github.com/eliastor/durgaform@v0.0.0-20220816172711-d0ab2d17673e/website/docs/language/functions/format.mdx (about) 1 --- 2 page_title: format - Functions - Configuration Language 3 description: |- 4 The format function produces a string by formatting a number of other values 5 according to a specification string. 6 --- 7 8 # `format` Function 9 10 The `format` function produces a string by formatting a number of other values according 11 to a specification string. It is similar to the `printf` function in C, and 12 other similar functions in other programming languages. 13 14 ```hcl 15 format(spec, values...) 16 ``` 17 18 ## Examples 19 20 ``` 21 > format("Hello, %s!", "Ander") 22 Hello, Ander! 23 > format("There are %d lights", 4) 24 There are 4 lights 25 ``` 26 27 Simple format verbs like `%s` and `%d` behave similarly to template 28 interpolation syntax, which is often more readable. 29 30 ``` 31 > format("Hello, %s!", var.name) 32 Hello, Valentina! 33 > "Hello, ${var.name}!" 34 Hello, Valentina! 35 ``` 36 37 The formatting verb `%#v` accepts a value of any type and presents it using JSON encoding, similar to jsonencode. This can be useful for describing the values given to a module in [custom condition check](/language/expressions/custom-conditions#error-messages) error messages. 38 39 ``` 40 > format("%#v", "hello") 41 "\"hello\"" 42 > format("%#v", true) 43 "true" 44 > format("%#v", 1) 45 "1" 46 > format("%#v", {a = 1}) 47 "{\"a\":1}" 48 > format("%#v", [true]) 49 "[true]" 50 > format("%#v", null) 51 "null" 52 ``` 53 54 The `format` function is most useful when you use more complex format specifications. 55 56 ## Specification Syntax 57 58 The specification is a string that includes formatting verbs that are introduced 59 with the `%` character. The function call must then have one additional argument 60 for each verb sequence in the specification. The verbs are matched with 61 consecutive arguments and formatted as directed, as long as each given argument 62 is convertible to the type required by the format verb. 63 64 By default, `%` sequences consume successive arguments starting with the first. 65 Introducing a `[n]` sequence immediately before the verb letter, where `n` is a 66 decimal integer, explicitly chooses a particular value argument by its 67 one-based index. Subsequent calls without an explicit index will then proceed 68 with `n`+1, `n`+2, etc. 69 70 The function produces an error if the format string requests an impossible 71 conversion or access more arguments than are given. An error is produced also 72 for an unsupported format verb. 73 74 ### Verbs 75 76 The specification may contain the following verbs. 77 78 | Verb | Result | 79 | ----- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 80 | `%%` | Literal percent sign, consuming no value. | 81 | `%v` | Default formatting based on the [value type](#default-format-verbs). Accepts all types, including items of `null`, `list`, and `map` types. | 82 | `%#v` | JSON serialization of the value, as with `jsonencode`. Accepts all types, including items of `null`, `list`, and `map` types. | 83 | `%t` | Convert to boolean and produce `true` or `false`. | 84 | `%b` | Convert to integer number and produce binary representation. | 85 | `%d` | Convert to integer number and produce decimal representation. | 86 | `%o` | Convert to integer number and produce octal representation. | 87 | `%x` | Convert to integer number and produce hexadecimal representation with lowercase letters. | 88 | `%X` | Like `%x`, but use uppercase letters. | 89 | `%e` | Convert to number and produce scientific notation, like `-1.234456e+78`. | 90 | `%E` | Like `%e`, but use an uppercase `E` to introduce the exponent. | 91 | `%f` | Convert to number and produce decimal fraction notation with no exponent, like `123.456`. | 92 | `%g` | Like `%e` for large exponents or like `%f` otherwise. | 93 | `%G` | Like `%E` for large exponents or like `%f` otherwise. | 94 | `%s` | Convert to string and insert the string's characters. | 95 | `%q` | Convert to string and produce a JSON quoted string representation. | 96 97 ### Default Format Verbs 98 99 When `%v` is used, Terraform chooses the appropriate format verb based on the value type. 100 101 | Type | Verb | 102 | --------- | ----- | 103 | `string` | `%s` | 104 | `number` | `%g` | 105 | `bool` | `%t` | 106 | any other | `%#v` | 107 108 Null values produce the string `null` if formatted with `%v` or `%#v`, and cause an error for other verbs. 109 110 ### Width Modifier 111 112 Use a width modifier with an optional decimal number immediately 113 preceding the verb letter to specify how many characters will be used to represent the value. You can specify precision after the (optional) width with a period (`.`) followed by a decimal number. If width or precision are omitted, Terraform selects default values based on the given value. 114 115 The following examples demonstrate example use cases for the width modifier. 116 117 | Sequence | Result | 118 | -------- | ---------------------------- | 119 | `%f` | Default width and precision. | 120 | `%9f` | Width 9, default precision. | 121 | `%.2f` | Default width, precision 2. | 122 | `%9.2f` | Width 9, precision 2. | 123 124 -> **Note:** Width and precision modifiers with non-numeric types such as 125 strings (`%s`) are interpreted differently. Setting either width or precision to 126 zero is the same as not including them at all. 127 128 ### Additional Format Options 129 130 Use the following symbols immediately after the `%` symbol to set additional formatting requirements. 131 132 | Symbol | Result | 133 | ------ | -------------------------------------------------------------- | 134 | space | Leave a space where the sign would be if a number is positive. | 135 | `+` | Show the sign of a number even if it is positive. | 136 | `-` | Pad the width with spaces on the right rather than the left. | 137 | `0` | Pad the width with leading zeros rather than spaces. | 138 139 140 ## Related Functions 141 142 * [`formatdate`](/language/functions/formatdate) is a specialized formatting function for 143 human-readable timestamps. 144 * [`formatlist`](/language/functions/formatlist) uses the same specification syntax to 145 produce a list of strings.