Formatting Data
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Dashboard allows you to customize various data format settings for numeric and date-time values.
Formatting Numeric Values
To specify a format for numeric values, select Format in the data item menu.
This invokes the Numeric Format window.
In the Format type field, select the required format type (the DataItemNumericFormat.FormatType property). Format types that can be specified are described in the table below.
| Format type | Description | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Auto | Format settings are automatically determined based on the data type. | |
| General | Converts a number to the most compact fixed-point or scientific notation. | |
| Number | Converts a number to a string of the “-d,ddd,ddd.ddd…” form where “-“ indicates a negative number symbol (if required), “d” indicates a digit (0-9), “,” indicates a group separator, and “.” indicates a decimal point symbol. | 1234.567 -> 1,234.57 (en-US) |
| Currency | Converts a number to a string that represents a currency amount. To learn about currency formatting specifics, see the Currency Formatting Specifics section of this document. | 123.456 -> $123.46 (en-US) |
| Scientific | Converts a number to a string of the “-d.ddd…E+ddd” or “-d.ddd…e+ddd” form where each “d” indicates a digit (0-9). | 1052.0329112756 -> 1.052033E+003 (en-US) |
| Percent | Multiplies a number by 100 and converts it to a percentage string. | -0.39678 -> -39.7 % (en-US) |
Other format settings are only in effect for specific format types.
Setting | Description | Format Types | API |
|---|---|---|---|
Unit | The unit to which values should be converted. | Number, Currency | |
Precision | The number of fractional digits that should be displayed. | Scientific, Percentage | |
Currency | Defines the currency sign and format settings that should be used to display currency values. To learn about currency formatting specifics, see the Currency Formatting Specifics section of this document. | Currency | |
Currency culture | For currencies used in a region with several cultures, specifies the culture that defines format settings. | Currency | |
Include group separator | Specifies whether separators should be inserted between digit groups. | Number, Currency, Percentage |
The DataItem.NumericFormat property provides access to the format settings for numeric values.
Formatting Date-Time Values
To specify a format for date-time values, use the Format submenu in the data item menu.
This submenu lists the available format types that depend on the selected group interval (for details on group intervals, see the Grouping topic).
Note
Specific group intervals do not have format options. This means that corresponding values can only be presented in a single manner. The Format submenu is not displayed for such group intervals.
To specify a format for date-time values in code, use the DataItem.DateTimeFormat property. This property returns the DataItemDateTimeFormat object, which allows you to specify formatting for different group intervals.
The following table lists format types by group interval.
Group Interval | Format type | Description | Examples | API |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Full Abbreviated | The full year pattern. The year from 00 to 99. | 6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> 2009 (en-US) 6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> 09 (en-US) | |
Quarter | Full Numeric | The full quarter pattern. The quarter from 1 through 4. | 6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> Q2 (en-US) 6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> 2 (en-US) | |
Month | Full Abbreviated Numeric | The full name of the month. The abbreviated name of the month. The month from 1 through 12 | 6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> June (en-US) 6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> Jun (en-US) 6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> 6 (en-US) | |
Hour | Long Short | Long hour pattern, 12-hour format. Short hour pattern, 24-hour format. | 6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> 1:00 PM 6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> 13 | |
Day of Week | Full Abbreviated Numeric | The full name of the day of the week. The abbreviated name of the day of the week. The day of the week from 1 through 7. | 6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> Monday (en-US) 6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> Mon (en-US) 6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> 2 (en-US) | |
Day-Month-Year | Long Short | Long date pattern. Short date pattern. | 6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> Monday, June 15, 2009 (en-US) 6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> 6/15/2009 (en-US) | |
Date-Hour | Long Short Time only | Long date pattern, long hour pattern. Short date pattern, long hour pattern. Long hour pattern. | 6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> Monday, June 15, 2009 1:00 PM (en-US) 6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> 6/15/2009 1:00 PM (en-US) 6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> 1:00 PM (en-US) | |
Date-Hour-Minute | Long Short Time only | Long date pattern, short time pattern. Long date pattern, short time pattern. Short time pattern. | 6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> Monday, June 15, 2009 1:45 PM (en-US) 6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> 6/15/2009 1:45 PM (en-US) 6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> 1:45 PM (en-US) | |
Date-Hour-Minute-Second | Long Short Time only | Long date pattern, long time pattern. Short date pattern, long time pattern. Long time pattern. | 6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> Monday, June 15, 2009 1:45:30 PM (en-US) 6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> 6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM (en-US) 6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> 1:45:30 PM (en-US) |
The table below lists format types related to the Exact Date group interval. You can specify the format of exact values in code using the DataItemDateTimeFormat.ExactDateFormat property and corresponding properties from the table below.
