The AMPscript Guide

Format

This function formats a string in the specified format pattern and locale.

Format patterns follow the C# format types outlined in the official Microsoft documentation:

Some of these custom formats are supported:

Arguments

Format(1,2,3,4)

Ordinal	Type	Required	Description
1	String	True	The string to format
2	String	True	The output format pattern (see table below for values)
3	String	False	Data format indicator. Valid values are `Date` and `Number`
4	String	False	The ISO locale code for the output

Here are a few examples of format patterns, given a date of 2017-09-15T06:07:08.1230000-06:00:

Element	Format Pattern	Output
Long Date	`D`	`Friday, September 15, 2017`
Short date	`d`	`9/15/2017`
Full Date, short time	`f`	`Friday, September 15, 2017 6:07 AM`
Full Date, long time	`F`	`Vendredi 15 Septembre 2017 06:07`
General Date/Time, short time	`g`	`Friday, September 15, 2017 6:07:08 AM`
General Date/Time, long time	`G`	`9/15/2017 6:07 AM`
Month, Day	`M` or `m`	`September 15`
Round Trip Date/Time	`O` or `o`	`2017-09-15T06:07:08.1230000-06:00`
RFC1123	`R` or `r`	`Fri, 15 Sep 2017 06:07:08 GMT`
Sortable Date/Time	`s`	`2017-09-15T06:07:08`
Short Time	`t`	`6:07 AM`
Long Time	`T`	`6:07:08 AM`
Universal Sortable Date/Time	`u`	`2017-09-15 06:07:08Z`
Universal full Date/Time	`U`	`Friday, September 15, 2017 12:07:08 PM`
Month Year	`Y`	`September 2017`
Month	`MM`	`09`
Month	`MMM`	`Sep`
Month	`MMMM`	`September`
Day	`dd`	`15`
Day	`ddd`	`Fri`
Day	`ddddd`	`Friday`
Hour	`hh`	`06`
Minutes	`mm`	`07`
Seconds	`ss`	`08`
Milliseconds	`MMM`	`123`
AM/PM	`tt`	`AM`
Timezone offset	`zz`	`-06`
Timezone offset	`zzz`	`-06:00`

NOTE: This function returns lowercase month and day names for non-US culture codes by default.

Here are a few examples of format patterns, given a number of -0.8967:

Element	Format Pattern	Output
Currency	`C` or `c`	`($0.90)`
Decimal	`D` or `d`	`-0.8967`
Exponential (scientific)	`E` or `e`	`-8.967000E-001`
Fixed-point	`F` of `f`	`-0.90`
General	`G` or `g`	`-0.8967`
Number	`N` or `n`	`-0.90`
Percent	`P` or `p`	`-89.67 %`

Here are a few examples of custom format patterns, given a number of -1.8967:

Element	Format Pattern	Example	Output
Zero placeholder	`0`	`"0000"`	`-0002`
Digit placeholder	`#`	`"###0"`	`-2`
Decimal point	`.`	`"#0.00"`	`-1.90`
Group separator and scaling	`,`	`"0,00#.##"`	`-0,001.9`
Percentage placeholder	`%`	`"#.00%"`	`-189.67%`
Exponential notation	`E0`, `E+0`, `e0` or `e+0`	`"#0.0e0"`	`-19.0e-1`
Escape character	`\`	`"\###0.000\#"`	`-#1.897#`
Literal string delimiter	`'string'` or `"string"`	`"#.##' points'"`	`-1.9 points`
Section separator	`;`	`"#0.00;(#0.00)"`	`(1.90)`

Example 1

The following examples illustrate the base date and time formats:

%%[

var @dateString, @timeString, @long, @short, @fullShortTime, @fullShortTimeFR, @fullLongTime, @generalShortTime, @generalLongTime, @monthDay, @roundTrip, @RFC1123, @sortable, @shortTime, @longTime, @universalSortable, @universalFull, @monthYear, @monthNumber, @monthShortName, @monthFullName, @dayNumber, @dayFullName, @hour, @minute, @seconds, @AMPM, @offsetHours, @offsetHoursMinutes

set @dateString = "2017-09-15T06:07:08.1230000-06:00"
set @timeString = "06:07:08.123 AM"

