zeros in decimal numbers in a variable... how to keep them?

[aharown07]

I'm generating a report in which the script goes through several records one at a time and sets a variable to contain values from multiple fields in each record (separated by tab characters usually). Most of the fields are text. But one is an 'amount' field which should look like 3.50 or .90 or 3.00, etc. So the zeros are important.

At the end of the script, the variable is dumped into a field.

Problem: the contents of the "amount" fields show as 3.5, .9 or 3 instead of 3.50, .90 or 3.00.

I tried using SetPrecision() but no change.

Apparently, the field's number format is not going into the variable along w/the field value.... either that or the fact that the variable stores both text and numbers, it's taking it all as text?

(I guess, now that I think about it, I'm not 100% sure they are going into the variable without the formatting... it could be happening when the variable is dumped in the field?)

In any case, how might I get these numerical values to look right in a big text field with alot of other stuff?

Code snippet

Set Variable...

$rptitems&¶

&Globals::gTab &Item::Number&Globals::gTab & Item::Date&Globals::gTab

&Payee::PayeeName&Globals::gTab&Item::Memo&Globals::gTab&SetPrecision(Item::Amount;2)

[comment]

SetPrecision() does something else. See if this helps:

http://fmforums.com/forum/topic/73150-rounding-a-calculation-field/page__p__345958#entry345958

[aharown07]

SetPrecision() does something else. See if this helps:

http://fmforums.com/forum/topic/73150-rounding-a-calculation-field/page__p__345958#entry345958

Thanks... I see the problem. The calculation result that sets the variable is text. The answer might be in the thread you linked to, but I'm not (yet) understanding it. Will have to do some more reading.

Edit: problem is that these are usually negative numbers but also occasionally positive ones

[aharown07]

Got it!

Case(PatternCount(Item::Amount;".")=0;Item::Amount&".00";

PatternCount(Right(Item::Amount;2);".")=1;Item::Amount&"0";

Item::Amount)

[comment]

That will work too - if you're happy with ".25" instead of "0.25".