ABAP Keyword Documentation → ABAP - Reference → Processing Internal Data → Character String and Byte String Processing → Expressions and Functions for String Processing → string_exp - String Expressions → string_exp - String Templates → String Templates - embedded_expressions

Embedded Expressions - format_options

Other versions: 7.31 | 7.40 | 7.54

Syntax


 ... [WIDTH     = len] 
    [ALIGN     = LEFT|RIGHT|CENTER|(val)] 

    [PAD       = c] 
    [CASE      = RAW|UPPER|LOWER|(val)] 

    [SIGN      = LEFT|LEFTPLUS|LEFTSPACE|RIGHT|RIGHTPLUS|RIGHTSPACE|(val)] 

    [EXPONENT  = exp] 
    [DECIMALS  = dec] 

    [ZERO      = YES|NO|(val)] 
    [STYLE     =  SIMPLE|SIGN_AS_POSTFIX|SCALE_PRESERVING 

                 |SCIENTIFIC|SCIENTIFIC_WITH_LEADING_ZERO 

                 |SCALE_PRESERVING_SCIENTIFIC|ENGINEERING 

                 |(val)] 

    [CURRENCY  = cur] 
    [NUMBER    = RAW|USER|ENVIRONMENT|(val)] 

    [DATE      = RAW|ISO|USER|ENVIRONMENT|(val)] 

    [TIME      = RAW|ISO|USER|ENVIRONMENT|(val)] 
    [TIMESTAMP = SPACE|ISO|USER|ENVIRONMENT|(val)] 

    [TIMEZONE  = tz] 
    [COUNTRY   = cty] ... .

Extras

Effect

These formatting options override the predefined formats of embedded expressions in string templates. The formatting options are declared as optional keyword parameters to which an actual parameter is assigned.

The formatting options you can specify depend on the data type of the embedded expression. The formatting options NUMBER, DATE, TIME, TIMESTAMP, and COUNTRY are mutually exclusive.

If a formal parameter or a field symbol with a generic data type is specified as an embedded expression, only those formatting options can be specified that are permitted for all possible specific data types.

Addition 1

... WIDTH = len ...

Effect

This formatting option defines the length of the string displayed by the embedded expression as the value of len, where len is a numerical expression position.

You can declare the option WIDTH for all data types of the embedded expression. If the value of len is less than the minimum required length, it is ignored. This means that you can only increase the predefined length, not reduce it. By default, a string is extended on the right and padded with blanks. You can override this default setting with the formatting options ALIGN and PAD.

Example

See Character String Templates, Length

Addition 2

... ALIGN = LEFT|RIGHT|CENTER|(val) ...

Effect

This formatting option defines the alignment of the string represented by the embedded expression. It only takes effect if WIDTH is used to define a length that is greater than the minimum required length.

The alignment can either be declared statically with one of the predefined parameters or dynamically as the content of a data object val, declared in parentheses. The possible values of val are defined as constants in the class CL_ABAP_FORMAT.

Parameter	Value of val	Effect
`LEFT`	CL_ABAP_FORMAT=>A_LEFT	Left-aligned
`RIGHT`	CL_ABAP_FORMAT=>A_RIGHT	Right-aligned
`CENTER`	CL_ABAP_FORMAT=>A_CENTER	Centered

The default setting is LEFT. Depending on the alignment, excess characters in the result are padded with blanks (default) on the right, left, or alternately left and right. You can override this default setting with the formatting option PAD.

Example

See Character String Templates, Alignments, and Padding

Addition 3

... PAD = c ...

Effect

This formatting option defines the character used to pad excess spaces in the result. It only takes effect if WIDTH is used to define a length that is greater than the minimum required length.

A data object of data type c or string can be defined for c, the first character of which is used as padding. If the PAD option is not declared or if c is specified as an empty string, blanks are used as padding.

Example

See Character String Templates, Alignments, and Padding

Addition 4

... CASE = RAW|UPPER|LOWER|(val) ...

