Format string with PRINT command

[MarkP]

The format string with the print command can be very useful when formatting numbers.

However, when formatting large numbers using the comma for thousands, millions, and billions separator character, the following occurs:

a=1234567
print "###,###,###":a
' yields: 1,234,567

a=672
print "###,###,###":a
' yields: , ,672

Is there an easy way to format this correctly? That is, a way to eliminate the leading commas?

[MarkP]

Unless there's a better way by simply using the format string, this is what I got:

print fmt$(123456789)
print fmt$(1234)
print fmt$(45)
print fmt$(123456789012)
end

def fmt$(a)
f$=str$(a,"###,###,###,###")
while instr(f$," ,")>0
L=instr(f$," ,")
f$=mid$(f$,L+2)
endwhile
return f$
enddef

[matt7]

Here's another option that builds the format string from right to left and then applies it.

Code: Select all

def fmt$(a)
f$="###"
m=1000
while abs(a)>=m
f$="###,"&f$
m*=1000
endwhile
return str$(a,f$)
enddef

Add a trim$() to the return line or whenever you call fmt$ to remove leading spaces.

[Mr. Kibernetik]

Ok, my version:

Code: Select all

def fmt$(x)=right$("###,###,###",floor(log10(x)/3)*4+1)

a=123
b=1234

print fmt$(a):a
print fmt$(b):b

outputs:

Code: Select all

123
1,234

[BobRichards]

In my humble opinion, ingenious and eloquent! Thank you, Mr. Kibernetik.