Using characters to apply custom numeric formatting in a heritage coach (deprecated)

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This topic only applies to BAW, and is located in the BAW repository. Last updated on 2025-03-13 12:15
Learn how to apply numeric formatting to a control for integers and decimals.

About this task

If you want to apply numeric formatting to a control for integers and decimals, you are not required to select one of the pre-defined formats. Instead you can manually enter custom formatting characters into the Format field. For example, the # character acts as a digit placeholder. So if you type the following placeholders into the Format field in the Presentation properties for a control, you'll get the described results:

Table 1. Format placeholders and corresponding results
Format placeholder Results
## (placeholder for two digits) Since no decimal placeholder is specified, values entered into the control during run time are rounded up to the next integer. For example, if a user enters the value 34.2 into the control, the value is rounded up to 35 .
##.# (placeholder for two digits and the tenths decimal position) For additional decimal positions typed in to the control during run time, decimals less than five are rounded down, and decimals greater than or equal to five are rounded up. For example, the value 34.24 would be rounded down to 34.2 , and the value 34.57 would be rounded up to 34.6 .

Follow these steps to use characters to apply custom numeric formatting:

Procedure

  1. Open the service that contains the heritage coach that you want to work with and then click the Coaches tab.
  2. Click the heritage coach control for which you want to add formatting.
  3. Click the Presentation option in the properties.
  4. Under Widget Style, type the characters that you want to use as placeholders in the Format field. The following characters are available:
    Table 2. Characters available to use as placeholders
    Character Name Description
    # Digit placeholder A digit is copied into output. If there is no digit in this position, then nothing is stored in the output.
    0 Zero placeholder A digit is copied into output. If there is no digit in this position, a 0 is inserted into this position.
    ? Padding placeholder A digit is copied into output. If there is no digit in this position, a " " (space symbol) is inserted into this position.
    . Decimal separator The first . character (period) in the format string determines the location of the decimal separator in the formatted value. The actual character used as the decimal separator is determined by user locale settings.
    , Thousand separator The , character (comma) serves two purposes. First, if the format string contains a , character between two digit placeholders (0 or #) and to the left of the decimal point if one is present, then the output will have thousand separators inserted between each group of three digits to the left of the decimal separator. The actual character used as the decimal separator in the result string is determined by user locale settings. Second, if the format string contains one or more , characters immediately to the left of the decimal point, then the number will be divided by the number of , characters multiplied by 1000 before it is formatted. For example, the format string 0,, will represent 100 million as simply 100. Use of the , character to indicate scaling does not include thousand separators in the formatted number. Thus, to scale a number by 1 million and insert thousand separators you would use the format string: #,##0,,
    % Percentage The presence of a % character in a format string causes a number to be multiplied by 100 before it is formatted. The appropriate symbol is inserted into the number itself at the location where the % appears in the format string.
    E0 E+0 E-0 e0 e+0 e-0 Scientific notation If any of the strings E , E+ , E- , e , e+ or e- are present in the format string and are followed immediately by at least one 0 character, then the number is formatted using scientific notation with an E or e inserted between the number and the exponent. The number of 0 characters following the scientific notation indicator determines the minimum number of digits to output for the exponent. The E+ and e+ formats indicate that a sign character (plus or minus) should always precede the exponent. The E , E- , e or e- formats indicate that a sign character should only precede negative exponents.
    ; Section separator The ; character (semicolon) is used to separate sections for positive, negative, and zero numbers in the format string.
    Other All other characters All other characters are copied to the result string as literals in the position where they appear.
  5. Save your changes.