Products
  • Wolfram|One

    The definitive Wolfram Language and notebook experience

  • Mathematica

    The original technical computing environment

  • Notebook Assistant + LLM Kit

    All-in-one AI assistance for your Wolfram experience

  • Compute Services
  • System Modeler
  • Finance Platform
  • Wolfram|Alpha Notebook Edition
  • Application Server
  • Enterprise Private Cloud
  • Wolfram Engine
  • Wolfram Player
  • Wolfram Cloud App
  • Wolfram Player App

More mobile apps

Core Technologies of Wolfram Products

  • Wolfram Language
  • Computable Data
  • Wolfram Notebooks
  • AI & Linguistic Understanding

Deployment Options

  • Wolfram Cloud
  • wolframscript
  • Wolfram Engine Community Edition
  • Wolfram LLM API
  • WSTPServer
  • Wolfram|Alpha APIs

From the Community

  • Function Repository
  • Community Paclet Repository
  • Example Repository
  • Neural Net Repository
  • Prompt Repository
  • Wolfram Demonstrations
  • Data Repository
  • Group & Organizational Licensing
  • All Products
Consulting & Solutions

We deliver solutions for the AI era—combining symbolic computation, data-driven insights and deep technical expertise

  • Data & Computational Intelligence
  • Model-Based Design
  • Algorithm Development
  • Wolfram|Alpha for Business
  • Blockchain Technology
  • Education Technology
  • Quantum Computation

Wolfram Consulting

Wolfram Solutions

  • Data Science
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Biosciences
  • Healthcare Intelligence
  • Sustainable Energy
  • Control Systems
  • Enterprise Wolfram|Alpha
  • Blockchain Labs

More Wolfram Solutions

Wolfram Solutions For Education

  • Research Universities
  • Colleges & Teaching Universities
  • Junior & Community Colleges
  • High Schools
  • Educational Technology
  • Computer-Based Math

More Solutions for Education

  • Contact Us
Learning & Support

Get Started

  • Wolfram Language Introduction
  • Fast Intro for Programmers
  • Fast Intro for Math Students
  • Wolfram Language Documentation

More Learning

  • Highlighted Core Areas
  • Demonstrations
  • YouTube
  • Daily Study Groups
  • Wolfram Schools and Programs
  • Books

Grow Your Skills

  • Wolfram U

    Courses in computing, science, life and more

  • Community

    Learn, solve problems and share ideas.

  • Blog

    News, views and insights from Wolfram

  • Resources for

    Software Developers

Tech Support

  • Contact Us
  • Support FAQs
  • Support FAQs
  • Contact Us
Company
  • About Wolfram
  • Career Center
  • All Sites & Resources
  • Connect & Follow
  • Contact Us

Work with Us

  • Student Ambassador Initiative
  • Wolfram for Startups
  • Student Opportunities
  • Jobs Using Wolfram Language

Educational Programs for Adults

  • Summer School
  • Winter School

Educational Programs for Youth

  • Middle School Camp
  • High School Research Program
  • Computational Adventures

Read

  • Stephen Wolfram's Writings
  • Wolfram Blog
  • Wolfram Tech | Books
  • Wolfram Media
  • Complex Systems

Educational Resources

  • Wolfram MathWorld
  • Wolfram in STEM/STEAM
  • Wolfram Challenges
  • Wolfram Problem Generator

Wolfram Initiatives

  • Wolfram Science
  • Wolfram Foundation
  • History of Mathematics Project

Events

  • Stephen Wolfram Livestreams
  • Online & In-Person Events
  • Contact Us
  • Connect & Follow
Wolfram|Alpha
  • Your Account
  • User Portal
  • Wolfram Cloud
  • Products
    • Wolfram|One
    • Mathematica
    • Notebook Assistant + LLM Kit
    • Compute Services
    • System Modeler
    • Finance Platform
    • Wolfram|Alpha Notebook Edition
    • Application Server
    • Enterprise Private Cloud
    • Wolfram Engine
    • Wolfram Player
    • Wolfram Cloud App
    • Wolfram Player App

    More mobile apps

    • Core Technologies
      • Wolfram Language
      • Computable Data
      • Wolfram Notebooks
      • AI & Linguistic Understanding
    • Deployment Options
      • Wolfram Cloud
      • wolframscript
      • Wolfram Engine Community Edition
      • Wolfram LLM API
      • WSTPServer
      • Wolfram|Alpha APIs
    • From the Community
      • Function Repository
      • Community Paclet Repository
      • Example Repository
      • Neural Net Repository
      • Prompt Repository
      • Wolfram Demonstrations
      • Data Repository
    • Group & Organizational Licensing
    • All Products
  • Consulting & Solutions