Exact Date Format | Format Type | Description | Examples | API |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Full Abbreviated | The full year pattern. The year from 00 to 99. | 6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> 2009 (en-US) 6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> 09 (en-US) | |
Quarter | n/a | The default year and full quarter pattern. | 6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> Q2 2009 (en-US) | n/a |
Month | n/a | The default year pattern and the full name of the month. | 6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> June, 2009 (en-US) | n/a |
Day | Long Short | Long date pattern. Short date pattern. | 6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> Monday, June 15, 2009 (en-US) 6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> 6/15/2009 (en-US) | |
Hour | Long Short Time only | Long date pattern, long time pattern. Short date pattern, long time pattern. Long time pattern. | 6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> Monday, June 15, 2009 1:00 PM (en-US) 6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> 6/15/2009 1:00 PM (en-US) 6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> 1:00 PM (en-US) | |
Minute | Long Short Time only | Long date pattern, long time pattern. Short date pattern, long time pattern. Long time pattern. | 6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> Monday, June 15, 2009 1:45 PM (en-US) 6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> 6/15/2009 1:45 PM (en-US) 6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> 1:45 PM (en-US) | |
Second | Long Short Time only | Long date pattern, long time pattern. Short date pattern, long time pattern. Long time pattern. | 6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> Monday, June 15, 2009 1:45:30 PM (en-US) 6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> 6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM (en-US) 6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> 1:45:30 PM (en-US) |
Currency Formatting Specifics
The Dashboard allows you to specify currency formats at two levels: for individual data items and for the entire dashboard.
Data Item Currency
To specify which currency to use for a particular data item, select Format from the data item menu.
In the Numeric Format dialog, select Currency in the Format type field and use the Currency combo box to select the required currency.
For regions with several cultures, you can also select the culture that will be used to format currency values.
You can also apply the default dashboard currency by selecting Use dashboard settings in the Currency field.
To specify the currency to use for a particular data item in code, utilize the DataItemNumericFormat.CurrencyCultureName property.
Dashboard Currency
You can also specify the default currency for the dashboard. This setting will be applied to dashboard items that have no currency defined.
To set the dashboard currency, click the Currency button in the Ribbon.
This invokes the Dashboard Currency window. In this window, select the required currency using the Currency combo box.
For regions with several cultures, you can also select the culture that will be used to format currency values.
You can also specify the client culture that should be used for the dashboard by selecting the Use client system settings item. In this instance, the current system culture will be used in WinForms applications, and the client culture will be used in Web applications.
To specify the default currency for the dashboard in code, use the Dashboard.CurrencyCultureName property.
API Members
| API | Description |
|---|---|
| DataItem.NumericFormat | Provides access to the format settings for numeric values. |
| DataItem.DateTimeFormat | Provides access to the format settings for date-time values. |
| Dashboard.CurrencyCultureName | Gets or sets the default currency for the Dashboard. |
| DataItemNumericFormat | Contains format settings for numeric values. |
| DataItemDateTimeFormat | Contains formatting settings for date-time values. |