Formatting a string 1

[developer155]

Hi, I need to formatt a string (the string reperesents a price and it is stored in the database with one zero after the whole part, like 30.0). I need it to have 2 zeros (30.00). here is what I am doing:

String cost;
cost=database.getCost();//this ghets cost from db
String pattern="00.00";
DecimalFormat myFormatter = new DecimalFormat(pattern);
cost = myFormatter.format(cost);

I am getting an error that I am passing an object and that is incorrect. I see that I am passign a String object into format function, but what shoudl I do? Any ideas how to fix this or how to do what I need to do in some other way?

thanks!

 

[sedj]

What object does "database.getCost()" return ?

 

[developer155]

a string, cost is stored in db as string

 

[sedj]

post the error ...

 

[developer155]

Sorry Sedj, here it is

java.lang.IllegalArgumentException: Cannot format given Object as a Number
at java.text.NumberFormat.format(NumberFormat.java:202)
at java.text.Format.format(Format.java:129)
at
..Call Stack
at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:479)
exception: Cannot format given Object as a NumberTue May 25 02:59:56 2004: ==========================================
Tue May 25 02:59:56 2004: End of output for a property [139214.1].


thanks

 

[sedj]

I imagine that the result from "database.getCost()" is not a *number*. Print out what it is before you format it to debug what is actually coming back :

cost=database.getCost();
System.err.println("!!!!! cost is " +cost);

 

[developer155]

I ran the program in debugger and the cost is "50.0", its a string.

thanks

 

[sedj]

Found it ...

Double dCost = new Double(database.getCost());
String pattern="00.00";
DecimalFormat myFormatter = new DecimalFormat(pattern);
String cost = myFormatter.format(dCost);

System.err.println(cost);

 

[developer155]

Thanks again Sedj, as always you're the best!