Display Formats for Numeric and Float Data

Display formats for numeric data typically apply a pattern to the data. For example, you can define the number of digits before or after the decimal point, put a currency symbol in front (or behind the value), or define whether the decimal and thousand separators should be commas or periods.

Note: Dynamic server pages support a subset of the display formats that can be used in forms, and have other formatting limitations. For more information, see Display Formats for Numeric and Float Data in Dynamic Server Pages.

You can set the NLS locale using the $NLS_LOCALE assignment setting or $nlslocale ProcScript function to a specific locale. This is used in desktop and server-based applications, and in server-side processing of dynamic server pages (DSPs).

You can override the behavior specified by NLS locale by setting $NLS_FORMAT or $nlsformat. For example, if $NLS_LOCALE is set to en_gb, that is English(United Kingdom), and you do not want the formatting of numeric and floating point fields to be affected by the locale, you can set $NLS_FORMAT to classic.

If $NLS_FORMAT (or $nlsformat) is set to nlslocale, and $NLS_LOCALE (or $nlslocale) specifies a locale (language and country) or system, the standard display formats are treated as $NLS(FormatPattern). This will affect the decimal separator, thousand separator, and currency symbol.

In dynamic server pages, these settings have no effect. Instead, you can use $webinfo("locale") to define the locale used for client-side formatting.

$NLS Display Formats for Numeric and Float

Setting NLS display formats applies the conventions regarding plus, minus, digits, decimal separator, thousand separator, and currency symbol that are applicable to the current locale.

$NLS(NUMERIC)

Use the decimal and thousand separators appropriate to the locale.

Examples for `DIS($NLS(NUMERIC))`
Locale	User Input	Internal Value	Result
English (United States)	`123456789.123`	`123456789.123`	`123,456,789.123`
Dutch (Netherlands)	`123456789,123`	`123456789.123`	`123.456.789,123`
French (Canada)	`123456789,123`	`123456789.123`	`123 456 789,123`

$NLS(FLOAT)

Displays the decimal separator appropriate to the locale.

Examples for `DIS($NLS(FLOAT))`
Locale	User Input	Input	Result
English (United States)	`1234567.89`	`1234567.89`	`1.234567891234E8`
Dutch (Netherlands)	`1234567,89`	`1234567.89`	`1,234567891234E8`
French (Canada)	`1234567,89`	`1234567.89`	`1,234567891234E8`

$NLS(CURRENCY)

Display the currency symbol, before or after the data, depending on the locale. (Not supported in dynamic server pages.)

Examples for `DIS($NLS(CURRENCY))`
Input	Locale	Result
`1234567.89`	English (United States)	`$ 123,456,789.12`
	Dutch (Netherlands)	`€ 1.234.567,89`
	French (Canada)	`1 234 567,89 $`

$NLS(FormatPattern)

Use a Numeric or Float display format but apply thousand and decimal separators according to the locale.

Examples for `DIS($NLS(9,999,999p99))`
Locale	User Input	Input	Result
English (United States)	`1234567.89`	`1234567.89`	`1,234,567.89`
Dutch (Netherlands)	`1234567,89`	`1234567.89`	`1.234.567,89`
French (Canada)	`1234567,89`	`1234567.89`	`1 234 567,89`

Codes for Numeric Display Formats

The standard Uniface display formats explicitly apply a pattern of digits (with or without leading and trailing zeros), plus and minus signs, decimal location, separators.

For dynamic server pages, only the display format characters 9, z, P, and K are supported.

If a display format pattern consists of illegal characters (for example DIS(XXXX)), or it contains legal characters that are combined into an invalid display format (such as DIS(B.)), a compiler warning is issued, the display format is ignored, and the scaling defined by the database interface is applied.

Examples for illegal formats
Database Interface	Display Format	Input Value	Formatted Value
I8.4	`DIS(XXXX)`	`1234.123456`	`1234.1235` compiler warning 1136
I8.4	`DIS(B.)`	`1234.123456`	`1234.1235` compiler warning 1136

9: Digit or leading/trailing zero

Examples for `DIS(99999)`
Input Value	Formatted Value
`00123`	`00123`
`123`	`123`
`12345`	`12345`
`123456`	error: "too much data"
`-123`	error: "illegal numeric"
`123.45`	`12345` (no point defined)

z: Digit; leading and trailing zeros are suppressed

Examples for `DIS(zzzzz)`
Input Value	Formatted Value
`00123`	`123`
`123`	`123`
`12345`	`12345`
`123.45`	`12345`
`123456`	error: too much data
`-1234`	error: illegal numeric

+: Plus sign for positive values (>0)

If the input value is positive, the plus sign is positioned as specified by the display format.

