Format Statements
The primary format file command is the format() statement. The general goal for format files is to generate displayable output for reports. And the format statement, which contains the format directives and the definition of the data to be formatted, is the primary tool for formatting the output.
The general structure is:
format(format_string, argument_list) where:
format_stringrepresents the formatting directivesargument_listrepresents the list of values and variables
The following formatting options must appear in the format statement, in the order that they appear below.
| Format Property | What it does |
|---|---|
% (required) |
Starts a character sequence that formats a value |
flags (optional) |
- left justifies the value+ inserts the appropriate sign: + or - before the value(space) inserts a blank space before a positive value
|
width (optional) |
Sets the minimum size (number of characters) of the field |
prec (optional) |
Sets the minimum number of digits to display, for integers, or the number of positions after the decimal point, for floating point values |
data type (required) |
d = format as an integerf = format as a floating point values = format as a string
|
\% or %% |
Inserts a percent sign |
\n
|
Forces a new line |
\t
|
Inserts a horizontal tab |
\\
|
Inserts a backslash |
\"
|
Inserts a double quotation mark |
\'
|
Inserts a single quote mark |
Format Statement Example
The following is an example of a format statement:
format ("%-0.3f dia.", tl_dia);
What this format statement does:
- The area between the quotation marks is the formatting statement. The formatted version of this string is the output of the format statement.
%denotes the start of formatting values.-sets left justification.0.3fsets the value as a floating point with three digits to the right of the decimal.dia.is a literal string, that is output as typed.,separates the format string from the argument list. If more than one argument, each argument is separated by a comma.tl_diais a variable that is declared at the beginning of the file. The information that this variable represents is used by the"0.3f"formatter.;marks the end of the statement.
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