# Format\_float\_out **URL:** \ **Category:** Q&A\ **Created:** [January 3, 2024, 7:59am UTC](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/t/format-float-out/4561 "2024-01-03T07:59:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![esokos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3d9bf3/32.png) [@esokos](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/u/esokos)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2024, 7:59am UTC](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/t/format-float-out/4561/1 "2024-01-03T07:59:31Z")
Hello all, Best wishes for a Happy New Year !! i think i found a small “bug” in documentation of FORMAT\_FLOAT\_OUT. I was trying to get specific format for a single column in the output (didn’t mind for the rest) but it seems that i must declare the format for **all** output columns, although in the documentation it is written “To give **some** columns a separate format,…” see bellow for GMT6.4. Best Regards Thimios * * * **FORMAT\_FLOAT\_OUT** [¶](https://docs.generic-mapping-tools.org/6.4/gmt.conf.html#term-FORMAT_FLOAT_OUT) Format (C language [printf](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Printf_format_string) syntax) to be used when printing double precision floating point numbers to output files [default is **%.12g**]. For geographic coordinates, see [FORMAT\_GEO\_OUT](https://docs.generic-mapping-tools.org/6.4/gmt.conf.html#term-FORMAT_GEO_OUT). To give some columns a separate format, supply one or more comma-separated _cols_:_format_ specifications, where _cols_ can be specific columns (e.g., 5 for 6th since 0 is the first) or a range of columns (e.g., 3-7). The last specification without column information will override the format for all other columns. Alternatively, you can list N space-separated formats and these apply to the first N columns. ---
**Author:** ![Andreas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@Andreas](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/u/Andreas)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2024, 9:01am UTC](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/t/format-float-out/4561/2 "2024-01-03T09:01:19Z")
Please include an example showing the problem, so it can be reproduced. ---
**Author:** ![esokos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3d9bf3/32.png) [@esokos](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/u/esokos)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2024, 11:17am UTC](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/t/format-float-out/4561/3 "2024-01-03T11:17:41Z")
Hi again, here it is ..(by the way i am using windows and GMT6.4) the commands are rem this is ok gmt select test.dat -Ccenter.dat+d4k -R0/20/0/20 --FORMAT\_FLOAT\_OUT=“0-1:%%5.3f,2:%%.0f,3:%%013.2f,4-8:%%2.3f” \> out\_all.dat rem this is not ok gmt select test.dat -Ccenter.dat+d4k -R0/20/0/20 --FORMAT\_FLOAT\_OUT=“3:%%013.2f” \> out\_one.dat [center.dat](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/uploads/short-url/yRoq61wXX9Bf8rBygGkLYj4r7vP.dat) (5 Bytes) [test.dat](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/uploads/short-url/iyIKX1kxAfzF5r1dqdRjrquKYGy.dat) (466 Bytes) ---
**Author:** ![Andreas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@Andreas](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/u/Andreas)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2024, 3:01pm UTC](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/t/format-float-out/4561/4 "2024-01-03T15:01:41Z")
Condensed script: ```auto cat< test.dat 10.00 10.00 1111 010101010.00 1. 5.0 10.00 10.00 10.00 11.00 11.00 1111 010101010.12 1. 5.0 10.00 10.00 10.00 12.00 12.00 1111 010101010.00 2. 5.0 10.00 10.00 10.00 13.00 13.00 1111 010101010.00 3. 5.0 10.00 10.00 10.00 14.00 14.00 1111 010101010.15 5. 5.0 10.00 10.00 10.00 15.00 15.00 1111 010101010.00 6. 5.0 10.00 10.00 10.00 16.00 16.00 1111 010101010.18 7. 5.0 10.00 10.00 10.00 17.00 17.00 1111 010101010.00 8. 5.0 10.00 10.00 10.00 eof cat< center.dat 15 15 eof gmt select test.dat -Ccenter.dat+d4k -R0/20/0/20 --FORMAT_FLOAT_OUT="0-1:%5.3f,2:%.0f,3:%013.2f,4-8:%2.3f" gmt select test.dat -Ccenter.dat+d4k -R0/20/0/20 --FORMAT_FLOAT_OUT="3:%013.2f" ``` Output: ```auto 13.000 13.000 1111 0010101010.00 3.000 5.000 10.000 10.000 10.000 14.000 14.000 1111 0010101010.15 5.000 5.000 10.000 10.000 10.000 15.000 15.000 1111 0010101010.00 6.000 5.000 10.000 10.000 10.000 16.000 16.000 1111 0010101010.18 7.000 5.000 10.000 10.000 10.000 17.000 17.000 1111 0010101010.00 8.000 5.000 10.000 10.000 10.000 3:0000000013.00 3:0000000013.00 3:0000001111.00 3:0010101010.00 3:0000000003.00 3:0000000005.00 3:0000000010.00 3:0000000010.00 3:0000000010.00 3:0000000014.00 3:0000000014.00 3:0000001111.00 3:0010101010.15 3:0000000005.00 3:0000000005.00 3:0000000010.00 3:0000000010.00 3:0000000010.00 3:0000000015.00 3:0000000015.00 3:0000001111.00 3:0010101010.00 3:0000000006.00 3:0000000005.00 3:0000000010.00 3:0000000010.00 3:0000000010.00 3:0000000016.00 3:0000000016.00 3:0000001111.00 3:0010101010.18 3:0000000007.00 3:0000000005.00 3:0000000010.00 3:0000000010.00 3:0000000010.00 3:0000000017.00 3:0000000017.00 3:0000001111.00 3:0010101010.00 3:0000000008.00 3:0000000005.00 3:0000000010.00 3:0000000010.00 3:0000000010.00 ```