Format Function (Visual Basic for Applications)

office 365 dev account|Last Updated: 6/12/2017

Description Returns a Variant (String) containing an expression formatted according to

instructions contained in a format expression. SyntaxFormat(expression [ ,format [
,firstdayofweek [ ,firstweekofyear ]]] ) The Format function syntax has these parts:

Part Description
expression Required. Any valid expression.
format Optional. A valid named or user-defined format expression.
firstdayofweek Optional. A constant that specifies the first day of the week.
firstweekofyear Optional. A constant that specifies the first week of the year.

Settings The firstdayofweekargument has these settings:

Constant Value Description

vbUseSystem 0 Use NLS API setting.
vbSunday 1 Sunday (default)
vbMonday 2 Monday
vbTuesday 3 Tuesday
vbWednesday 4 Wednesday
vbThursday 5 Thursday
vbFriday 6 Friday
vbSaturday 7 Saturday

The firstweekofyear argument has these settings:

Constant Value Description

vbUseSystem 0 Use NLS API setting.
vbFirstJan1 1 Start with week in which January 1 occurs (default).
vbFirstFourDays 2 Start with the first week that has at least four days in the year.
vbFirstFullWeek 3 Start with the first full week of the year.

Remarks

To Format Do This
Use predefined named numeric formats or create user-defined
Numbers
numeric formats.
To Format Do This
Use predefined named date/time formats or create user-defined
Dates and times
date/time formats.
Date and time serial
Use date and time formats or numeric formats.
numbers
Strings Create your own user-defined string formats.

If you try to format a number without specifying format, Format provides functionality
similar to the Str function, although it is internationally aware. However, positive numbers
formatted as strings using Format don't include a leading space reserved for the sign of the
value; those converted using Str retain the leading space. If you are formatting a non-
localized numeric string, you should use a user-defined numeric format to ensure that you
get the look you want.

Note If the Calendar property setting is Gregorian and format specifies date formatting, the
supplied expression must be Gregorian. If the Visual Basic Calendar property setting is Hijri, the
supplied expression must be Hijri.

If the calendar is Gregorian, the meaning of format expression symbols is unchanged. If the
calendar is Hijri, all date format symbols (for example, dddd, mmmm, yyyy ) have the same
meaning but apply to the Hijri calendar. Format symbols remain in English; symbols that
result in text display (for example, AM and PM) display the string (English or Arabic)
associated with that symbol. The range of certain symbols changes when the calendar is
Hijri.

Date Symbols

Symbol Range
d 1-31 (Day of month, with no leading zero).
dd 01-31 (Day of month, with a leading zero).
w 1-7 (Day of week, starting with Sunday = 1)
ww 1-53 (Week of year, with no leading zero; Week 1 starts on Jan 1).
mmm Displays abbreviated month names (Hijri month names have no abbreviations).
mmmm Displays full month names.
y 1-366 (Day of year)
yy 00-99 (Last two digits of year)
yyyy 100-9666 (Three- or Four-digit year)

Time Symbols

Symbol Range
h 0-23 (1-12 with "Am" or "Pm" appended) (Hour of day, with no leading zero)
Symbol Range
hh 0-23 (01-12 with "Am" or "Pm" appended) (Hour of day, with no leading zero)
n 0-59 (Minute of hour, with no leading zero)
nn 0-59 (Minute of hour, with a leading zero)
s 0-59 (Second of minute, with no leading zero)
ss 0-59 (Second of minute, with a leading zero)

Example

This example shows various uses of the Format function to format values using both named
formats and user-defined formats. For the date separator ( / ), time separator ( : ), and AM/
PM literal, the actual formatted output displayed by your system depends on the locale
settings on which the code is running. When times and dates are displayed in the
development environment, the short time format and short date format of the code locale
are used. When displayed by running code, the short time format and short date format of
the system locale are used, which may differ from the code locale. For this example,
English/U.S. is assumed. MyTime and MyDate are displayed in the development environment
using current system short time setting and short date setting.

