By default (FormatType property is set to DefaultFormat), the Text is obtained by applying the standard ToString() method of the current DataType to the typed Value (more exactly, if the type has a type converter, TypeConverter.ToString() is used). This conversion (as all others) uses the regional settings provided by the CultureInfo property.
Formatting is controlled by the FormatType property. Its enumerated values define the method of formatting values. Some of the options correspond to standard format specifiers for numeric and date-time types, for example, the StandardNumber and LongDate formats, for more information see Formatting Types in the .NET Framework documentation. One option, CustomFormat, corresponds to the case of a custom format specifier as defined in the .NET Framework documentation, the specifier itself is determined by the CustomFormat property. There is also an option delegating formatting to code in an event. The following table describes the list of available options:
| Formatting Option | Description |
|---|---|
| DefaultFormat | Conversion using TypeConverter.ConvertToString(). |
| UseEvent | Conversion performed by user code in the Formatting (or Parsing) event. |
| CustomFormat | Formatting uses the string assigned to the CustomFormat property. Parsing uses NumberStyle, DateTimeStyle, and CustomFormat properties. |
| GeneralNumber | The number is converted to the most compact decimal form, using fixed point or scientific notation. |
| Currency | The number is converted to a string that represents a currency amount. |
| FixedPoint | The number is converted to a string of the form "-ddd.ddd…" where each 'd' indicates a digit (0-9). The string starts with a minus sign if the number is negative. The numeric precision is given by the property NumberFormatInfo.NumberDecimalDigits of the specified culture. |
| StandardNumber | The number is converted to a string of the form "-d,ddd,ddd.ddd…", where each 'd' indicates a digit (0-9). The string starts with a minus sign if the number is negative. Thousand separators are inserted between each group of three digits to the left of the decimal point. The numeric precision is given by the property NumberFormatInfo.NumberDecimalDigits of the specified culture. |
| Percent | The number is converted to a string that represents a percent as defined by the NumberFormatInfo.PercentNegativePattern property or the NumberFormatInfo.PercentPositivePattern property. If the number is negative, the string produced is defined by the PercentNegativePattern and starts with a minus sign. The converted number is multiplied by 100 in order to be presented as a percentage. The default numeric precision given by NumberFormatInfo is used. |
| Scientific | The number is converted to a string of the form "-d.ddd…E+ddd" or "-d.ddd…e+ddd", where each 'd' indicates a digit (0-9). The string starts with a minus sign if the number is negative. One digit always precedes the decimal point. The exponent always consists of a plus or minus sign and a minimum of three digits. The exponent is padded with zeros to meet this minimum, if required. |
| RoundTrip | The round-trip specifier guarantees that a numeric value converted to a string will be parsed back into the same numeric value. This format is supported by floating-point types only. |
| Integer | Displays number as a string that contains the value of the number in Decimal (base 10) format. This format is supported for integral types only. |
| Hexadecimal | The number is converted to a string of hexadecimal digits. This format is supported for integral types only. |
| YesNo | Converts to Boolean and shows No for False, Yes for True. |
| TrueFalse | Converts to Boolean and shows True or False. |
| OnOff | Converts to Boolean and shows Off for False, On for True. |
| GeneralDate | General date/time pattern (short time). |
| LongDate | Displays a date according to specified CultureInfo's long date format. |
| MediumDate | Displays a date using the medium date format ("dd-MMM-yy"). |
| ShortDate | Displays a date using specified CultureInfo's short date format. |
| LongTime | Displays a time using your locale's long time format; includes hours, minutes, seconds. |
| MediumTime | Displays time in 12-hour format using hours and minutes and the AM/PM designator ("hh:mm tt"). |
| ShortTime | Displays a time using the 24-hour format, for example, 17:45. |
| LongDateShortTime | Displays the long date and short time according to specified CultureInfo's format. |
| LongDateLongTime | Displays the long date and long time according to specified CultureInfo's format. |
| ShortDateShortTime | Displays the short date and short time according to specified CultureInfo's format. |
| ShortDateLongTime | Displays the short date and long time according to specified CultureInfo's format. |
| MonthAndDay | Displays the month and the day of a date. |
| DateAndTimeGMT | Formats the date and time as Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). |
| DateTimeSortable | Formats the date and time as a sortable index. |
| GMTSortable | Formats the date and time as a GMT sortable index. |
| LongDateTimeGMT | Formats the date and time with the long date and long time as GMT. |
| YearAndMonth | Formats the date as the year and month. |
