# \brace

Plain-TeX infix generalized fraction with braces as fixed delimiters and no fraction bar.

https://texform.dev/latex/commands/brace

## Metadata

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Topic | [Fractions and roots](https://texform.dev/latex/topics/fractions-roots) |
| Packages | base |
| Allowed mode | math |
| Tags | discouraged |
| Commonality | low |
| Kind | infix |

## Syntax

### base

Argument specification: ``

Plain-TeX infix generalized fraction with braces as fixed delimiters and no fraction bar.

## Examples

```latex
a \brace b
```

[Open in Playground](https://play.texform.dev/?input=a+%5Cbrace+b)

## Renderer support

| Package | MathJax | KaTeX | XeTeX |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| base | full | full | full |

## Usage frequency

<0.01% of formulas in the measured corpus contain this entry, rank 204 of 263 entries with frequency data.

## In TeXForm

TeXForm parses this entry as infix syntax; the package determines its argument specification.

### Discouraged in base

This is a plain-TeX infix generalized fraction primitive. In LaTeX, brace-delimited commands are preferred over infix generalized fraction primitives.

```latex
$1 \brace $2 -> \genfrac{\{}{\}}{0pt}{}{$1}{$2}
```

\genfrac is the standard LaTeX generalized-fraction command and avoids the ambiguous grouping scope of infix primitives.

### [base/brace-to-genfrac](https://texform.dev/rules/base/brace-to-genfrac)

Rewrite infix brace to an explicit genfrac with brace delimiters.

Level: authoring. Fidelity: render.

```latex
#1 \brace #2
```

→

```latex
\genfrac{\{}{\}}{0pt}{}{#1}{#2}
```

```latex
x_1+\cdots+x_m \brace y_1+\cdots+y_n
```

→

```latex
\genfrac{\{}{\}}{0pt}{}{x_1+\cdots+x_m}{y_1+\cdots+y_n}
```

## Equivalent forms

```latex
\genfrac{\{}{\}}{0pt}{}{$1}{$2}
```

exact. 

## See also

- [\\above](https://texform.dev/latex/commands/above)
- [\\abovewithdelims](https://texform.dev/latex/commands/abovewithdelims)
- [\\atop](https://texform.dev/latex/commands/atop)
- [\\atopwithdelims](https://texform.dev/latex/commands/atopwithdelims)
- [\\brack](https://texform.dev/latex/commands/brack)
- [\\choose](https://texform.dev/latex/commands/choose)
- [\\over](https://texform.dev/latex/commands/over)
- [\\overwithdelims](https://texform.dev/latex/commands/overwithdelims)

## Test cases

### base

| Input | Case | MathJax | KaTeX | XeTeX |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| a \brace b | Positive: baseline | Pass | Pass | Pass |