Add explicit multiplication

[yolhan83]

This is a feature request.
Hello, I would need a way to have explicit multiplication with "*" inside the string after some symbolic computation for the result to be compatible with other API (paraview calculator in my case).
Is it possible to add that or is there an easy way to get it ?
Thank you.

[ChrisRackauckas]

I'm not entirely sure what you're asking for. Can you give an example?

[yolhan83]

I would like to have an easy way from

using Symbolics
@variables x
expr = 2*cos(3*x) + 2
string(expr)

which return "2 + 2cos(3x)" to instead use explicit multiplication meaning return "2 + 2 * cos(3*x)". Or is there a way to cheat , I tried

string(Meta.parse(string(expr)))

and it's nearly working

"2 + 2 * cos(3x)"

[ChrisRackauckas]

Ahh I see. 3x is a valid Julia expression though? That might be the issue here?

julia> x = 2
2

julia> 3x
6

It might be something special cased in one of the Julia dispatches and not a Symbolics one because of this.

[yolhan83]

Yes true I mean in a perfect world every symbolic parser should allow implicit multiplication so it's mostly shame on them 😅

[yolhan83]

Thank you I will find another way