    We deliver solutions for the AI era—combining symbolic computation, data-driven insights and deep technical expertise

    WolframConsulting.com

    Wolfram Solutions

    • Data Science
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Biosciences
    • Healthcare Intelligence
    • Sustainable Energy
    • Control Systems
    • Enterprise Wolfram|Alpha
    • Blockchain Labs

    More Wolfram Solutions

    Wolfram Solutions For Education

    • Research Universities
    • Colleges & Teaching Universities
    • Junior & Community Colleges
    • High Schools
    • Educational Technology
    • Computer-Based Math

    More Solutions for Education

    • Contact Us
  • Learning & Support

    Get Started

    • Wolfram Language Introduction
    • Fast Intro for Programmers
    • Fast Intro for Math Students
    • Wolfram Language Documentation

    Grow Your Skills

    • Wolfram U

      Courses in computing, science, life and more

    • Community

      Learn, solve problems and share ideas.

    • Blog

      News, views and insights from Wolfram

    • Resources for

      Software Developers
    • Tech Support
      • Contact Us
      • Support FAQs
    • More Learning
      • Highlighted Core Areas
      • Demonstrations
      • YouTube
      • Daily Study Groups
      • Wolfram Schools and Programs
      • Books
    • Support FAQs
    • Contact Us
  • Company
    • About Wolfram
    • Career Center
    • All Sites & Resources
    • Connect & Follow
    • Contact Us

    Work with Us

    • Student Ambassador Initiative
    • Wolfram for Startups
    • Student Opportunities
    • Jobs Using Wolfram Language

    Educational Programs for Adults

    • Summer School
    • Winter School

    Educational Programs for Youth

    • Middle School Camp
    • High School Research Program
    • Computational Adventures

    Read

    • Stephen Wolfram's Writings
    • Wolfram Blog
    • Wolfram Tech | Books
    • Wolfram Media
    • Complex Systems
    • Educational Resources
      • Wolfram MathWorld
      • Wolfram in STEM/STEAM
      • Wolfram Challenges
      • Wolfram Problem Generator
    • Wolfram Initiatives
      • Wolfram Science
      • Wolfram Foundation
      • History of Mathematics Project
    • Events
      • Stephen Wolfram Livestreams
      • Online & In-Person Events
    • Contact Us
    • Connect & Follow
  • Wolfram|Alpha
  • Wolfram Cloud
  • Your Account
  • User Portal
Wolfram Language & System Documentation Center
"Function" (Net Encoder)
  • See Also
    • NetEncoder
    • NetDecoder
    • NetChain
    • NetGraph

    • Net Decoders
    • Function
  • Related Guides
    • Neural Networks
  • Tech Notes
    • Neural Networks in the Wolfram Language
    • See Also
      • NetEncoder
      • NetDecoder
      • NetChain
      • NetGraph

      • Net Decoders
      • Function
    • Related Guides
      • Neural Networks
    • Tech Notes
      • Neural Networks in the Wolfram Language
NET ENCODER
  • See Also
    • NetEncoder
    • NetDecoder
    • NetChain
    • NetGraph

    • Net Decoders
    • Function
  • Related Guides
    • Neural Networks
  • Tech Notes
    • Neural Networks in the Wolfram Language
    • See Also
      • NetEncoder
      • NetDecoder
      • NetChain
      • NetGraph

      • Net Decoders
      • Function
    • Related Guides
      • Neural Networks
    • Tech Notes
      • Neural Networks in the Wolfram Language

"Function" (Net Encoder)

NetEncoder[{"Function",f,{d1,d2,…,dn}]

represents an encoder that uses a custom function f to encode an input producing an output tensor of dimensions d1×d2×…×dn.