Effect

This formatting option defines the case of the string represented by the embedded expression. You can declare it for all data types of the embedded expression.

The case (upper/lower) can either be declared statically with one of the predefined parameters or dynamically as the content of a data object val, declared in parentheses. The possible values of val are defined as constants in the class CL_ABAP_FORMAT.

Parameter	Value of val	Effect
`RAW`	CL_ABAP_FORMAT=>C_RAW	Unchanged
`UPPER`	CL_ABAP_FORMAT=>C_UPPER	Uppercase
`LOWER`	CL_ABAP_FORMAT=>C_LOWER	Lowercase

The default setting is RAW.

Note

The formatting option CASE affects the letters in a string. It has no effect on padding characters declared using PAD. In numeric data types, the "e" or "E" of an exponent is affected; in byte-like data types, the letters in a hexadecimal representation are affected.

Example

See String Templates, Upper/Lower Case

Addition 5

Effect

This formatting option defines the format of the +/- sign when the string represented by the embedded expression contains a numeric value. You can declare it only if the embedded expression has a numeric data type.

The format of the +/- sign can either be declared statically with one of the predefined parameters or dynamically as the content of a data object val, declared in parentheses. The possible values of val are defined as constants in the class CL_ABAP_FORMAT.

Parameter	Value of val	Effect
`LEFT`	CL_ABAP_FORMAT=>S_LEFT	"`-`" left without space, no "`+`"
`LEFTPLUS`	CL_ABAP_FORMAT=>S_LEFTPLUS	"`-`" and "`+`" left without space
`LEFTSPACE`	CL_ABAP_FORMAT=>S_LEFTSPACE	"`-`" left without space, blank left for "`+`"
`RIGHT`	CL_ABAP_FORMAT=>S_RIGHT	"`-`" right without space, no "`+`"
`RIGHTPLUS`	CL_ABAP_FORMAT=>S_RIGHTPLUS	"`-`" and "`+`" right without space
`RIGHTSPACE`	CL_ABAP_FORMAT=>S_RIGHTSPACE	"`-`" left without space, blank right for "`+`"

The default setting is LEFT.

Example

See String Templates, Sign

Addition 6

... EXPONENT = exp ...

Effect

This formatting option defines the exponent as the value of exp when formatting floating point numbers, where exp is a numerical expression position. You can declare the option EXPONENT only if the embedded expression has a numeric data type. You cannot declare it in combination with the option TIMEZONE.

The option EXPONENT only affects the data type f or if the option STYLE is declared with the value scientific. The string is then formatted in exactly the same way as with the formatting option EXPONENT of the statement WRITE TO, with the following exception:

If exp is declared as the value of the constant CL_ABAP_FORMAT=>EXP_PRESERVE, the exponent is used that matches the internal representation of the floating point value.

Addition 7

... DECIMALS = dec ...

Effect

This formatting option defines the number of decimal places as the value of dec, where dec is a numerical expression position. You can declare the option DECIMALS only if the embedded expression has a numeric data type. You cannot declare it in combination with the option TIMEZONE.

The string is then formatted in exactly the same way as with the formatting option DECIMALS of the statement WRITE TO.

Note

The DECIMALS formatting option does not override the predefined format specifying that thousands separators are not inserted.

Addition 8

... ZERO = YES|NO|(val) ...

Effect

This formatting option defines the format of the numerical value zero. You can declare the option ZERO only if the embedded expression has a numeric data type. You cannot declare it in combination with the option TIMEZONE.

The format of the value zero can either be declared statically with one of the predefined parameters or dynamically as the content of a data object val, declared in parentheses. The possible values of val are defined as constants in the class CL_ABAP_FORMAT.

Parameter	Value of val	Effect
`YES`	CL_ABAP_FORMAT=>Z_YES	The value zero is represented as a numeric value in accordance with the current formatting.
`NO`	CL_ABAP_FORMAT=>Z_NO	The value zero is represented as an empty string.

