Format (Common Lisp)

<p>Format is a <a href="/facts/Function_(computer_programming)/9vFJrg0A">function</a> in <a href="/facts/Common_Lisp/mq1pRbSF">Common Lisp</a> that can produce <a href="/facts/Formatted_text/39S6HPWI">formatted text</a> using a format <a href="/facts/String_(computer_science)/4ChJu5WS">string</a> similar to the <a href="/facts/Printf_format_string/Sc6Czbp2">print format string</a>. It provides more functionality than print, allowing the user to output numbers in various formats (including, for instance: <a href="/facts/Hexadecimal/02ohQW22">hex</a>, <a href="/facts/Binary_number/a6JDSRPs">binary</a>, <a href="/facts/Octal/4nRcq0Ce">octal</a>, <a href="/facts/Roman_numerals/7BA8nn78">roman numerals</a>, and <a href="/facts/English_language/tpkxGt7b">English</a>), apply certain format specifiers only under certain conditions, iterate over <a href="/facts/Data_structure/yNsNvL1I">data structures</a>, output data <a href="/facts/Table_(information)/vQcp2QSb">tabularly</a>, and even <a href="/facts/Recursion_(computer_science)/2uXo18Gv">recurse</a>, calling format internally to handle <a href="/facts/Data_structure/yNsNvL1I">data structures</a> that include their own preferred formatting <a href="/facts/String_(computer_science)/4ChJu5WS">strings</a>. This functionally originates in <a href="/facts/Massachusetts_Institute_of_Technology/Xk49vNA8">MIT</a>'s <a href="/facts/Lisp_Machine_Lisp/6VsxDuoA">Lisp Machine Lisp</a>, where it was based on <a href="/facts/Multics/y7A5peyu">Multics</a>.
</p>

Format (Common Lisp) open-in-new

Format (Common Lisp)