Interactivity & Interface Design

Instant interactive exploration

With a single command, Manipulate, Mathematica instantly turns any computation into an interactive application. Explore results, graphics, or any Mathematica expression. In addition to mouse and keyboard input, Manipulate automatically supports gamepads and other devices.

Dynamic interactivity language

Mathematica's powerful Dynamic language primitive binds the value of a variable to its setting and appearance in controls, graphics, and any other expressions. Mathematica efficiently tracks dependencies and updates variables automatically.

External controllers

Mathematica allows you to immediately use external controllers or input devices to control user interfaces, 3D graphics, and more. Recognition and configuration of gamepads, joysticks, haptic devices, 3D mice, and other HID systems is automatic and platform independent.

Automatic interface construction

Mathematica generates user interfaces automatically, making it realistic for non-experts to create highly sophisticated and customized interfaces. User interfaces are specified in a direct, declarative manner in Mathematica's flexible symbolic language, enabling you to assemble and compute with user interfaces in the same way as any other Mathematica expression. Mathematica automatically selects the type and layout of controls.

Full range of controls

Mathematica includes all standard types of controls and interface elements such as buttons, sliders, tabbed displays, checkboxes, popup menus, dialogs, and toolbars, as well as the ability to create new customized controls. Advanced built-in controls include 2D locators, animators, and generalized input fields that accept arbitrary typeset text, graphics, or other expressions.

Automatically platform independent

Mathematica renders controls in their native style on any platform with no extra programming, allowing you to freely share graphical applications without needing to know what operating system they will run on.

Generalized input

User interface controls can contain and display any Mathematica expression. Mathematica's flexible text input fields automatically allow images, graphics, traditional math in 2D notation, or whole Mathematica programs to be entered and edited.