Power Query: Adding characters to a set limit across several columns/rows - excel

Question

Very new to PQ, and I'm pretty sure it can do what I need in this situation, but I need help figuring out how to get there.
I have a timesheet report with 20 columns covering 50 rows that will need to be formatted to a word doc for uploading into a separate system. The original data in the cells range from 0 to any negative 2 digit number (ex: "-20"), but they need to be formatted to a seven-character set ending in ".00".
Examples:
0 will need to become "0000.00"
-4 will need to become "-004.00"
-25 will need to become "-025.00"
I think I should be able to use the text.insert function, but I'm not familiar enough with M Language to get it to do what I want it to do.
Any solutions/suggestions?

Answer 1

Here's my previous answer revisited...set up to use a function. You can just invoke the function once for each column you want to reformat. You'll just pass the name of the column you want to reformat to the function as you invoke the function each time.
Create a new blank query:
Open the new query in Advanced Editor and highlight everything in it:
Paste this over the highlighted text in the Advanced Editor:
let
FormatIt = (SourceColumn) =>
let
Base = Number.Round(SourceColumn,2)*.01,
Source = try Text.Start(Text.Range(
if Base < 7 then Text.From(Base) & "001" else
Text.From(Base),0,7),2) & Text.Range(Text.Range(
if Base < 7 then Text.From(Base) & "001" else
Text.From(Base),0,7),3,2) & "." & Text.End(Text.Range(
if Base < 7 then Text.From(Base) & "001" else
Text.From(Base),0,7),2)
otherwise "0000.00"
in
Source
in
FormatIt
...and click Done.
You'll see a new function has been created and listed in the Queries list on the left side of the screen.
Then go to your query with the columns you want to reformat (click on the name of your query that has the numbers you want to change in it, on the left side of the screen) and...
Click Invoke Custom Function
And fill out the pop-up like this:
- You can make up a different New column name than Custom.1.
- Function Query is the name of your query you are calling (the one you just created when you pasted the code)...for me, it's called Query1.
- Source Column is the column with the numbers you want to format.
...and click OK.
You can invoke this function once for each column. It will create a new formatted column for each.

Answer 2

You can use this formula = Text.PadStart(Text.From([Column1]),4,"0")&".00") in PQ to add new column that looks similar to your needs.

Answer 3

Here's an admittedly "busy" formula to do it:
= Table.AddColumn(#"Changed Type", "Custom", each Text.Start(Text.Range(if Number.Round([Column1],2)*.01 < 7 then Text.From(Number.Round([Column1],2)*.01) & "001" else Text.From(Number.Round([Column1],2)*.01),0,7),2) & Text.Range(Text.Range(if Number.Round([Column1],2)*.01 < 7 then Text.From(Number.Round([Column1],2)*.01) & "001" else Text.From(Number.Round([Column1],2)*.01),0,7),3,2) & "." & Text.End(Text.Range(if Number.Round([Column1],2)*.01 < 7 then Text.From(Number.Round([Column1],2)*.01) & "001" else Text.From(Number.Round([Column1],2)*.01),0,7),2))
It assumes your numbers that you want formatted are in Column1 to start. It creates a new column...Custom...with the formatted result.
To try it out, start with Column1 already populated and loaded into Power Query; then click the Add Column tab and then the Custom Column button, and populate the pop-up window like this:
...and click OK.
With more time, the repetitive parts could be made with variables to shorten this up a bit. This could also be turned into a function, given some time. But I don't have the time right now, so I figured I'd give you at least "something."