Formatting Values

A field's format controls how its values are displayed in Widgets, without changing the data.

Every field starts with a default format, such as Integer, Decimal or Date. If your developer has made a field editable, you can adjust that format or replace it with your own.

When a field plotted on a chart is formatted as a percentage, the chart's value axis shows percentages too, so it matches the tooltip. If several fields share an axis, the axis follows the first of them.

The example below applies the formats on this page to the values used to explain them. Each column is headed by its format string.

Format Selection Copy Link

To change a field's format, select it in the Data Panel, then select Edit at the bottom of the Compose Panel. See Editing Fields for which fields can be edited.

The Format list offers the field's own format and Custom:

• With the field's own format selected, the panel shows options for that format. Number formats offer settings such as Decimal Places, Thousands Separator, Units and Negative Format. Date formats offer a Style list. Boolean formats offer True and False text boxes.
• Choose Custom to type a format string into the Custom Format box. While the box is empty, it shows the field's default format as a hint.

The Format Preview shows how values will look. Select Save to apply the format, or Cancel to discard it.

For a calculation you created yourself, the Format list offers every format. Choosing Custom also shows a Data Type list, where you choose the type of value your expression returns. See Calculations.

Number Formats Copy Link

A number format is built from digit placeholders, separators and symbols:

• 0 always shows a digit, padding with zeros where needed. 000 shows 7 as 007.
• # shows a digit only when needed. #.00 shows 0.5 as .50, while 0.00 shows 0.50.
• . marks the decimal point. The number of placeholders after it sets the decimal places, and values are rounded to fit.
• , between placeholders adds a thousands separator.
• % multiplies the value by 100 and adds a percent sign.
• Text in double quotes, such as "£", is shown exactly as typed.

Each example below shows a format and how it displays one value:

Thousands and Millions Copy Link

A , at the end of the number part, with no placeholder after it, divides the value by 1,000, and two of them divide by 1,000,000. Add a label in double quotes to show the unit:

• #,##0,"K" shows 45,300 as 45K.
• #,##0.0,,"M" shows 1,500,000 as 1.5M.

The Units option on Integer, Decimal and Currency formats applies the same scaling without a format string.

Positive, Negative and Zero Values Copy Link

A format can have up to three sections separated by ;. The first formats positive values, the second negative values and the third zero values:

#,##0;(#,##0);"-"

This format shows 1234 as 1,234, -1234 as (1,234) and 0 as -. With only one section, negative values show a minus sign, such as -1,234.

Conditional Formats Copy Link

Put a condition in square brackets at the start of a section to control when that section applies. The first section whose condition matches the value is used. Conditions can use >, >=, <, <=, = and <>.

[>=1000000]#,##0.0,,"M";[>=1000]#,##0.0,"K";#,##0

This format shows 2,500,000 as 2.5M, 45,000 as 45.0K and 500 as 500.

Date and Time Formats Copy Link

Date and time formats use letters for each part of the date:

• yyyy is the four-digit year and yy the two-digit year.
• m, mm, mmm and mmmm show the month as 3, 03, Mar and March.
• d, dd, ddd and dddd show the day as 5, 05, Wed and Wednesday.
• qq is the quarter and ww the week number.
• h or hh is the hour, mm the minutes and ss the seconds. m and mm mean minutes when they follow an hour or come before seconds.
• am/pm switches the hour to the 12-hour clock.

Each example below shows a format applied to 5 March 2025 at 14:07:09:

Put words in double quotes, as with "Q" above, so that their letters are not read as parts of the date.

Boolean Formats Copy Link

Type the text to show for true and false values into the True and False boxes. To write the same thing as a format string, give two sections in double quotes, the first for true and the second for false:

"Yes";"No"

Default Formats and Language Copy Link

Default date and date-time formats follow your regional settings, so the same date can display as 31/12/2025 or 12/31/2025.

Month and day names, AM and PM, and the default True and False text appear in the language your developer has set for AG Studio. Your developer can also change the default format for any field.