strformat

String formatting for Node.js and AngularJS.

v0.0.7

Installation

The following describes how to install strformat in both Node.js using npm and AngularJS using bower.

Node.js

Install strformat using npm.

npm install strformat --save

Then use the strformat fuction exported by the module.

var strformat = require('strformat');
 
var name = {
    first: 'John',
    last: 'Smith'
};
 
var fullName = strformat('{first} {last}', name);

AngularJS

Install strformat using bower.

bower install strformat --save

Declare a dependency on the strformat module.

var app = angular.module('app', ['strformat']);

Then use the function exported by the strformat factory.

app.controller('AppCtrl', function($scope, strformat) {
    var name = {
        first: 'John',
        last: 'Smith'
    };
 
    $scope.fullName = strformat('{first} {last}', name);
});

API

strformat(str, args...)

Replaces the placeholders in str with the substitution values in args.... The args... parameter can be an object, an array, or a list of values.

If the second parameter is an object, then the placeholders are in the form of {<property>} where the <property> is a property of the object. (Please see the Advanced Topics section for nested properties as well as multiple object replacement values.)

If the second parameter is an array or a list of values, then the placeholders are in the form of {<n>} where <n> is either the array index or the positional index of the substitution value in the argument list.

Placeholders are escaped by doubling them (e.g., {{0}}). Any placeholder not matching an argument is left alone.

Returns the formatted string.

Examples

For all examples, the strformat function is exported by the strformat module or returned by the strformat factory in the strformat AngularJS module.

Object property substitution

var name = {
    first: 'John',
    last: 'Smith'
};
 
var fullName = strformat('Your full name is {first} {last}.', name);
console.log(fullName);

Output: Your full name is John Smith.

Array index substitution

var code = [404, 'Not Found'];
var status = strformat('status code {0} is "{1}"', code);
console.log(status);

Output: status code 404 is "Not Found"

Positional argument substitution

var message = strformat('please press {0} for {1}', 'F1', 'help');
console.log(message);

Output: please press F1 for help

Advanced Topics

Object property replacement can be nested. For example, given the object

var contact = {
    name: {
        first: 'John',
        last: 'Smith'
    },
    phone: {
        work: '123-4567',
        home: '555-1212'
    }
};

Then the following will resolve as expected:

strformat('Your full name is {name.first} {name.last}', contact);

This also works with indexed properties:

strformat('{0}: {1.phone.home}', 'Home Phone', contact);

When the number of additional arguments is greater than one, a positional index value must be the first item in any replacement specifier.

strformat('{0.1} {1.0}', [4, 5], [7, 8]);

This results in the string '5 7' since the first components index the arguments by position while the second components select the array element.

Test

$ npm test

Contributors

• Frank Hellwig (fhellwig)
• Johan Hernandez (thepumpkin1979)

License

(The MIT License)

Copyright (c) 2012 Frank Hellwig

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:

The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.