Display formats

Use the Settings window to specify the time and number formats that PI DataLink uses to format data in function arrays. There are two settings:

• Number format

  The format for numbers in function output. The default setting, General, formats numbers (and all non-time stamp data) to match the formatting of the General category in the Excel Format Cells window.

• Time format

  The format for time stamps in function output. The default setting, dd-mmm-yy hh:mm:ss, matches the standard PI time stamp format. You can add .000 to the end of the string (dd-mmm-yy hh:mm:ss.000) to display subsecond time stamps. Note that Excel does not support microsecond precision formats.

You can customize these format strings using any valid Excel format codes from the Format Cells window in Excel.

For details on the Settings window, see Manage PI DataLink settings from Excel.

You can also apply individual number and time formats to any worksheet cell, including those containing PI DataLink functions, with the Format Cells window. See your Excel documentation for more information on formatting numbers and times. PI DataLink overwrites or applies individual cell formats as follows:

• When writing a function array after you select OK or Apply on a task pane, PI DataLink overwrites any individual number or time formats applied to a cell in the function array with the settings from the Settings window.

• When writing a function array after you right-click a function array and then select Recalculate (Resize) function, PI DataLink finds the top-left cell in the array with a number format and applies that format, either an individual format or the format from the Settings window, to all array cells with number formatting. Similarly, PI DataLink finds the top-left cell in the array with a time format and applies that format, either an individual format or the format from the Settings window, to all array cells with time formatting.