Better number formatting

Baserow currently only supports a very simplistic version of number formatting, as far as I can tell. So far all you can specify is the number of decimal places and whether negatives are allowed.
Meanwhile, your average spreadsheet has quite sophisticated number formatting. You can specify decimal places, leading zeros, thousands separators, special purpose formatting (currency, percent, fractions, scientific notation, etc), and even custom formatting specs.

In my current use case, I wish Baserow would let me at least specify leading zeros so I could have integers of fixed width. However, an argument could probably be made for any of what your average spreadsheet offers.

While this would ideally be something added as additional options for a number column, it could also be provided via some sort of formula command to do number-formatting into an output column.

Given that my motivation for using Baserow is the merger of an easy-to-use spreadsheet UI with some database capabilities, all these little places where it can’t do something basic that any spreadsheet can do is a definite pain point.

4 Likes

Hello @dkonigs, thanks for sharing your feature idea. I will discuss with the team whether the advanced number formatting or maybe a specific formula-based solution (as you mentioned) is planned to be implemented. Will keep you posted on this topic :ok_hand:

Hey @dkonigs, I’m back to you with some news: after discussing your suggestions, we all agreed that we need to improve the number formatting in Baserow. We also plan to add some new number-related field types like percent and currency ones.

Currency field type: Currency field (#489) · Issues · Bram Wiepjes / baserow · GitLab
Percent field type: Percent field type (#1269) · Issues · Bram Wiepjes / baserow · GitLab

As explained here: Here’s what happened during the last few weeks…, we cannot tell you when exactly these ideas will be implemented and deployed. But I created this general issue on GitLab, so you can keep track of the progress: Improve number formatting (#1270) · Issues · Bram Wiepjes / baserow · GitLab.

I have a similar situation where I need leading zero’s in the autonumber of a table. I have fixed it with the following formula

if(row_id() < 10, concat('0000',row_id()),if(row_id() < 100,concat('000',row_id()),if(row_id() < 1000,concat('00',row_id()),if(row_id() < 10000,concat('0',row_id()),row_id()))))

In short: the formula adds leading zero’s depending on the number of digits of the row’s id

2 Likes

Thanks for sharing a workaround @frederikdc :raised_hands:

Hi! Just would like to mention that number formatting gonna make baserow much convenient

Hello!

I wanted to share bit deeply my thoughts on this important feature that I think could be really helpful.

Yesterday, I tried transferring an expense report from Airtable to Baserow. I noticed the absence of a ‘currency’ field type and the lack of thousands separators, which makes it quite challenging to navigate through a large set of numbers.

For instance, without separators, it’s easy to make a mistake in the number of digits. One could accidentally enter 100000 instead of 1000000, or even 10000000. This can lead to significant financial losses for an organization. With separators, it’s much easier to differentiate between 1,000,000 and 10,000,000.

Additionally, the ability to add a currency symbol helps quickly understand the context of the numbers, distinguishing between quantitative data and monetary values.

I believe that adding this feature isn’t overly complex, and it’s quite surprising that it hasn’t been given more attention. Airtable could be a great benchmark in this regard. Just introducing thousands separators and the option for a currency prefix/suffix (or any custom symbol) would significantly enhance the system’s usability.

For example, I’m currently finding it hard to manage financial accounting without this functionality, even though I’d really like to use Baserow as a frontend.

The workaround suggested by a colleague is functional, but when dealing with dozens of numeric/monetary fields, it becomes quite cumbersome.

I hope you will consider this feedback and can implement these features soon!

Hello @Alexander, thanks for the feedback. :raised_hands:

We do plan to add a currency field type to Baserow, here’s an issue to track the progress: Currency field (#489) · Issues · Baserow / baserow · GitLab.

We have decimal places, but it’s indeed not possible to use separators in the number field type. I’ve checked and it’s implemented very nicely in Airtable. Perhaps we can build something similar in Baserow as well. What do you think?

Thank you for your response. Yes, that’s exactly what I was referring to. It would be perfect :+1:. Hoping it can be implemented in the next release :crossed_fingers:

Can’t promise as I have to talk about it with the team first. :sweat_smile:

1 Like

Hello @Alexander, ‘thousands separators’ are part of a larger issue we want to address: providing advanced number formatting: Advanced number formatting (#1270) · Issues · Baserow / baserow · GitLab. Rest assured, ‘thousands separators’ will definitely be added to Baserow.

I completely agree with the points raised here. The lack of advanced number formatting, especially for currencies and large numbers, is a significant gap in Baserow’s feature set. It’s surprising that such a basic yet crucial feature is missing, especially considering it’s standard in competitors like Airtable and really any spreadsheet tool.

For any serious business application, proper number formatting isn’t just a nice-to-have, it’s essential. It affects readability, accuracy, and professionalism of data presentation. As Baserow aims to be a viable alternative in this space, overlooking such fundamental features could hinder its adoption in business environments where such details are critical.

I hope the team prioritizes this, as an avid user and advocate for the platform, it’s a small change that could make a big difference for many users.

Hello @ee4yw, first of all, welcome to the Baserow community! :wave:

Thank you for sharing your feedback. It is always highly valuable. I will make sure to discuss this issue again with the team to see if we can give it a higher priority. :ok_hand:

Hi! I want to add that it’s really important to be able to change how numbers look in formula field.

This is just like what you can do in Airtable, where you can pick how you want the numbers from formulas to look, with as many choices as you get for normal number fields.

In airtable it is made in a formatting tab of formula settings window

Noted! Thanks for sharing @Alexander :raised_hands:

Is there a rough timeline for when currency fields will be available?

Baserow looked perfect for me to move my data from Airtable, until I discovered there’s no currency field, which essential for me (and I’d really rather not have to implement workarounds with formula fields).

Hello @IntoTheUnknown, and welcome to the Baserow community! :wave:

This issue is not very high on the prioritized list, so it’s hard to determine the ETA for this functionality. As I see more people asking about this request, I will chat with the team to see if we can prioritize it. I’ll get back with some updates on this soon. :raised_hands: