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Format

→ string

Applies a formatting rule to a string or numeric value — currencies, decimals, percentages, ISO dates, custom date patterns, and more. Requires the Core library.

Available in: Email CloudPage Automation Triggered Send

Syntax

Format(textToFormat, formatCode)
2 arguments

Parameters

Name Type Required Description
textToFormat string | number Yes The string or number to apply a formatting rule to
formatCode string Yes A format code to apply (see tables below)

Description

Format() applies a formatting rule to a string or numeric value. Use it to display currency, control decimal places, produce ISO 8601 timestamps, or build custom date strings.

Requires Platform.Load("core", "1.1.5") before use.

Format Codes for Numeric Values

The values in the Example column are based on the sample value 4213.65.

Code Description Example
C Currency value with group and decimal separators $4,213.65
D Decimal value 4213.65
E Exponential notation 4.213650E+003
F Fixed-point value 4213.65
G More compact of fixed-point or exponential notation 4213.65
N Number with group and decimal separators 4,213.65
P Percentage with group and decimal separators 421,365.00%

Append a digit to any code to control the number of decimal places (rounding as needed). For example, with input 4213.65:

  • C0 → $4,214
  • C4 → $4,213.6500

Format Codes for Date Strings

Predefined Date Formats

The values in the Example column are based on Monday, August 5, 2024 at 1:41:23 PM in the UTC-06:00 time zone.

Code Description Example
d Short-form date 8/5/24
M Month and day August 5
f Long-form date with 12-hour time Monday, August 5, 2024 1:41 PM
g Short-form date with 12-hour time 8/5/2024 1:41 PM
O ISO 8601 timestamp 2024-08-05T13:41:23.0000000
r RFC 1123 timestamp Mon, 05 Aug 2024 13:41:23 GMT
s Sortable timestamp 2024-08-05T13:41:23
t 12-hour time 1:41 PM
T 12-hour time with seconds 1:41:23 PM
u Universal sortable timestamp 2024-08-05 13:41:23Z
U Long-form date with 12-hour UTC time with seconds Monday, August 5, 2024 7:41:23 PM
y Month and year August 2024

Custom Date Formats

Combine the codes below to build a custom format string. The values in the Example column are based on Monday, August 5, 2024 at 1:41:23 PM in the UTC-06:00 time zone.

Code Description Example
d Day as numeral without leading zero 5
dd Day as numeral with leading zero 05
ddd Abbreviated day name Mon
dddd Full day name Monday
h Hours on a 12-hour clock without leading zero 1
hh Hours on a 12-hour clock with leading zero 01
HH Hours on a 24-hour clock 13
mm Minutes 41
M Month as numeral without leading zero 8
MM Month as numeral with leading zero 08
MMM Abbreviated month name Aug
MMMM Full month name August
ss Seconds 23
tt 12-hour time period PM
yy Last two digits of year 24
yyy Full year 2024
z Time zone offset in hours without leading zero -6
zz Time zone offset in hours with leading zero -06
zzz Time zone offset in hours and minutes -06:00

Some custom codes overlap with predefined codes (e.g. d). When passed as a single code, Format(date, "d") uses the predefined format. When combined with other codes, it uses the custom interpretation. For example, Format(date, "d MMMM") outputs 5 August.

Examples

Format a currency value

Platform.Load("core", "1.1.5");

var unitPrice = 29.99;
var salesTaxRate = 1.09;
var totalPrice = unitPrice * salesTaxRate; // 32.6891
var formatted = Format(totalPrice, "C2");
Write(formatted); // "$32.69"

Format a date with a predefined code

Platform.Load("core", "1.1.5");

var now = Platform.Function.Now();
var isoDate = Format(now, "O");
Write(isoDate); // e.g. "2024-08-05T13:41:23.0000000"

Format a date with a custom pattern

Platform.Load("core", "1.1.5");

var date = "2024-08-05T13:41:23.000-06:00";
var custom = Format(date, "dddd, MMMM d yyy HH:mm:ss (zzz)");
Write(custom); // "Monday, August 5 2024 13:41:23 (-06:00)"

Platform.Load("core", "1.1.5");

var expiry = Format(Platform.Function.Now(), "r"); // "Mon, 05 Aug 2024 13:41:23 GMT"
Platform.Response.SetCookie("session", token, expiry, true);

See Also

See Also