How Do I Create a Formatting Pattern for a Column?
This Lesson describes how to build a format pattern usable in the Data Grid Helper Plugin for formatting numbers.
What Are the Symbols supported by the Pattern?
You can build patterns by using:
spaces Separator replaced by the content of the DGH's thousands separator property.
# Digit placeholder. This code does not display extra zeros.
0 Digit placeholder. This code pads the value with zeros to fill the format.
. Decimal number replaced by the content of the DGH's decimal separator property.
$ - + / ( )
[color] Where color is any color name supported by the LiveCode syntax.
How Can I define Patterns for Positive, Negative or Zero Values?
A Pattern for a column can be separated in three patterns items:
- the first for Positive Numbers
- the second for Negative Numbers
- the last for Zero Values
Note that for having an empty result for Zero Values, you need to input a space in the last pattern item.
The pattern delimiter is the comma.
Could You Present Some Examples of What Can be Done With Patterns?
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How to format the numbers of this datagrid to have something more readable?
Here is some examples of usable patterns in DGH:
Positive Pattern: ########

Positive Pattern: #######0

Positive Pattern: #######.##

Positive Pattern: ######0.00

Positive,Negative pattern: ######0.00,(######0.00)

Positive,Negative pattern: ######0.00,######0.00[red]
![Positive,Negative pattern: ######0.00,######0.00[red]](https://media.screensteps.com/image_assets/assets/006/772/651/original/Positive-Negative%20pattern%20------0.00-------0.0.png)
Positive,Negative pattern: ### ##0.00[blue],-### ##0.00[red] (with thousands separator = , (comma))
![Positive,Negative pattern: ### ##0.00[blue],-### ##0.00[red] (with thousands separator = , (comma))](https://media.screensteps.com/image_assets/assets/006/772/653/original/Positive-Negative%20pattern%20---%20--0.00-blue-----.png)
Positive,Negative,Zero value pattern: $### ##0.00,$### ##0.00[red],$0.00 (with thousands separator = , (comma))
![Positive,Negative,Zero value pattern: $### ##0.00,$### ##0.00[red],$0.00 (with thousands separator = , (comma))](https://media.screensteps.com/image_assets/assets/006/772/655/original/Positive-Negative-Zero%20value%20pattern%20----%20--0..png)
$### ##0.00,$### ##0.00[red], (with thousands separator = , (comma))
![$### ##0.00,$### ##0.00[red], (with thousands separator = , (comma))](https://media.screensteps.com/image_assets/assets/006/772/657/original/----%20--0.00-----%20--0.00-red--%20%20-with%20thousands.png)
Note the last pattern item contains a space.
William Moseid
Excellent!