Dim MyTime, MyDate, MyStr

MyTime = #17:04:23#
MyDate = #January 27, 1993#

' Returns current system time in the system-defined long time format.
MyStr = Format(Time, "Long Time")

' Returns current system date in the system-defined long date format.
MyStr = Format(Date, "Long Date")

MyStr = Format(MyTime, "h:m:s") ' Returns "17:4:23".

MyStr = Format(MyTime, "hh:mm:ss AMPM") ' Returns "05:04:23 PM".
MyStr = Format(MyDate, "dddd, mmm d yyyy") ' Returns "Wednesday,
' Jan 27 1993".
' If format is not supplied, a string is returned.
MyStr = Format(23) ' Returns "23".

' User-defined formats.

MyStr = Format(5459.4, "##,##0.00") ' Returns "5,459.40".
MyStr = Format(334.9, "###0.00") ' Returns "334.90".
MyStr = Format(5, "0.00%") ' Returns "500.00%".
MyStr = Format("HELLO", "<") ' Returns "hello".
MyStr = Format("This is it", ">") ' Returns "THIS IS IT".

Different Formats for Different Numeric Values (Format Function) A user-defined

format expression for numbers can have from one to four sections separated by semicolons.
If the formatargument contains one of the named numeric formats, only one section is
allowed.

If you use The result is

If you use The result is
One section
The format expression applies to all values.
only
The first section applies to positive values and zeros, the second to negative
Two sections
values.
Three The first section applies to positive values, the second to negative values, and
sections the third to zeros.
The first section applies to positive values, the second to negative values, the
Four sections
third to zeros, and the fourth to Null values.

The following example has two sections: the first defines the format for positive values and
zeros; the second section defines the format for negative values.

"$#,##0;($#,##0)"

If you include semicolons with nothing between them, the missing section is printed using
the format of the positive value. For example, the following format displays positive and
negative values using the format in the first section and displays "Zero" if the value is zero.

"$#,##0;;\Z\e\r\o"

Different Formats for Different String Values (Format Function) A format expression for
strings can have one section or two sections separated by a semicolon ( ; ).

If you use The result is

One section
The format applies to all string data.
only
The first section applies to string data, the second to Null values and zero-
Two sections
length strings ("").

Named Date/Time Formats (Format Function) The following table identifies the predefined
date and time format names:

Format
Description
Name
Display a date and/or time. For real numbers, display a date and time, for
General example, 4/3/93 05:34 PM.If there is no fractional part, display only a date, for
Date example, 4/3/93. If there is no integer part, display time only, for example, 05:34
PM. Date display is determined by your system settings.
Long
Display a date according to your system's long date format.
Date
Medium Display a date using the medium date format appropriate for the language
Date version of the host application.
Format
Description
Name
Short
Display a date using your system's short date format.
Date
Long Display a time using your system's long time format; includes hours, minutes,
Time seconds.
Medium Display time in 12-hour format using hours and minutes and the AM/PM
Time designator.
Short
Display a time using the 24-hour format, for example, 17:45.
Time

Named Numeric Formats (Format Function) The following table identifies the predefined
numeric format names:

Format
Description
name
General
Display number with no thousand separator.
Number
Display number with thousand separator, if appropriate; display two digits to
Currency
the right of the decimal separator. Output is based on system locale settings.
Display at least one digit to the left and two digits to the right of the decimal
Fixed
separator.
Display number with thousand separator, at least one digit to the left and two
Standard
digits to the right of the decimal separator.
Display number multiplied by 100 with a percent sign ( % ) appended to the
Percent
right; always display two digits to the right of the decimal separator.
Scientific Use standard scientific notation.
Yes/No Display No if number is 0; otherwise, display Yes.
True/False Display False if number is 0; otherwise, display True.
On/Off Display Off if number is 0; otherwise, display On.

