Hello dear users of Stimulsoft reporting tools! We are always glad to share you the latest news about our product and various novelties. This time we want to tell you about Text Format.

Text Format

Text Format is a functionality that allows to apply various templates to text. With the help of it you can display your text in different variants, such as money, percents, decimal numbers and phone numbers.

All settings of the text format you can find in Home tab in Text Format panel:

Text Format Tab
There is a set of standard templates, their settings depend on the localization of operating system, and a form call-button of Text Format in the Text Format panel:

Text Format Button
This button allows to set additional format properties:

Format

Currency Format

For example you want to type a dollar symbol "$", but you use a computer with Russian locale and you have to send a financial report to your colleagues in the USA, using symbol "$". Also you want to type percentages and decimal numbers in this report.

To do it you should choose Currency Format:

Currency Format Properties
This format is applied to text, if you need to use currency designation. With the help of this format you can type currency symbol, in your case it`s a dollar symbol "$". For example you just type "1500" text, highlight the text component and then choose Currency format:

Currency Format
Set the currency symbol you need:

Currency Format PropertiesAnd you get "$1,500".

Currency Format Result

Percentage Format

You can type percentages too. For example you have "87" symbols and you need to turn them into "87%". To do it you should highlight the text component and choose Percentage Format. Remember, that the percentage Format multiplies a value by 100:

Percentage Format
Next, you should set percentage symbol in format properties:

Percentage Format Properties
After that you get the result you need.

Number Format

Besides, with the help of Number Format you can change number`s format. For example you need to apply a format with division into groups and adding a fractional part for "1500" text. To do it you should highlight the text component and choose Number Format:

Number Format
Next, you should set necessary number of fractional signs in format properties:

Number Format Properties
All of the above formats – Currency, Percentage, Number have the following properties: the number of decimal places, group separator, group size, positive template, negative template and currency template.

Date Format

Also you can change date format. Suppose you have the same situation - you are in Russia, sitting at a computer, where date is put firstly, then month and year and you need to send a report to your colleagues in the USA, where month is put first and only then date and year. To do it you should type in your text the date you are used to, then highlight the text component, choose Date Format and the date format you need:

Date Format
A few more words about changing time format. For example you typed text "14:00", but you decided to change it to "2:00 PM" for your American colleagues. To do this you should highlight the text component, then choose Time Format and P.M. format:

Time Format
And you get the result you need:

Time Format Result

Custom Format

In addition to the above you can format a phone number. For example you need to display a phone number with a code, brackets, dash and so on. To do this you should highlight the text component and choose Custom Format. In this format you can find (###) ### - #### format mask:

Custom Format
Choose it and you will be able to format a phone number as you need. Next, you should make the template you need: +(##) ## - ## - ##, then the numbers from the text appear instead of hashes and you get "+1 (23) 45 - 67 - 89" from "123456789" text.

Dashboards

It`s worth noting that Text Format can also be applied to many elements in dashboards. For example, indicators and charts.

Indicator

So let`s consider its applying to indicators. To do this, choose an indicator:

Indicator Format
Next, go to the Home tab, then Text Format and choose Currency Format:

Indicator Format Properties
Set currency symbol and you get:

Indicator Currency Format Result

Chart

Things are a little bit different with charts. For example at your chart thousands are displayed in the standard way: "1,800"; "1,600", and you want to shorten them and give them a different look, for example like this: "1.8K"; "1.6K". How to do this? Firstly choose a chart:

Chart Value Format
Next, go to the Properties. You can find 2 properties there: Argument Format and Value Format. Choose Value Format and click on the edge button:

Chart Value Format Properties
Then at the appeared Text Format form choose Number Format and activate Use Abbreviation property:

Chart Use Abbreviation
And you get a chart with formatted values:

Chart Value Format Result
It was value axis (Y). And let`s look at applying Text Format to the argument axis. At an argument axis (X) chart you have axis values as prime numbers and you want to turn them into percentages:

Chart Argument format
To do this you should choose Argument Format and click on the edge button in properties:

Chart Argument Format Properties
Next, on the opening Text Format window you choose Percentage Format and set percentage symbol:

Chart Percentage Format
And you get the result you need:

Chart Argument Percentage Format Result

Table

In addition, there are tables in dashboards. And you can also apply Text Format to them. For example you have a table with three columns and at one of them you want to apply Percentage Format. Let`s have a look how to do it.

Firstly, choose a table:

Table Format
Let`s say you want to change Rank column and apply Percentage Format to it. To do this you should open a table editing form.

Next, you should highlight the column:

Table Format Properties
Click on the dialog box button, then go to the Home tab and in Text Format group choose Percentage Format and percentage symbol:

Percentage Format Properties
And you get the result you need:

Table Percentage Format Result
We hope this article will help you to understand Text Format features of use, when creating tables, charts, indicators and the like in Stimulsoft report designer. If you have any questions, please contact us – we are always glad to help you!
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