# Number Formatting

Contents

Support for locale-specific formatting and parsing of numbers is provided by the `babel.numbers` module:

    >>> from babel.numbers import format_number, format_decimal, format_percent

Examples:

    >>> format_decimal(1.2345, locale='en_US')
    u'1.234'
    >>> format_decimal(1.2345, locale='sv_SE')
    u'1,234'
    >>> format_decimal(12345, locale='de_DE')
    u'12.345'

# 1 Pattern Syntax

While Babel makes it simple to use the appropriate number format for a given locale, you can also force it to use custom patterns. As with date/time formatting patterns, the patterns Babel supports for number formatting are based on the Locale Data Markup Language specification (LDML).

Examples:

    >>> format_decimal(-1.2345, format='#,##0.##;-#', locale='en')
    u'-1.23'
    >>> format_decimal(-1.2345, format='#,##0.##;(#)', locale='en')
    u'(1.23)'

The syntax for custom number format patterns is described in detail in the the specification. The following table is just a relatively brief overview.

> > Symbol | Description
> > --- | ---
> > `0` | Digit
> > `1-9` | '1' through '9' indicate rounding.
> > `@` | Significant digit
> > `#` | Digit, zero shows as absent
> > `.` | Decimal separator or monetary decimal separator
> > `-` | Minus sign
> > `,` | Grouping separator
> > `E` | Separates mantissa and exponent in scientific notation
> > `+` | Prefix positive exponents with localized plus sign
> > `;` | Separates positive and negative subpatterns
> > `%` | Multiply by 100 and show as percentage
> > `‰` | Multiply by 1000 and show as per mille
> > `¤` | Currency sign, replaced by currency symbol. If doubled, replaced by international currency symbol. If tripled, uses the long form of the decimal symbol.
> > `'` | Used to quote special characters in a prefix or suffix
> > `*` | Pad escape, precedes pad character

# 2 Parsing Numbers

Babel can also parse numeric data in a locale-sensitive manner:

    >>> from babel.numbers import parse_decimal, parse_number

Examples:

    >>> parse_decimal('1,099.98', locale='en_US')
    1099.98
    >>> parse_decimal('1.099,98', locale='de')
    1099.98
    >>> parse_decimal('2,109,998', locale='de')
    Traceback (most recent call last):
      ...
    NumberFormatError: '2,109,998' is not a valid decimal number

Note

Number parsing is not properly implemented yet