User-Defined String Formats (Format Function) You can use any of the following characters
to create a format expression for strings:

Character Description
Character placeholder. Display a character or a space. If the string has a character
in the position where the at symbol ( @ ) appears in the format string, display it;
@
otherwise, display a space in that position. Placeholders are filled from right to
left unless there is an exclamation point character ( ! ) in the format string.
Character placeholder. Display a character or nothing. If the string has a character
&;
in the position where the ampersand ( &; ) appears, display it; otherwise, display
Character Description
nothing. Placeholders are filled from right to left unless there is an exclamation
point character ( ! ) in the format string.
< Force lowercase. Display all characters in lowercase format.
> Force uppercase. Display all characters in uppercase format.
Force left to right fill of placeholders. The default is to fill placeholders from right
!
to left.

User-Defined Date/Time Formats (Format Function) The following table identifies

characters you can use to create user-defined date/time formats:

Character Description
Time separator. In some locales, other characters may be used to represent the
time separator. The time separator separates hours, minutes, and seconds when
(:)
time values are formatted. The actual character used as the time separator in
formatted output is determined by your system settings.
Date separator. In some locales, other characters may be used to represent the
date separator. The date separator separates the day, month, and year when date
(/)
values are formatted. The actual character used as the date separator in
formatted output is determined by your system settings.
Display the date as ddddd and display the time as ttttt, in that order. Display only
c date information if there is no fractional part to the date serial number; display
only time information if there is no integer portion.
d Display the day as a number without a leading zero (1 - 31).
dd Display the day as a number with a leading zero (01 - 31).
ddd Display the day as an abbreviation (Sun - Sat).
dddd Display the day as a full name (Sunday - Saturday).
Display the date as a complete date (including day, month, and year), formatted
ddddd according to your system's short date format setting. The default short date
format is m/d/yy.
Display a date serial number as a complete date (including day, month, and year)
dddddd formatted according to the long date setting recognized by your system. The
default long date format is mmmm dd, yyyy.
aaaa The same as dddd, only it's the localized version of the string.
w Display the day of the week as a number (1 for Sunday through 7 for Saturday).
ww Display the week of the year as a number (1 - 54).
Display the month as a number without a leading zero (1 - 12). If m immediately
m
follows h or hh, the minute rather than the month is displayed.
Display the month as a number with a leading zero (01 - 12). If m immediately
mm
follows h or hh, the minute rather than the month is displayed.
mmm Display the month as an abbreviation (Jan - Dec).
mmmm Display the month as a full month name (January - December).
oooo The same as mmmm, only it's the localized version of the string.
q Display the quarter of the year as a number (1 - 4).
y Display the day of the year as a number (1 - 366).
yy Display the year as a 2-digit number (00 - 99).
yyyy Display the year as a 4-digit number (100 - 9999).
h Display the hour as a number without leading zeros (0 - 23).
Hh Display the hour as a number with leading zeros (00 - 23).
N Display the minute as a number without leading zeros (0 - 59).
Nn Display the minute as a number with leading zeros (00 - 59).
S Display the second as a number without leading zeros (0 - 59).
Ss Display the second as a number with leading zeros (00 - 59).
Display a time as a complete time (including hour, minute, and second),
formatted using the time separator defined by the time format recognized by
ttttt
your system. A leading zero is displayed if the leading zero option is selected and
the time is before 10:00 A.M. or P.M. The default time format is h:mm:ss.
Use the 12-hour clock and display an uppercase AM with any hour before noon;
AM/PM
display an uppercase PM with any hour between noon and 11:59 P.M.
Use the 12-hour clock and display a lowercase AM with any hour before noon;
am/pm
display a lowercase PM with any hour between noon and 11:59 P.M.
Use the 12-hour clock and display an uppercase A with any hour before noon;
A/P
display an uppercase P with any hour between noon and 11:59 P.M.
Use the 12-hour clock and display a lowercase A with any hour before noon;
a/p
display a lowercase P with any hour between noon and 11:59 P.M.
Use the 12-hour clock and display the AM string literal as defined by your system
with any hour before noon; display the PM string literal as defined by your system
AMPM with any hour between noon and 11:59 P.M. AMPM can be either uppercase or
lowercase, but the case of the string displayed matches the string as defined by
your system settings. The default format is AM/PM.