Examples for `DIS(+zzzzz)`
Input Value	Formatted Value
`123`	`+123`
`-123`	`123`

Examples for `DIS(zzzzz+)`
Input Value	Formatted Value
`123`	`123+`
`-123`	`123`

-: Minus sign for negative values (<0) [Forms only]

If the input value is negative, the minus sign is positioned as specified by the display format.

Examples for `DIS(-zzzzz)`
Input Value	Formatted Value
`123`	`123`
`-123`	`-123`

Examples for `DIS(zzzzz-)`
Input Value	Formatted Value
`123`	`123`
`-123`	`123-`

B: Spaces for suppressed zeros, minus (-) and plus (+) signs

Examples for `DIS(Bzzzzz)`
Input Value	Formatted Value
`123`	`123`
`01234`	`1234`

Examples for `DIS(-zzzzzB)`
Input Value	Formatted Value
`123`	`123`
`-123`	`- 123`

Examples for `DIS(-Bzzz99 )`
Input Value	Formatted Value
`-123`	`- 123`
`1234`	`1234`

Examples for `DIS(B-zzz99)`
Input Value	Formatted Value
-123	-123
1234	1234

P: Fixed decimal point

Examples for `DIS(999P99)`
Input Value	Formatted Value
`123`	1`23.00`
`123.45`	`123.45`
`12.3`	`012.30`
`1234.5`	error: too much data
`123.456`	error: too much data

Examples for `DIS(zzz9P9zzzz )`
Input Value	Formatted Value
`123`	`123.0`
`.8970`	`0.897`
`012.120`	`12.12`

K: Fixed decimal comma

Examples for `DIS(999K99)`
Input Value	Formatted Value
`123`	`123,00`
`123.45`	`123,45`
`12.3`	`012,30`
`1234.5`	error: too much data
`123.456`	error: too much data

Examples for `DIS(zzz9K9zzzz )`
Input Value	Formatted Value
`123`	`123,0`
`.8970`	`0,897`
`012.120`	`12,12`

. (Point): Layout decimal point

Examples for `DIS( zzz.zz.zzz )`
Input Value	Formatted Value
`12345678`	`123.45.678`
`12345`	`12.345`
`1.234`	`1.234`
`123.45.67`	`123.45.67`

, (Comma): Layout decimal comma

Examples for `DIS( zzz,zz,zzz )`
Input Value	Formatted Value
`12345678`	`123,45,678`
`12345`	`12,345`
`1,234`	`1,234`
`123,45,67`	`123,45,67`

$ : Dollar sign

If defined in $NLS(Pattern), the $ is replaced by the locale currency symbol.

Example for `DIS($z,zzz,zz9P9z)`
Input Value	Formatted Value
`1234567.89`	`$ 1,234,568.0`

w {.d}e

The value in w number of characters, in exponential notation, such that it appears as follows:

If Value< 0, a leading minus sign (-) indicating the sign of the value.
One digit to the left of the decimal point.
Decimal point (.)
Maximum of w digits to the right of the decimal point, if both w and the available precision allow. (If w is 0 or omitted, all the available characters are used to display as many of the digits of precision as possible.)
e
Plus sign (+) or minus sign (-), indicating the sign of the exponent (power of 10)
The exponent (in at least two and up to four digits). To allow space for the extra characters, the width, w, should be at least d+7.

Examples for `DIS(12.5e)`
Input Value	Formatted Value
123.45	1.23450e+02
-123.45	-1.23450e+02
.9876	9.87600e-01
123456789	1.234567e+08
123.45	1.23450e+02

Examples for `DIS(9e)`
Input Value	Formatted Value
123.45	1.235e+02
-123.45	-1.23e+02

Examples for `DIS(e)`
Input Value	Formatted Value
123.45	1.234500e+02
-123.45	-1.23450e+02
.9876	9.876000e-01