, url={https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/RawBoxes.html}, note=[Accessed: 12-June-2026]}