Adding a Number as string into Text3D-node via Consol

Hello,

I have some trouble using the Text3D-node in combination with an expression and the consol:

I'm trying to show a special character (for the sake of this post it's a €) and link it to a number (e.g., Pi) up to a certain decimal place, (e.g., 4) in a Text3D-node. The certain number of decimal place is importent, since I don't want a value like precisly 3 to be shown as 3 but as 3.000.

If I put the

Text([[€]]..string.format("%.4f",3.1415926))

into an expression of a Text3D-node this works fine. As I need this very often, I would like to implement this in a script with the Text3D.StyledText:SetExpression("xyz") which I tried with

Code: Select all

comp.Text3D1.StyledText:SetExpression("Text([[€]]..string.format("%.4f",3.1415926))")


This leads to the error in the consol

[string "???"]:1: malformed number near '.4f'

I tried several things with the synthax of Text("xyz") as well trying to understand why string.format seems not to work without success. Do you have any suggestion what the problem here is or how to archive the discribed goal?

Looking forward to hear your suggestions,
Thank you,
Thomas

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Code: Select all

comp.Text3D1.StyledText:SetExpression("Text([[€]]..string.format("%.4f",3.1415926))")


The problem is the quotation marks. If you have quote marks inside quote marks, you need a way to distinguish between marks that are inside and outside the string. It looks like you already addressed that issue once, with the string literal surrounding your €. You just needed to do it again with the "%.4f" string.

There are two ways of doing it: Either you use different types of string enclosures, or you escape the marks you want to treat differently.

Here's an example of the former:

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comp.Text3D1.StyledText:SetExpression("Text([[€]]..string.format('%.4f',3.1415926))")


Using single quotes for the interior string prevents it from prematurely ending the exterior string.

Or, as I alluded above, you could use the same string literal notation:

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comp.Text3D1.StyledText:SetExpression("Text([[€]]..string.format([[%.4f]],3.1415926))")


I usually use the literal on the outside with normal quote marks in the interior, but either way works.


The other method is to use the escape character \ to instruct the script interpreter to ignore the quotation marks:

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comp.Text3D1.StyledText:SetExpression("Text([[€]]..string.format(\"%.4f\",3.1415926))")


When the interpreter encounters the \", it replaces it with ", but otherwise ignores it for the purpose of parsing the code.

See the Strings chapter of Programming in Lua for more information:
https://www.lua.org/pil/2.4.html

Thank you very much Bryan for your comprehensive answer! This helps a lot.