The default setting is YES.

Addition 9

... STYLE = ...|(val) ...

Effect

This formatting option defines the style of decimal floating point numbers. You can declare the option STYLE only if the embedded expression has a numeric data type. You cannot declare it in combination with the options CURRENCY, SIGN, or TIMEZONE.

The style of a decimal floating point number can either be declared statically with a predefined parameter or dynamically as the content of a data object val, specified in parentheses. The possible values of val are defined as constants in the class CL_ABAP_FORMAT. The following table shows the predefined parameters and the constants of the class CL_ABAP_FORMAT:

Parameter	Value of val
`SIMPLE`	CL_ABAP_FORMAT=>O_SIMPLE
`SIGN_AS_POSTFIX`	CL_ABAP_FORMAT=>O_SIGN_AS_POSTFIX
`SCALE_PRESERVING`	CL_ABAP_FORMAT=>O_SCALE_PRESERVING
`SCIENTIFIC`	CL_ABAP_FORMAT=>O_SCIENTIFIC
`SCIENTIFIC_WITH_LEADING_ZERO`	CL_ABAP_FORMAT=>O_SCIENTIFIC_WITH_LEADING_ZERO
`SCALE_PRESERVING_SCIENTIFIC`	CL_ABAP_FORMAT=>O_SCALE_PRESERVING_SCIENTIFIC
`ENGINEERING`	CL_ABAP_FORMAT=>O_ENGINEERING

The default setting is SIMPLE.

The string is then formatted in exactly the same way as with the formatting option STYLE of the statement WRITE TO. This means that the numerical value is converted to the data type decfloat34 and is handled as described here. Unlike WRITE TO, the following applies:

SIMPLE uses the predefined format of embedded expressions.
The general rules for embedded expressions apply to thousands separators and decimal separators for embedded expressions.

As in WRITE TO, the following rules apply when combining these options with other formatting options:

The option EXPONENT must only be declared with the output style SCIENTIFIC.
The option DECIMALS cannot be declared for output styles that include scaling.

Example

See Decimal Floating Point Number, Formatting with STYLE

Addition 10

... CURRENCY = cur ...

Effect

This formatting option defines the number of decimal spaces when formatting numerical values, dependent on a currency when specified incur using a currency code. You can declare the option CURRENCY only if the embedded expression has one of the numeric data types i, p, or f. You cannot specify it for the numeric data types decfloat16 and decfloat34 and not in combination with the options STYLE or TIMEZONE. The option SIGN can be used to control the formatting of the sign.

The string is formatted in exactly the same way as with the formatting option CURRENCY of the statement WRITE TO with the exception of data type p. In the case of data type p, the formatting depends on how the value is specified:

When the value is specified as a data object or a functional method, CURRENCY works as in WRITE TO, meaning that the actual decimal places are ignored and the decimal separator is inserted according to the currency associated with the specified currency ID.
When specifying a value of an arithmetic expression or a general numerical function, CURRENCY works as in DECIMALS.

cur in the numeric data types i, p, and f expects a currency ID from the column WAERS of the database table TCURC. Two decimal places are used for every currency ID specified, unless it is contained in the CURRKEY column of the database table TCURX. In this case, the number of decimal places is determined from the CURRDEC column of the corresponding row in table TCURX.

Note

The CURRENCY formatting option does not override the predefined format specifying that thousands separators are not inserted.

Addition 11

... NUMBER = RAW|USER|ENVIRONMENT|(val) ...

Effect

This formatting option defines the format of the decimal representation (decimal and thousand separators). The option NUMBER can only be specified if the embedded expression has a numeric data type. As well as the exclusions mentioned above, it cannot be used in combination with the option TIMEZONE .

The format of the decimal representation can either be declared statically with one of the predefined parameters or dynamically as the content of a data object val, declared in parentheses. The possible values of val are defined as constants in the class CL_ABAP_FORMAT.

