formatn

Formatn is a term used in programming to denote a numeric formatting operation implemented as a function or method often named formatn in sample code, libraries, or tutorials. It is not a formally standardized concept, but it commonly refers to producing a string representation of a numeric value according to a specified precision, width, or other formatting options.

Common usages fall into two patterns. In one, n specifies the number of digits after the decimal point, so formatn(3.14159, 2) yields "3.14". In another, n denotes the total field width for the resulting string, optionally with padding, alignment, and zero-padding, such as formatn(7, 4, pad='0') yielding "0007". Some implementations mix options, allowing locale-aware decimal separators, sign handling, and thousands separators.

In practice, formatn is often a wrapper around language-specific formatting facilities, such as string formatting functions or number format utilities, providing a uniform shorthand for numeric formatting in tutorials, APIs, or educational material. The exact syntax and behavior of formatn can vary between languages and libraries, so developers typically refer to the underlying formatter (for example, printf-style specifiers, Python's format mini-language, or JavaScript's Intl.NumberFormat) when implementing or using a formatn-like function.

See also: numeric formatting, string formatting, printf, format, and locale-aware number representation.