Lesson 20: Mastering the Format Function in VB2022

Private Sub BtnFormat_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles BtnFormat.Click
    ' Using built-in formats
    lblGeneral.Text = Format(8972.234, "General Number")
    lblFixed.Text = Format(8972.2, "Fixed")
    lblStandard.Text = Format(6648972.265, "Standard")
    lblCurrency.Text = Format(6648972.265, "Currency")
    lblPercent.Text = Format(0.56324, "Percent")
End Sub

Private Sub BtnCustomFormat_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles BtnCustomFormat.Click
    ' Using custom formats
    lblOneDecimal.Text = Format(8972.234, "0.0")
    lblTwoDecimals.Text = Format(8972.2345, "0.00")
    lblThousands.Text = Format(6648972.265, "#,##0.00")
    lblCurrency.Text = Format(6648972.265, "$#,##0.00")
    lblPercent.Text = Format(0.56324, "0.00%")
End Sub

Private Sub BtnSpecialCases_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles BtnSpecialCases.Click
    ' Formatting negative numbers with parentheses
    lblNegative.Text = Format(-1234.56, "$#,##0.00;($#,##0.00)")
    
    ' Custom display for zero values
    lblZero.Text = Format(0, "$#,##0.00;""Zero"";""N/A""")
    
    ' Phone number formatting
    lblPhone.Text = Format(5551234567, "(###) ###-####")
    
    ' Social security number formatting
    lblSSN.Text = Format(123456789, "###-##-####")
    
    ' Custom alignment for decimal points
    lblAlign1.Text = Format(1234.5, "#####0.00")
    lblAlign2.Text = Format(78.9, "#####0.00")
End Sub

Private Sub BtnDisplay_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles BtnDisplay.Click
    ' Display current date/time in various formats
    lblGeneral.Text = Format(Now, "General Date")
    lblLongDate.Text = Format(Now, "Long Date")
    lblShortDate.Text = Format(Now, "Short Date")
    lblLongTime.Text = Format(Now, "Long Time")
    lblShortTime.Text = Format(Now, "Short Time")
End Sub

Private Sub BtnAdvancedDate_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles BtnAdvancedDate.Click
    ' Day of week formatting
    lblFullDay.Text = Format(Now, "dddd")      ' Full day name
    lblShortDay.Text = Format(Now, "ddd")       ' Abbreviated day name
    lblFullDate.Text = Format(Now, "dddd, MMMM d, yyyy")
    
    ' Business formats
    lblISO.Text = Format(Now, "yyyy-MM-dd") ' ISO format
    lbl12Hour.Text = Format(Now, "hh:mm tt")   ' 12-hour format
    lbl24Hour.Text = Format(Now, "HH:mm")      ' 24-hour format
    
    ' Financial quarter formatting
    Dim quarter As Integer = (Month(Now) + 2) \ 3
    lblQuarter.Text = $"Q{quarter} {Year(Now)}"
    
    ' Countdown formatting
    Dim futureDate As Date = #12/31/2024#
    Dim timeLeft As TimeSpan = futureDate - Now
    lblCountdown.Text = $"{timeLeft.Days} days, {timeLeft.Hours} hours remaining"
End Sub

Private Sub Timer1_Tick(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles Timer1.Tick
    lblDateTime.Text = Format(Now, "dddd, MMMM d, yyyy h:mm:ss tt")
    lblCountdown.Text = Format(#12/31/2023# - Now, "d' days 'h' hours '")
End Sub

Practical Exercises

Apply your formatting knowledge with these hands-on exercises:

Exercise 1: Financial Report Generator

Create a program that generates a financial report with properly formatted numbers:

• Format currency values with dollar signs and two decimal places
• Display percentages with one decimal place
• Align all decimal points in a column
• Format negative values in red with parentheses

Exercise 2: Event Countdown Timer

Build an application that counts down to a specific event:

• Display days, hours, minutes, and seconds remaining
• Format the countdown as "X days, Y hours, Z minutes"
• Update the display in real-time using a Timer control
• Change formatting as the event approaches

Exercise 3: International Date Formatter

Create a program that displays the current date in multiple formats:

• US format (MM/dd/yyyy)
• European format (dd/MM/yyyy)
• ISO format (yyyy-MM-dd)
• Long format (dddd, MMMM d, yyyy)
• Allow users to select their preferred format

Exercise 4: Data Export Utility

Develop an application that exports data to a CSV file with proper formatting:

• Format currency values without dollar signs
• Ensure dates are in ISO format for database compatibility
• Handle special characters in text fields
• Format percentages as decimals (e.g., 15% as 0.15)