Description
Formats data in a specified pattern. The pattern can include field width, background fill characters, line justification, conversion specifications, and masking.
Syntax
output = Fmt (string, format)
Parameters
The Fmt function has the following parameters.
Parameter | Description |
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String | Any character string to format on output. |
Format | An argument for format might be structured as follows. justification[(fill_char)]mask justification[(fill_char)]#[field_size] conversion Note: The # character is essential, if you are going to specify field size. Justification All formats must specify one of the following justifications. Code | Result |
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L | Left justification. | R | Right justification. | C | Center justification. | T | Text justification: left justify and insert text marks (ASCII character 251) as line delimiters. | field_size | An optional parameter. Specifies the size of the field in which the value is to be justified. It must yield a positive integer. If the output data has a length larger than field_size, it will be truncated, unless T is chosen for justification. | Mask | The template of the desired output. For example, ###-##-### would be the template or mask that could be used for a variable that will be output as a Social Security number. The "#" characters are replaced with the characters from the variable, while the "-" characters are placed into the output according to the mask pattern. | fill_char | Contains a single character, enclosed by parentheses, that replaces the leading or trailing blank spaces. The default fill character is a space. | Conversion | Standard output conversions can be specified. (Refer to the OConv function.) |
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FMT is identical to OConv().
Example
The following examples show how to use Fmt for format report output.
Example Output
Fmt("12345","L#6")
"12345 "
Fmt("12345","R(*)#8")
"***12345"
Fmt("ABCDEFG","R#4")
"DEFG"
Fmt('ABCD','C#6')
" ABCD "
Fmt(6666,"D2-")
"04-01-86"
Fmt("1234567890","L(###)###-####")
"(123)456-7890" |