Parameter	Value of val	Effect
`RAW`	CL_ABAP_FORMAT=>N_RAW	The decimal separator is the period (`.`) and no thousand separators are inserted.
`USER`	CL_ABAP_FORMAT=>N_USER	The decimal and thousand separators are taken from the user master record.
`ENVIRONMENT`	CL_ABAP_FORMAT=>N_ENVIRONMENT	The decimal and thousand separators are determined

according to the current formatting setting of the language environment that can be set using SET COUNTRY.

The default setting is RAW.

Note

If the formatting setting of the language environment has not been set to a country-specific format by means of SET COUNTRY, the use of environment has the same effect as the use of USER.

Example

See character string templates, formatting settings

Addition 12

... DATE = RAW|ISO|USER|ENVIRONMENT|(val) ...

Effect

This formatting option defines the format of a date. You can declare the option DATE only if the embedded expression has the data type d.

The format of the date can either be declared statically with one of the predefined parameters or dynamically as the content of a data object val, declared in parentheses. The possible values of val are defined as constants in the class CL_ABAP_FORMAT.

Parameter	Value of val	Effect
`RAW`	CL_ABAP_FORMAT=>D_RAW	The content of the date field is used without being formatted.
`ISO`	CL_ABAP_FORMAT=>D_ISO	The date if formatted in accordance with ISO 8601, using hyphens (`-`) as separators: "yyyy-mm-dd".
`USER`	CL_ABAP_FORMAT=>D_USER	The date is formatted in accordance with the information in the user master data.
`ENVIRONMENT`	CL_ABAP_FORMAT=>D_ENVIRONMENT	The formatting of the date is determined

according to the current formatting setting of the language environment that can be set using SET COUNTRY.

The default setting is RAW.

Note

If the formatting setting of the language environment has not been set to a country-specific format by means of SET COUNTRY, the use of environment has the same effect as the use of USER.

Example

See character string templates, formatting settings

Addition 13

... TIME = RAW|ISO|USER|ENVIRONMENT|(val) ...

Effect

This formatting option defines the format of a time. You can declare the option TIME only if the embedded expression has the data type t.

The format of the time can either be declared statically with one of the predefined parameters or dynamically as the content of a data object val, declared in parentheses. The possible values of val are defined as constants in the class CL_ABAP_FORMAT.

Parameter	Value of val	Effect
`RAW`	CL_ABAP_FORMAT=>T_RAW	The content of the time field is used without being formatted.
`ISO`	CL_ABAP_FORMAT=>T_ISO	The time is formatted in accordance with ISO 8601, in 24-hour format using colons (`:`) as separators: "hh:mm:ss".
`USER`	CL_ABAP_FORMAT=>T_USER	The time is formatted in accordance with the information in the user master data.
`ENVIRONMENT`	CL_ABAP_FORMAT=>T_ENVIRONMENT	The formatting of the time is determined

according to the current formatting setting of the language environment that can be set using SET COUNTRY.

The default setting is RAW.

Note

You can configure a 24-hour format and four 12-month formats in the user master data or using the SET COUNTRY statement. To use 12-hour format, you must declare USER or ENVIRONMENT or work with the open formatting option COUNTRY.

Note

If the formatting setting of the language environment has not been set to a country-specific format by means of SET COUNTRY, the use of environment has the same effect as the use of USER.

Example

See character string templates, formatting settings

Addition 14

... TIMESTAMP = SPACE|ISO|USER|ENVIRONMENT|(val) ...

Effect

This formatting option defines the format of a time stamp. The option TIMESTAMP can be declared only if the embedded expression has the data type p with the length 8 and no decimal places (TIMESTAMP from ABAP Dictionary) or data type p with length 11 and seven decimal places (TIMESTAMPL from ABAP Dictionary). The value of the embedded expression is interpreted as a time stamp.

The format of the time stamp can either be declared statically with one of the predefined parameters or dynamically as the content of a data object val, declared in parentheses. The possible values of val are defined as constants in the class CL_ABAP_FORMAT.

