Displaying Integers with the format() Function
Using the format() function, you can output strings in various formats.
This process is known as formatting, and it involves using a colon : inside the curly braces { } to specify how the data should be displayed.
Example of using the format() function
"{:format_option}".format(value)
-
{ }: Placeholder indicating where to insert the value -
:: Specifies format options
Displaying Integers
To output integers, use {:d} by placing the letter d to the right of the colon inside the curly braces.
Integer output formatting example
number = 123
# Integer output
formatted = "number: {:d}".format(number)
print(formatted) # "number: 123"
If you omit d, Python will automatically apply the appropriate format based on the value's data type.
Automatic type specification formatting example
number = 123
# Integer output
formatted = "number: {}".format(number)
print(formatted) # "number: 123"
Specifying Output Width
Using a number to the right of the colon specifies the width of the resulting string.
For instance, {:5} sets the width of the output string to 5.
Integer output formatting example
number = 123
formatted = "number: {:5}".format(number) # Set width to 5
# Inserts 2 spaces before 123
print(formatted) # "number: 123",
To pad the width with zeros, prefix the width value with a 0.
Integer output formatting example
number = 123
formatted = "number: {:05}".format(number) # Set width to 5
# Inserts 2 zeros before 123
print(formatted) # "number: 00123"
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