Convert to Text

Convert to Text

Converts and formats input values of different types to a text string.

By default, the Convert to Text Node can combine and format eight input values. The node outputs the result as a text. Values can be accessed by encapsulating an input value index in {} brackets, e.g. {3} for embedding input value 3 in the output text. Additional inputs can be added via Custom Model by using the Append Input and Remove Input buttons at the bottom of the Property Editor. Formatting of individual values follows the rules defined by the ​Composite Formatting features of the .NET framework.

{index[,alignment][:formatString]}

• The mandatory index component, also called a parameter specifier, is a number starting from 0 which identifies input value properties. That is, the format item whose parameter specifier is 0 formats the Value0 property, the format item whose parameter specifier is 1 formats the Value1 property, and so on.
  Multiple format items can refer to the same property by specifying the same index. For example, you can format the same numeric value in hexadecimal, scientific, and number format by specifying a composite format string like this: "{0:X} {0:E} {0:N}".
• The optional alignment component is a signed integer indicating the preferred formatted field width. If the value of alignment is less than the length of the formatted string, alignment is ignored and the length of the formatted string is used as the field width. The formatted data in the field is right-aligned if alignment is positive and left-aligned if alignment is negative. If padding is necessary, white space is used. The comma is required if alignment is specified.
• The optional formatString component is a format string that is appropriate for the type of value being formatted. Specify a standard or custom numeric format string if the corresponding value is a numeric value, a standard or custom date and time format string if the corresponding object is a DateTime object, or an enumeration format string if the corresponding object is an enumeration value. If formatString is not specified, the general ("G") format specifier for a numeric, date and time, or enumeration type is used. The colon is required if formatString is specified.

Example

Assume two float properties are bound to a Convert to Text Node, the first having a value of 5.15335 and the second of 2.3254736. The following formatting string

Length: {0:0.00} (Maximum {1:0})

would result in this output string:

Length: 5.15 Maximum 2

Encoding & Decoding

The input/output string can be encoded/decoded by using the properties in the WebEncode category. This will for example replace characters that are not legal in an HTML string (i.e. the < character which is reserved for opening/closing tags and thus must be replace by &lt; when used anywhere else) with the correct encoding or vice versa.

JSON

If the type of an input value is JsonObject some special formatting codes apply. Please see Json Parser Node.

The JsonEncode and JsonDecode options allows one to encode and decode Json escaped text (string). If you want to utilize the Convert to Text node to create Json formatted text you should set Input to JsonEncode.

Example

Value0 and Value1 receive strings. Value2 receives a number.

{{
  "firstName" : {0},
  "lastName"  : {1},
  "age"       : {2}   
}}

The double curled braces {{ are mandatory. A single curled brace is interpreted as placeholder for value substitution. The doubling escapes the brace which causes the output to contain single brace {.

Culture

The Culture property defines the culture to be used to convert (format) the values into text. The default value is Machine which refers to the culture settings define in the Machine Configuration.

Standard Number Formatting

Standard numeric format strings are used to format common numeric types. A standard numeric format string takes the form Axx, where A is an alphabetic character called the format specifier, and xx is an optional integer called the precision specifier. The precision specifier ranges from 0 to 99 and affects the number of digits in the result.

Custom Numeric Formatting

You can create a custom numeric format string, which consists of one or more custom numeric specifiers, to define how to format numeric data. A custom numeric format string is any format string that is not a standard numeric format string.

Standard Date and Time Formatting

A standard date and time format string uses a single format specifier to define the text representation of a date and time value. Any date and time format string that contains more than one character, including white space, is interpreted as a custom date and time format string; for more information, see Custom Date and Time Format Strings.

Custom Date and Time Formatting

A date and time format string defines the text representation of a DateTime value that results from a formatting operation. It can also define the representation of a date and time value that is required in a parsing operation in order to successfully convert the string to a date and time. A custom format string consists of one or more custom date and time format specifiers. Any string that is not a standard date and time format string is interpreted as a custom date and time format string.