Creating Blank if zero decimal format string

[Andrus]

How to create format string for decimal data type
which shows blank for zero and default format otherwize ?

I tried format string "f;f;#" but this shows f for nonzero numbers.

Andrus.


using System.Windows. Forms;

class AppMainEntry
{
static void Main()
{
// Expected: 0.40 actual: f
MessageBox.Show ((0.40m).ToStri ng("f;;#"));

// expected: 123.40 actual: f
MessageBox.Show ((123.40m).ToSt ring("f;;#"));

// expected: 123.4 actual: f
MessageBox.Show ((123.4m).ToStr ing("f;;#"));

// OK: expected: empty actual: empty
MessageBox.Show ((0m).ToString( "f;;#"));
}
}

[Peter Duniho]

Re: Creating Blank if zero decimal format string

On Sat, 30 Aug 2008 06:39:46 -0700, Andrus <kobruleht2@hot .eewrote:

How to create format string for decimal data type
which shows blank for zero and default format otherwize ?
I tried format string "f;f;#" but this shows f for nonzero numbers.

That's because 'f' isn't a valid character in custom numeric format
strings.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/0c899ak8.aspx

You can use the standard numeric format strings or you can write a custom
numeric format string. You can't mix and match.

Pete

[Andrus]

Re: Creating Blank if zero decimal format string

That's because 'f' isn't a valid character in custom numeric format

strings.
>
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/0c899ak8.aspx

Yes, I have read this page several times.

You can use the standard numeric format strings or you can write a custom
numeric format string. You can't mix and match.

Sure.
Custom format strings discard leading zero if # format char is used or show
zeroes always if 9 format char is used.
Only standard format string which produces desired output seems top be f
format.
However f format shows zero instead of blank.

How to create format string which is like standard f format string but shows
blank if value is zero ?

Andrus.

[Peter Duniho]

Re: Creating Blank if zero decimal format string

On Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:04:57 -0700, Andrus <kobruleht2@hot .eewrote:

[...]
Custom format strings discard leading zero if # format char is used or
show zeroes always if 9 format char is used.

'9' isn't a valid custom numeric format string character. So, I don't
know what you mean here.

Only standard format string which produces desired output seems top be f
format.
However f format shows zero instead of blank.

The custom numeric format "0.00" is one custom format string that is
essentially equivalent to "F".

How to create format string which is like standard f format string but
shows blank if value is zero ?

Use a valid custom numeric format string that correctly describes your
desired output, instead of the character 'f' or 'F'. It being a custom
numeric format, you can use whatever you like, as long as it's valid. But
you might want to start with "0.00".

Pete

[Andrus]

Re: Creating Blank if zero decimal format string

'9' isn't a valid custom numeric format string character. So, I don't

know what you mean here.

I'm sorry I meant '0'

The custom numeric format "0.00" is one custom format string that is
essentially equivalent to "F".

0.00 shows always 2 places after comma
F format shows as many places after comma as decimal contains.
So I don't understand how this is same as F

>How to create format string which is like standard f format string but
>shows blank if value is zero ?

>
Use a valid custom numeric format string that correctly describes your
desired output, instead of the character 'f' or 'F'. It being a custom
numeric format, you can use whatever you like, as long as it's valid. But
you might want to start with "0.00".

0.00 shows always 2 places after comma.
I want custom format which is same as F

I tried

"#" - it displays .45 i.e without leading zero

"0.#;0.#;#" shows 1.1 instead of 1.10 for decimal 1.10m

Which custom format is same as F ?

Andrus.

[Peter Duniho]

Re: Creating Blank if zero decimal format string

On Sun, 31 Aug 2008 08:54:33 -0700, Andrus <kobruleht2@hot .eewrote:

[...]

>The custom numeric format "0.00" is one custom format string that is
>essentially equivalent to "F".

>
0.00 shows always 2 places after comma
F format shows as many places after comma as decimal contains.

No, it doesn't. If you don't specify a precision, it uses the current
culture's NumberFormatInf o.NumberDecimal Digits property. All you have to
do to match the behavior as "F" is to use the same number of digits in
your custom format as the NumberDecimalDi gits property indicates.

On my installation (culture of US English), the default precision is 2,
and that's how many decimal places "F" shows, even if there are no
significant digits to the right of the decimal.

[...]

>Use a valid custom numeric format string that correctly describes your
>desired output, instead of the character 'f' or 'F'. It being a custom
>numeric format, you can use whatever you like, as long as it's valid.
>But you might want to start with "0.00".

>
0.00 shows always 2 places after comma.

For the US English culture, so does "F". Your own culture settings might
be different. But "F" does not take into account the number itself when
deciding how many places to show.

I want custom format which is same as F

Then just write a format like "0.00", except with as many decimal digits
as is appropraite for the culture you're using. If you want to do this
dynamically, you could use something like this:

int cdigitDecimal =
CultureInfo.Cur rentCulture.Num berFormat.Numbe rDecimalDigits;
string strDecimalForma t = "{1:0." +
new String('0', cdigitDecimal) + "}";

Then just use that string wherever you need it (for example, in building
the custom format string that handles zero the way you want).

Pete

[Andrus]

Re: Creating Blank if zero decimal format string

Then just use that string wherever you need it (for example, in building

the custom format string that handles zero the way you want).

Thank you. I'm sorry my previous letter was wrong, f format cannot used.

I want that result string contains as may decimal places after comma as
decimal value actually contains
*except* zero must be converted to empty string.

ToString() without argument or with empty format string produces this output
except it outputs 0m as 0 :

0.400m is converted to 0.4000
123.40m is converted to 123.40
123.4m is converted to 123.4
0m is converted to 0

How to create format string which works as above except 0m, 0.00m etc is
converted to empty string ?
I tried ";;#" format string but this does not output any digits.

Andrus.

[Peter Duniho]

Re: Creating Blank if zero decimal format string

On Sun, 31 Aug 2008 13:28:11 -0700, Andrus <kobruleht2@hot .eewrote:

[...]
ToString() without argument or with empty format string produces this
output except it outputs 0m as 0 :
>
0.400m is converted to 0.4000
123.40m is converted to 123.40
123.4m is converted to 123.4
0m is converted to 0

So, you want the behavior of the "G" code, not the "F" code.

As far as I know, there are no custom formatting codes that do that. I
would not disagree if you felt this was an oversight in .NET.

How to create format string which works as above except 0m, 0.00m etc is
converted to empty string ?
I tried ";;#" format string but this does not output any digits.

What about just writing a method that returns the formatted string you
want? Does this have to be a formatting code?

Pete