Details

  • NetEncoder[{"Function",…}] is typically used to define a custom pre-processing for a neural network.
  • NetEncoder[…][input] applies the encoder to an input to produce an output.
  • NetEncoder[…][{input1,input2,…}] applies the encoder to a list of inputs to produce a list of outputs.
  • The input to the encoder inputi is of any type such that f[inputi] produces an array of dimensions d1×d2×…×dn. The array can be a NumericArray expression or a multidimensional list of numbers.
  • An encoder can be attached to an input port of a net by specifying "port"->NetEncoder[…] when constructing the net.
  • Parameters
  • The following parameters are supported:
  • "Pattern"Noneexpected pattern for inputs to the function
    "Batched"Falsewhether the function should be provided a batch of inputs
    SaveDefinitionsTruewhether current definitions relevant for the evaluation of the encoder should automatically be saved
    InitializationNoneexpression to be evaluated when the encoder is first applied
    ExcludedContextsAutomaticcontexts whose symbols will not have their definitions recursively saved
    IncludedContextsAllcontexts whose symbols will have their definitions recursively saved
  • The parameter "Pattern"patt specifies that inputs to the encoder must match the pattern patt. "Pattern"  None indicates that no check should be performed.
  • With the parameter "Batched" True the function is applied once to a batch of examples rather than being applied to each of the examples individually.
  • By default, NetEncoder[{"Function",f,…}] saves the definitions of all the symbols needed to evaluate f, and restores these definitions at the first evaluation of the encoder. The selection of definitions to be saved can be changed using options SaveDefinitions, Initialization, ExcludedContexts and IncludedContexts.

Examples

open all close all

Basic Examples  (1)

Create a function encoder that takes a scalar and produces a length-2 list of these scalars:

Apply the encoder to a scalar:

Apply the encoder to a list of scalars:

Scope  (2)

Create a custom encoder that encodes radian inputs as their Cartesian coordinates:

Apply the encoder to a list of angles:

Create an encoder that returns a sequence of positive bounded integers:

Use this encoder with an EmbeddingLayer:

Parameters  (3)

"Pattern"  (1)

Create a function encoder that checks that the input consists of real numbers:

"Batched"  (1)

Create an encoder that applies the function to a batch of inputs at once:

Compare this to an encoder that applies a function to each input separately:

SaveDefinitions  (1)

By default, definitions needed to evaluate the encoder are saved:

Clear definitions:

When applying the encoder for the first time, definitions are restored:

This behavior can be disabled using SaveDefinitionsFalse:

Clear definitions:

Definitions cannot be restored:

Possible Issues  (1)

With the parameter "Pattern"None, whether or not the input is a single example or a list of examples is ambiguous. As a result, in cases in which a list of examples is provided, the function is called an extra time:

See Also

NetEncoder  NetDecoder  NetChain  NetGraph

Net Decoders: Function

Tech Notes

    ▪
  • Neural Networks in the Wolfram Language

Related Guides

    ▪
  • Neural Networks

History

Introduced in 2018 (11.3) | Updated in 2019 (12.0) ▪ 2021 (13.0)

Top
Introduction for Programmers
Introductory Book
Wolfram Function Repository | Wolfram Data Repository | Wolfram Data Drop | Wolfram Language Products
Top
  • Products
  • Wolfram|One
  • Mathematica
  • Notebook Assistant + LLM Kit
  • Compute Services
  • System Modeler

  • Wolfram|Alpha Notebook Edition
  • Wolfram|Alpha Pro
  • Mobile Apps

  • Wolfram Engine
  • Wolfram Player

  • Volume & Site Licensing
  • Server Deployment Options
  • Consulting
  • Wolfram Consulting
  • Repositories
  • Data Repository
  • Function Repository
  • Community Paclet Repository
  • Neural Net Repository
  • Prompt Repository

  • Wolfram Language Example Repository
  • Notebook Archive
  • Wolfram GitHub
  • Learning
  • Wolfram U
  • Wolfram Language Documentation
  • Webinars & Training
  • Educational Programs

  • Wolfram Language Introduction
  • Fast Introduction for Programmers
  • Fast Introduction for Math Students
  • Books

  • Wolfram Community
  • Wolfram Blog
  • Public Resources
  • Wolfram|Alpha
  • Wolfram Problem Generator
  • Wolfram Challenges

  • Computer-Based Math
  • Computational Thinking
  • Computational Adventures

  • Demonstrations Project
  • Wolfram Data Drop
  • MathWorld
  • Wolfram Science
  • Wolfram Media Publishing
  • Customer Resources
  • Store
  • Product Downloads
  • User Portal
  • Your Account
  • Organization Access

  • Support FAQ
  • Contact Support
  • Company
  • About Wolfram
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Events
Wolfram Community Wolfram Blog
Legal & Privacy Policy
WolframAlpha.com | WolframCloud.com
© 2026 Wolfram
© 2026 Wolfram | Legal & Privacy Policy |
English