set @long = Format(@dateString,"D", "Date")
set @short = Format(@dateString,"d", "Date")
set @fullShortTime = Format(@dateString,"f", "Date")
set @fullShortTimeFR = ProperCase(Format(@dateString,"f", "Date","fr-FR"))
set @fullLongTime = Format(@dateString,"F", "Date")
set @generalShortTime = Format(@dateString,"g", "Date")
set @generalLongTime = Format(@dateString,"G", "Date")
set @monthDay = Format(@dateString,"M", "Date")
set @roundTrip = Format(@dateString,"O", "Date")
set @RFC1123 = Format(@dateString,"R", "Date")
set @sortable = Format(@dateString,"s", "Date")
set @shortTime = Format(@dateString,"t", "Date")
set @longTime = Format(@dateString,"T", "Date")
set @universalSortable = Format(@dateString,"u", "Date")
set @universalFull = Format(@dateString,"U", "Date")
set @monthYear = Format(@dateString,"Y", "Date")

set @monthNumber = Format(@dateString,"MM","Date")
set @monthShortName = Format(@dateString,"MMM","Date")
set @monthFullName = Format(@dateString,"MMMM","Date")

set @dayNumber = Format(@dateString,"dd","Date")
set @dayShortName = Format(@dateString,"ddd","Date")
set @dayFullName = Format(@dateString,"ddddd","Date")

set @hour = Format(@timeString,"hh","Date")
set @minute = Format(@timeString,"mm","Date")
set @seconds = Format(@timeString, "ss","Date")
set @AMPM = Format(@timeString,"tt","Date")
set @offsetHours = Format(@dateString,"zz","Date")
set @offsetHoursMinutes = Format(@dateString,"zzz","Date")

]%%
dateString: %%=v(@dateString)=%%
<br><br>long: %%=v(@long)=%%
<br>short: %%=v(@short)=%%
<br>fullShortTime: %%=v(@fullShortTime)=%%
<br>fullShortTimeFR: %%=v(@fullShortTimeFR)=%%
<br>fullLongTime: %%=v(@fullLongTime)=%%
<br>generalShortTime: %%=v(@generalShortTime)=%%
<br>generalLongTime: %%=v(@generalLongTime)=%%
<br>monthDay: %%=v(@monthDay)=%%
<br>roundTrip: %%=v(@roundTrip)=%%
<br>RFC1123: %%=v(@RFC1123)=%%
<br>sortable: %%=v(@sortable)=%%
<br>shortTime: %%=v(@shortTime)=%%
<br>longTime: %%=v(@longTime)=%%
<br>universalSortable: %%=v(@universalSortable)=%%
<br>universalFull: %%=v(@universalFull)=%%
<br>monthYear: %%=v(@monthYear)=%%
<br><br>monthNumber: %%=v(@monthNumber)=%%
<br>monthShortName: %%=v(@monthShortName)=%%
<br>monthFullName: %%=v(@monthFullName)=%%
<br>dayNumber: %%=v(@dayNumber)=%%
<br>dayShortName: %%=v(@dayShortName)=%%
<br>dayFullName: %%=v(@dayFullName)=%%
<br><br>timeString: %%=v(@timeString)=%%
<br>hour: %%=v(@hour)=%%
<br>minute: %%=v(@minute)=%%
<br>seconds: %%=v(@seconds)=%%
<br>AMPM: %%=v(@AMPM)=%%
<br>offsetHours: %%=v(@offsetHours)=%%
<br>offsetHoursMinutes: %%=v(@offsetHoursMinutes)=%%

Output

dateString: 2017-09-15T06:07:08.1230000-06:00

long: Friday, September 15, 2017
short: 9/15/2017
fullShortTime: Friday, September 15, 2017 6:07 AM
fullShortTimeFR: Vendredi 15 Septembre 2017 06:07
fullLongTime: Friday, September 15, 2017 6:07:08 AM
generalShortTime: 9/15/2017 6:07 AM
generalLongTime: 9/15/2017 6:07:08 AM
monthDay: September 15
roundTrip: 2017-09-15T06:07:08.1230000-06:00
RFC1123: Fri, 15 Sep 2017 06:07:08 GMT
sortable: 2017-09-15T06:07:08
shortTime: 6:07 AM
longTime: 6:07:08 AM
universalSortable: 2017-09-15 06:07:08Z
universalFull: Friday, September 15, 2017 12:07:08 PM
monthYear: September 2017

monthNumber: 09
monthShortName: Sep
monthFullName: September
dayNumber: 15
dayShortName: Fri
dayFullName: Friday

timeString: 06:07:08.123 AM
hour: 06
minute: 07
seconds: 08
AMPM: AM
offsetHours: -06
offsetHoursMinutes: -06:00

Example 2

The following examples illustrate some common number formats:

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Example 3

The following examples illustrate some custom number formats:

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Example 4

The following examples illustrate some common date formats:

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Example 5

The following examples illustrate some common phone formats:

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