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4. String formatter

String formatter

Function

It applies formatting to one or more input variables according to a customizable rule.

It can also be used to format and parameterize SQL queries, for example to be used in database objects (see DataStore (database)).

Properties

Properties	Description
Format	Formatting rule. For references to variables, it accepts the following placeholders: index: index number identifying an input variable alignment: integer number representing the number of characters of the source value formatted according to the rule format: formatting to be applied to input variables (see Allowed Formatting Values) Placeholders must follow the {index,alignment:format} syntax. Note for every {index} placeholder in the formatting rule, a new field to indicate the source appears.
Mode	Read: read (link from source to parent) Write: write (link from parent to source) Read/write: read and write (link from parent to source and vice versa)

Source

One or more variables, identified by a placeholder with an index number, with the following format {index}. The index number is progressive, must be an integer greater than zero ({0}).

Placeholders can appear in any order in the formatting rule (e.g.: The minimum value of {3}, {0} and {2} is {1}).

Allowed Formatting Values

The format placeholder accepts a subset of values required by the .NET framework notation for the String.Format method.

Data type: DateTime

Example data: 23/04/2021 17:25:31, session with 60 minutes TimeZone offset.

Format	Description	Example
g	Short date and time, local	(en-US): 4/23/21, 06:25 PM (it-IT): 23/04/21, 18:25
F	Extended date and time, local	(en-US): Apr 23, 2021, 6:25:31 PM (it-IT): 23 apr 2021, 18:25:31
X	Short date and time, UTC	(en-US): 4/23/21, 4:25 PM (UTC) (it-IT): 23/04/21, 16:25 (UTC)
x	Extended date and time, UTC	(en-US): Apr 23, 2021, 4:25:31 PM (UTC) (it-IT): 23 apr 2021, 16:25:31 (UTC)
U	Complete Universal Date and Time, UTC	(en-US): April 23, 2021 4:25:31 PM GMT (UTC) (it-IT): 23 aprile 2021 16:25:31 GMT (UTC)
p	Short date, local	(en-US): 4/23/21 (it-IT): 23/04/21
P	Extended date, local	(en-US): April 23, 2021 (it-IT): 23 apr 2021
d	Short date, UTC	(en-US): 4/23/21 (UTC) (it-IT): 23/04/21 (UTC)
D	Extended date, UTC	(en-US): Apr 23, 2021 (UTC) (it-IT): 23 apr 2021 (UTC)
t	Short time, local	(en-US): 6:25 PM (it-IT): 18:25
T	Extended time, local	(en-US): 6:25:31 PM (it-IT): 18:25:31
h	Short time, UTC	(en-US): 4:25 PM (UTC) (it-IT): 16:25 (UTC)
H	Extended time, UTC	(en-US): 4:25:31 PM (UTC) (it-IT): 16:25:31 (UTC)

Data types: numeric (Double Float Int16 Int32 Int64 Integer UInt16 UInt32 UInt64 UInteger)

Format	Description	Example
d	Numerical, without thousands separator. After the format placeholder, the number of decimal places is configured with an integer (without padding).	d: -1234 ► -1234 d: 5.618 ► 5618 d2: 1,234.239 ► 1234.24
n	Numerical, with thousands separator. After the format placeholder, the number of decimal places is configured with an integer (without padding).	n1: -1234.23 ► -1,234.2 n2: 5804.236 ► 5,804.24 n3: -1234.23 ► -1,234.2
e	Exponential notation. After the format placeholder, the number of significant numbers is configured with an integer.	e10: 12345.6789 ► 1.234567890E4 e2: 2665.778 ► 2.7E3
f	Fixed point notation. After the format placeholder, the exact number of decimal places is configured with an integer.	f3: 123 ► 123.000000 f3: 123.23 ► 123.230000 f4: -1898300.678 ► -1,898,300.6780 f3: 123.4 ► 123.400
p	Percentage. After the format placeholder, an integer is used to configure the number of decimal places.	p: 1 ► 100% p3: -0.397481 ► -39.748%
x	Hexadecimal notation	255 ► ff
b	Binary notation	107 ► 1101011
o	Octal Notation	56 ► 70

Data types: Duration and Timespan

Format	Description	Example
c	Constant format: [-][d’.’]hh’:’mm’:’ss[‘.’fffffff]	3.17:25:30.5000000 4:30:00 AM
g	General short format: [-][d’.’]hh’:’mm’:’ss[‘.’fffffff]	(en-US): 1:3:16:50.5 (en-US): 5:15:09:00 (fr-FR): 2:9:02:00,0200000 (fr-FR): 15:12:20:00 (en-US): 5:12:00 (fr-FR): 20:10:00
G	Extended general format: [-][d’.’]hh’:’mm’:’ss[‘.’fffffff]	(en-US): 12:08:30 AM:00.0000000 (fr-FR): 12:08:30 AM:00.0000000 (en-US): 12:18:20 AM:00.0000000 (fr-FR): 12:17:30 AM:00.0000000

Data type: String

Format	Description	Example
l	All lowercase	grüßEN ► grüßen
u	All uppercase	grüßEN ► GRÜSSEN
t	All first letters uppercase	grüßEN erdbewohner ► Grüßen Erdbewohner
f	Case independent	grüßEN ► grüssen

Data type: ANSI SQL

Format	Description	Example
sql_identifier	Formats a given String or LocalizedText as a table or column identifier.	-
sql_literal	Formats the value of a variable as an SQL literal value (Number, String, date, time, etc.).	-

Inverse Formatting

Inverse formatting is defined as the functionality that allows the user to modify a formatted value at runtime to replace it with a new value that the application shows with the same formatting at runtime.

To allow this mechanism via the string formatter, the following conditions must be met:

• The dynamic link mode of the converter must be read and write.

• The Format field must have only one placeholder, i.e. only one source.

  Note

  the placeholder can have a suffix and/or prefix; it can also be set with a format string, for example, {0:n}.

Output

The string entered in the Format property, based on the formatting rules with values in place of the placeholder(s).

Logical representation

The following image illustrates an example of a logical conversion in the advanced dynamic link editor.

Examples of SQL Queries

Parameterize the name of the internal column with the condition:

SELECT * FROM Table1 WHERE {0:sql_identifier} > 5

Comparison with a data variable:

SELECT * FROM AlarmsDatalogger WHERE Time > {0:sql_literal}

Parameterize the LIKE operator:

SELECT * FROM AlarmsDatalogger WHERE Name LIKE '{0}'

Parameterize part of a query with a placeholder:

SELECT * FROM Table1 {0}

The placeholder with index 0 is linked to a project string variable and parameterizes a column; the placeholder with index 1 is linked to a numeric variable that represents the value for the comparison operator > :

SELECT * FROM {0:sql_identifier} WHERE Column1 > {1:sql_literal}

Parameterize the table name, the column and also the LIKE operator:

SELECT {0:sql_identifier} FROM {1:sql_identifier} WHERE {0:sql_identifier} LIKE '{2}'

See also

Related concepts

Converters

Related procedures

Using the Advanced Dynamic Link Editor