Computable Document Format (CDF) is an electronic document format[1] designed to allow authoring dynamically generated, interactive content.[2] CDF was created by Wolfram Research, and CDF files can be created using Mathematica.[3] As of 2021, the Wolfram Research website lists CDF as a "legacy" format; it has been replaced by Wolfram Computational Notebooks.[4]
 | |
| Filename extension |
.cdf |
|---|---|
| Internet media type |
application/cdf |
| Uniform Type Identifier (UTI) | com.wolfram.cdf |
| Developed by | Wolfram Research |
| Initial release | July 21, 2011 |
| Extended from | Wolfram Language (notebook) |
| Standard | Notebook, CDF |
| Open format? | No |
| Website | Computable Document Format |
Features
editComputable Document Format supports GUI elements such as sliders, menus, and buttons. Content is updated using embedded computation in response to GUI interaction. Contents can include formatted text, tables, images, sounds, and animations. CDF supports Mathematica typesetting and technical notation.[5] Paginated layout, structured drill down layout, and slideshow mode are supported. Styles can be controlled using a cascading style sheet.
Reading
editCDF files can be read using a proprietary CDF Player, downloadable from the Wolfram Research website but with a restricted license.[6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15] In contrast to static formats such as PDF, the CDF Player contains an entire runtime library of Mathematica allowing document content to be generated in response to user interaction[3] and digital textbooks.[16]
CDF reader support is available for Microsoft Windows, Macintosh, Linux and iOS[17] but not for e-book readers or Android tablets. The reader supports a plugin mode for Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Opera and Safari, which allows CDF content to be embedded inline in HTML pages.
Uses
editComputable Document Format has been used in electronic books by Pearson Education,[18][19] specifically MyMathLab, to provide the content for the Wolfram Demonstrations Project, and to add client-side interactivity to Wolfram Alpha.[20][21]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Wolfram Alpha Creator plans to delete the PDF The Telegraph (UK)
- ^ Wolfram makes data interactive PC World
- ^ a b Wolfram punts expanded medium for technical docs Archived 2011-07-25 at the Wayback Machine ThinQ
- ^ "Computable Document Format". Wolfram Research. Retrieved 2021-03-23.
- ^ Wolfram Launches new document format. Meet CDF ZDNet
- ^ "Wolfram's New 'CDF' Format Brings Computation Power to the Individual Document". Popular Science. Retrieved 21 July 2011.
- ^ "Wolfram introduces the new .CDF container for interactive math documents". 21 July 2011. Retrieved 21 July 2011.
- ^ Wolfram Launches new document format. Meet CDF ZDNet
- ^ Wolfram creates CDF format to rival flash and PDF V3, July 2011
- ^ Should we add another format to the PDF Killer List? Invest in Tech
- ^ Weg mit dem öden Papier-Internet! Der Spiegel (German)
- ^ Wolfram's new CDF format brings computation power to individual documents Popular Science, July 2011
- ^ Wolfram launches PDF Killer School Library Journal
- ^ WolframAlpha adds powerful unteractive search results The Next Web, 12 August 2011
- ^ Wolfram Launches its own interactive document format Archived 2011-12-31 at the Wayback Machine PC Pro, July 2011
- ^ Wolfram's new CDF format brings computation power to individual documents Popular Science, July 2011
- ^ "Notebooks in Your Pocket—Wolfram Player for iOS is Now Shipping—Wolfram Blog".
- ^ Wolfram launches PDF Killer Archived 2012-04-28 at the Wayback Machine School Library Journal
- ^ Briggs Cochrane Calculus
- ^ WolframAlpha adds powerful interactive search results The Next Web, 12 August 2011
- ^ Wolfram Launches its own interactive document format Archived 2011-12-31 at the Wayback Machine PC Pro, July 2011