User-Defined Numeric Formats (Format Function) The following table identifies characters
you can use to create user-defined number formats:

Character Description
None Display the number with no formatting.
Digit placeholder. Display a digit or a zero. If the expression has a digit in the
position where the 0 appears in the format string, display it; otherwise, display a
(0)
zero in that position.If the number has fewer digits than there are zeros (on
either side of the decimal) in the format expression, display leading or trailing
 zeros. If the number has more digits to the right of the decimal separator than
there are zeros to the right of the decimal separator in the format expression,
round the number to as many decimal places as there are zeros. If the number
has more digits to the left of the decimal separator than there are zeros to the
left of the decimal separator in the format expression, display the extra digits
without modification.
Digit placeholder. Display a digit or nothing. If the expression has a digit in the
position where the # appears in the format string, display it; otherwise, display
nothing in that position. This symbol works like the 0 digit placeholder, except
(#)
that leading and trailing zeros aren't displayed if the number has the same or
fewer digits than there are # characters on either side of the decimal separator in
the format expression.
Decimal placeholder. In some locales, a comma is used as the decimal separator.
The decimal placeholder determines how many digits are displayed to the left
and right of the decimal separator. If the format expression contains only
number signs to the left of this symbol, numbers smaller than 1 begin with a
(.)
decimal separator. To display a leading zero displayed with fractional numbers,
use 0 as the first digit placeholder to the left of the decimal separator. The actual
character used as a decimal placeholder in the formatted output depends on the
Number Format recognized by your system.
Percentage placeholder. The expression is multiplied by 100. The percent
( %)
character ( % ) is inserted in the position where it appears in the format string.
Thousand separator. In some locales, a period is used as a thousand separator.
The thousand separator separates thousands from hundreds within a number
that has four or more places to the left of the decimal separator. Standard use of
the thousand separator is specified if the format contains a thousand separator
surrounded by digit placeholders ( 0 or # ). Two adjacent thousand separators or
a thousand separator immediately to the left of the decimal separator (whether
(,) or not a decimal is specified) means "scale the number by dividing it by 1000,
rounding as needed." For example, you can use the format string "##0,," to
represent 100 million as 100. Numbers smaller than 1 million are displayed as 0.
Two adjacent thousand separators in any position other than immediately to the
left of the decimal separator are treated simply as specifying the use of a
thousand separator. The actual character used as the thousand separator in the
formatted output depends on the Number Format recognized by your system.
Time separator. In some locales, other characters may be used to represent the
time separator. The time separator separates hours, minutes, and seconds when
(:)
time values are formatted. The actual character used as the time separator in
formatted output is determined by your system settings.
Date separator. In some locales, other characters may be used to represent the
date separator. The date separator separates the day, month, and year when
(/)
date values are formatted. The actual character used as the date separator in
formatted output is determined by your system settings.
( E- E+ e- Scientific format. If the format expression contains at least one digit placeholder (
e+ ) 0 or # ) to the right of E-, E+, e-, or e+, the number is displayed in scientific format
and E or e is inserted between the number and its exponent. The number of digit
placeholders to the right determines the number of digits in the exponent. Use E-
or e- to place a minus sign next to negative exponents. Use E+ or e+ to place a
minus sign next to negative exponents and a plus sign next to positive exponents.
Display a literal character. To display a character other than one of those listed,
-+$()
precede it with a backslash () or enclose it in double quotation marks (" ").
Display the next character in the format string. To display a character that has
special meaning as a literal character, precede it with a backslash (). The
backslash itself isn't displayed. Using a backslash is the same as enclosing the
next character in double quotation marks. To display a backslash, use two
(\)
backslashes (\). Examples of characters that can't be displayed as literal
characters are the date-formatting and time-formatting characters (a, c, d, h, m,
n, p, q, s, t, w, y, / and :), the numeric-formatting characters (#, 0, %, E, e,
comma, and period), and the string-formatting characters (@, &;, <, >, and !).
Display the string inside the double quotation marks (" "). To include a string in
("ABC") format from within code, you must use Chr( 34 ) to enclose the text (34 is
thecharacter code for a quotation mark (")).