string.format()

Type Function
Library string.*
Return value String
Revision Release 2022.3683
Keywords string, format
See also String

Overview

Returns a formatted string following the description given in its arguments.

For more information, see the string.format() section here.

Remarks

This function allows you to use the same formatstring options in C and C++ (information).

Syntax

string.format( formatstring [, ...] )

formatstring:format( [...] )
formatstring (required)

String. The string.

[...] (optional)

String. Optional additional parameters that follow the same rules as the printf family of standard C functions. The only differences are that the options/modifiers *, l, L, n, p, and h are not supported and that there is an extra option, q. The q option formats a string in a form suitable to be safely read back by the Lua interpreter: the string is written between double quotes, and all double quotes, newlines, embedded zeros, and backslashes in the string are correctly escaped when written. The options c, d, E, e, f, g, G, i, o, u, X, and x all expect a number as argument, whereas q and s expect a string. string.format() does not accept string values containing embedded zeros, except as arguments to the q option.

Example

print( string.format( "%6.2f", "1234" ) )                    --> maximum of 6 characters left and 2 right of decimal: 1234.00
print( string.format( "%07d", "1234" ) )                     --> leading zeros with maximum 7 characters: 0001234
print( string.format( "%s %q", "Hello", "Solar2D user!" ) )  --> string and quoted string
print( string.format( "%c%c%c", 76, 117, 97 ) )              --> char: Lua
print( string.format( "%e, %E", math.pi, math.pi ) )         --> exponent: 3.141593e+00, 3.141593E+00
print( string.format( "%f, %g", math.pi, math.pi ) )         --> float and compact float: 3.141593, 3.14159
print( string.format( "%d, %i, %u", -100, -10.1, -100 ) )    --> signed, signed, unsigned integer: -100, -10, 0
print( string.format( "%o, %x, %X", 10, 10, 10 ) )           --> octal, hex, hex: 12, a, A