Data Type Dialog

Use the Data Type dialog to specify the data type for a text object's data source. When you select a specific data type for the data source, you prevent BarTender from interpreting certain data inputs, such as numerical values, dates, or binary data, as text. By changing the data type of a value, you can perform mathematical functions on numerical values, format and display scientific notation, automatically display numbers as percentages, format and serialize roman numerals, perform functions on date objects, or display the time and date in a different language's format without changing the language of the application.

Click inside the text object.
Open the on-screen editing context menu by using one of the following methods:
- Use the secondary mouse button to click an existing data source (that is not an Embedded Data data source).
- Select one or more characters of an Embedded Data data source, and then use the secondary mouse button to click the selected content.
Click Data Type. The Data Type dialog opens.

For more information about the options that are available on this context menu, refer to On-Screen Editing Context Menu.

The remaining properties that you can configure for the data type depend on the data type that is specified by the Type property.

Date

The Date data type formats the data source value as a date that consists of one or more of the following attributes: a day of the week, a day of the month, a month, a year, and/or a time.

You can configure the following properties for a Date data type:

Locale: Specifies the language and country of the selected date format. In addition to all locales that are supported by Windows, the following options are available:
- Use Windows Default: Sets the locale to the user's current Windows Regional and Languages setting. When you use this setting, the date is formatted differently depending on the system’s current language. If you do not want the potential for different formatting between different systems, select a specific locale setting.
- Language Independent (Generic): Lists formats that are the same in every language. This includes several numeric formats for year, month, day, and time.
- Language Independent (ISO 8601): Lists formats according to the ISO 8601 specification. These formats are language-independent.
Calendar: Specifies the calendar to use for locales that contain multiple calendars.
Format: Lists the date and date-and-time formatting options that are available for the specified Locale. You can use the Custom option to specify a user-defined date format that uses Custom Date and Time Format Strings.
Pattern: Displays the selected date or date-and-time format. When Custom is selected, you can use this option to enter a user-defined format. For more information about available custom strings, refer to Custom Date and Time Format Strings.
Time Zone: Specifies whether the date is displayed in the local time zone or Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). UTC time, or Greenwich Mean Time, is an international time scale that is based on the local standard time on the 0 longitude meridian in Greenwich, England.

Time

The Time data type formats the data source value as a time that consists of one or more of the following attributes: hours, minutes, seconds, and/or fractions of seconds.

You can configure the following properties for a Time data type:

Locale: Specifies the language and country of the selected time format. In addition to all locales that are supported by Windows, the following options are available:
- Use Windows Default: Sets the locale to the user's current Windows Regional and Languages setting. When you use this setting, the timeis formatted differently depending on the system’s current language. If you do not want the potential for different formatting between different systems, select a specific locale setting.
- Language Independent (Generic): Lists formats that are the same in every language. This includes several numeric formats for hour, minute, and second.
- Language Independent (ISO 8601): Lists formats according to the ISO 8601 specification. These formats are language-independent.
Format: Lists the time formatting options that are available for the specified Locale. You can use the Custom option to specify a user-defined time format that uses Custom Date and Time Format Strings.
Pattern: Displays the selected time format. When Custom is selected, you can use this option to enter a user-defined format. For more information about available custom strings, refer to Custom Date and Time Format Strings.
Time Zone: Specifies whether the time is displayed in the local time zone or Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). UTC time, or Greenwich Mean Time, is an international time scale that is based on the local standard time on the 0 longitude meridian in Greenwich, England.

Number

The Number data type formats numerical data according to a specific locale and/or notation.

You can configure the following properties for a Number data type:

Locale: Specifies the language and country of the selected numerical format. In addition to all locales that are supported by Windows, the following options are available:
- Hexadecimal: Converts the specified number to hexadecimal (for example, the decimal number 1234 is converted to 04D2).
  - Use lowercase letters: Displays the letters in hexadecimal numbers in lowercase format.
  - Minimum length: Specifies the minimum number of digits for the hexadecimal number. Any extra digits are represented with leading zeroes.
- Roman Numerals: Displays the number as roman numerals (for example, the number 1234 is displayed as MCCXXXIV). The supported range is from 0 to 3999, with zero displayed as "N".
  - Use lowercase letters: Displays roman numerals in lowercase format.
- Scientific Notation: Displays the number in scientific notation (for example, the number 1234 is displayed as 1.234E+003).
  - Use lowercase letters: Displays the letters in scientific notation numbers in lowercase format.
Use native numerals: Specifies whether to use Arabic numerals or the native numeric system when you use a locale that supports alternative numeric systems. Available for the following locales: Arabic (Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, U.A.E., Yemen), Assamese (India), Bengali (Bangladesh, India), Dari (Afghanistan), Gujarati (India), Kannada (India), Khmer (Cambodia), Konkani (India), Lao (Lao P.D.R.), Malayalam (India), Marathi (India), Nepali (Nepal), Oriya (India), Pashto (Afghanistan), Persian (Iran), Punjabi (India), Sanskrit (India), Telugu (India), Thai (Thailand), and Urdu (Islamic Republic of Pakistan).
Use digit grouping separator: Separates the number into groups by using a delimiter; this delimiter is also known as the thousands separator because it separates the number at every third digit, which is the thousands place.
Show leading zero: Displays a zero before a decimal number.
Precision: Specifies a fixed number of digits to follow the decimal mark. Alternatively, you can limit the precision to a maximum number of digits that is specified by this option.
Negative numbers: Specifies the formatting of any negative numbers that the data source contains.

Currency

Percentage

The Percentage data type formats the data source value as a number and a percent sign (%), and it represents portions of a greater whole.

You can configure the following properties for a Percentage data type:

Locale: Specifies the language and country of the selected numerical format.
Use native numerals: Specifies whether to use Arabic numerals or the native numeric system when you use a locale that supports alternative numeric systems. Available for the following locales: Arabic (Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, U.A.E., Yemen), Assamese (India), Bengali (Bangladesh, India), Dari (Afghanistan), Gujarati (India), Kannada (India), Khmer (Cambodia), Konkani (India), Lao (Lao P.D.R.), Malayalam (India), Marathi (India), Nepali (Nepal), Oriya (India), Pashto (Afghanistan), Persian (Iran), Punjabi (India), Sanskrit (India), Telugu (India), Thai (Thailand), and Urdu (Islamic Republic of Pakistan).
Use digit grouping separator: Separates the number into groups by using a delimiter; this delimiter is also known as the thousands separator because it separates the number at every third digit, which is the thousands place.
Show leading zeroes: Displays one or more zero numerals before a decimal number.
Pad with zeroes to maximum number of decimal places: Adds one or more zero numerals to a number that does not match the specified number of decimal places.
Decimal places: Specifies the number of decimal places to include in the number.
Positive percentage: Specifies the formatting of a positive percentage value.
Negative percentage: Specifies the formatting of a negative percentage value.

Fraction

The Fraction data type formats the data source value as a numerical fraction, complete with a numerator and a denominator.

You can configure the following properties for a Fraction data type:

Locale: Specifies the language and country of the selected numerical format.
Use native numerals: Specifies whether to use Arabic numerals or the native numeric system when you use a locale that supports alternative numeric systems. Available for the following locales: Arabic (Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, U.A.E., Yemen), Assamese (India), Bengali (Bangladesh, India), Dari (Afghanistan), Gujarati (India), Kannada (India), Khmer (Cambodia), Konkani (India), Lao (Lao P.D.R.), Malayalam (India), Marathi (India), Nepali (Nepal), Oriya (India), Pashto (Afghanistan), Persian (Iran), Punjabi (India), Sanskrit (India), Telugu (India), Thai (Thailand), and Urdu (Islamic Republic of Pakistan).
Use composite fraction symbols: Formats fractions as a single character (for example, ½). Otherwise, fractions are displayed as a group of separate characters (for example, 1/2).
Precision: Specifies the degree to which BarTender rounds a complex fraction. For example, if you select As quarters, the fraction is rounded to the nearest 1/4, and if you select Up to 3 digits, the fraction is rounded to the nearest 1/999.
Improper fractions: Specifies how to format improper fractions. An improper fraction contains a higher numerator (upper number) than denominator (lower number) (for example, 4/3). Alternatively, these fractions can be formatted as mixed fractions, which are a combination of an integer and a regular fraction (for example, 1 1/3).