Oracle SQL*Plus Pocket Reference

SQL*Plus Format Elements

The COLUMN, ACCEPT, SET NUMBER, TTITLE, BTITLE, REPHEADER, and REPFOOTER commands allow you to control data formats using what is called a format specification. A format specification is a string of characters that tells SQL*Plus exactly how to format a number, date, or text string when it is displayed.

Formatting Numbers

Table 1.4 shows the format elements that may be used when formatting numeric output.

Table 1-4. Numeric Format Elements

Format Element	Function
9	Represents a digit in the output.
0	Marks the spot at which you want to begin displaying leading zeros.
$	Includes a leading dollar sign in the output.
,	Places a comma in the output.
.	Marks the location of the decimal point.
B	Forces zero values to be displayed as blanks.
MI	Adds a trailing negative sign to a number and may be used only at the end of a format string.
S	Adds a + or - sign[a] to the number and may be used at either the beginning or end of a format string.
PR	Causes negative values to be displayed within angle brackets. For example, -123.99 will be displayed as <123.99>.
D	Marks the location of the decimal point.
G	Places a group separator (usually a comma) in the output.
C	Marks the place where you want the ISO currency indicator to appear. For U.S. dollars, this will be USD.
L	Marks the place where you want the local currency indicator to appear. For U.S. dollars, this will be the dollar sign character.
V	Displays scaled values. The number of digits to the right of the V indicates ...