Parameter	Value of val	Effect
`SPACE`	CL_ABAP_FORMAT=>TS_SPACE	The content of the time stamp is converted by default to a date and time inUTC reference time and they areboth represented in accordance with ISO 8601: "yyyy-mm-dd hh:mm:ss.zzzzzzz". You can use the option `TIMEZONE` to declare a different time zone.
`ISO`	CL_ABAP_FORMAT=>TS_ISO	As `SPACE`, but in accordance with ISO 8601 the character "T" is placed between the date and the time and the decimal separator is always a comma(`,`): "yyyy-mm-ddThh:mm:ss,zzzzzzz".
`USER`	CL_ABAP_FORMAT=>TS_USER	As `SPACE`, but the date format and the time format are taken from the user master record.
`ENVIRONMENT`	CL_ABAP_FORMAT=>TS_ENVIRONMENT	As `SPACE`. However, the date format and time format are defined in accordance with

according to the current formatting setting of the language environment that can be set using SET COUNTRY.

-	CL_ABAP_FORMAT=>TS_RAW	The content of the time stamp is not converted and the output is a packed number.

The default setting is SPACE.

Note

If the formatting setting of the language environment has not been set to a country-specific format by means of SET COUNTRY, the use of environment has the same effect as the use of USER.

Example

See character string templates, formatting settings

Addition 15

... TIMEZONE = tz ...

Effect

This formatting option converts the date and time information of a time stamp to the local date and the local time of the specified time zone. The information is formatted in accordance with how the option TIMESTAMP is specified.

The option TIME ZONE can be specified only if the embedded expression has one of the data types TIMESTAMPL or TIMESTAMP from ABAP Dictionary (as with type p with length 11 and 7 decimal places or p with length 8 and no decimal places) as a time stamp. Other data types produce a syntax error or runtime error.

tz expects a data object of the type TZNZONE containing a time zone from the database table TTZZ. If the rule set for the specified time zone is incomplete, an exception that cannot be handled is raised. If tz is initial, then the time zone is set implicitly to "UTC".

If the addition TIME ZONE is specified for source fields with the types TIMESTAMPL or TIMESTAMP from ABAP Dictionary, then the content of the source field is handled like a time stamp. If the option TIMEZONE is specified without the option TIMESTAMP, the parameter SPACE is added to the option TIMESTAMP implicitly. The option TIMEZONE cannot be specified if the value of CL_ABAP_FORMAT=>TS_RAW is specified for TIMESTAMP in val. The conversion is performed in the same way as with the statement CONVERT TIME STAMP.

If the value of tz is not in the database table TTZZ, if the source field does not contain a valid time stamp, or if the conversion produces a local time outside the value range for local dates and times, then the content is formatted as a UTC time stamp, regardless of the value.

Example

See String Templates, Time Zones

Addition 16

... COUNTRY = cty ...

Effect

The formatting option COUNTRY defines a temporary formatting setting for the currently embedded expression. You can declare it as an alternative to all formatting options for which the parameter ENVIRONMENT can be declared (that is, instead of NUMBER, DATE, TIME, and TIMESTAMP). The embedded expression is formatted as a number, date, or time, or time stamp, depending on its data type.

For cty you have to specify a data object of the type LAND1 from ABAP Dictionary and it must either contain a value from the LAND column of the database table T005X or it must be initial. If not, an exception of the class CX_SY_STRG_FORMAT is raised.

If cty contains a value from the table T005X, the country-specific format defined there is used. If cty is initial, the formatting specified in the user master record is used.

Notes

Unlike using the statement SET COUNTRY and the parameter ENVIRONMENT, there are no side-effects when using the formatting option COUNTRY. The country specified only has an effect on the currently embedded expression and not on any subsequent statements from the current internal mode.
In numbers, the COUNTRY formatting option overrides the predefined setting with regard to thousand separators.

Examples

See