LOTUSSCRIPT LANGUAGE

Examples: Format function
Here are several examples of the Format function

' Currency
' Get monthly revenue and expenses from the user, converting
' strings to currency. Compute and display the balance,
' formatted as currency.

Dim rev As Currency, expense As Currency, bal As Currency

rev@ = CCur(InputBox("How much did we make this month?"))

expense@ = CCur(InputBox("How much did we spend?"))

bal@ = rev@ - expense@

MessageBox "Our balance this month is " _

   & Format(bal@, "Currency")

' Percent

Dim total As Integer, attend As Integer, percent As Double

total% = CInt(InputBox("How many people registered?"))

attend% = CInt(InputBox("How many people actually attended?"))

percent# = attend% / total%

MessageBox "The attendance was " _ ' Use "Percent" format

& Format(percent#, "Percent")

MessageBox "The attendance was " _ ' Use custom format codes

& Format(percent#, "0%") ' can carry % to any number of places:

'  0.0%, 0.00%, 0.000%, and so on

' Example of custom formatting using sections

Dim x As Integer

x = 1

Print Format(x, "0.0;0%") ' Output: 1.0

x = -1

Print Format(x, "0.0;0%") ' Output: 100%

x = 0

Print Format(x, "0.0;0%;zippo") ' Output: zippo

Print chr$(34) & Format(x, "zippo") & chr$(34) ' Output: "zippo"

' Yes/No, True/False, & On/Off

Dim value As Integer

value = 0

Print Format$(value, "Yes/No") ' Output "No"

Print Format$(value, "On/Off") ' Output "Off"

Print Format$(value, "True/False") ' Output "False"

value = 2

Print Format$(value, "Yes/No") ' Output "Yes"

Print Format$(value, "On/Off") ' Output "On"

Print Format$(value, "True/False") ' Output "True"

' Date and Time formats

x = 36525

Print Format(x, "General Date") ' Output: 12/31/1999

Print Format(x, "Long Date") ' Output: Friday, December 31, 1999

Print Format(x, "Medium Date") ' Output: 31-Dec-99

Print Format(x, "Short Date") ' Output: 12/31/99

y = 123.45

Print Format(y, "Long Time") ' Output: 10:48:00 AM

Print Format(y, "Medium Time") ' Output: 10:48 AM

Print Format(y, "Short Time") ' Output: 10:48

' Custom String formats

Dim x As String, y As String, z As String

' Format directory string

x = "dtemp"

Print Format(x, "!copy to directory @:\\@")

' Output: copy to directory d:\temp

'Use sections and NULL data

Print Format(y, "!copy to directory @:\\@;don't copy - no valid data")

'Output: don't copy - no valid data

' Manipulate character positions

dim x as string, y as string, z as string

x = "hello world"

y = "hello"

z = "world"

Print Format(x, "!@") ' Output: hello world

print format(y, "&&&&&&&&&&" & z)

' Output: "helloworld" (& ignores non-characters)

print format(y, "!&&&&&&&&&&" & z)

' Output: "helloworld" (! matters not with &)

print format(y, "@@@@@@@@@@" & z) ' Output: "     helloworld"

print format(y, "!@@@@@@@@@@" & z) ' Output: "hello     world"

' Format all characters to lower then upper case

z = "Hello World"

Print Format(z, "<") ' Output: hello world

Print Format(z, ">") ' Output: HELLO WORLD

See Also