Global Number Formatting Options

This page documents shared number-format behavior used by CartThrob tags that output monetary values.

CartThrob money tags commonly output formatted values through ExpressionEngine’s number formatter (ee()->number->format(...)). Some tags also support raw numeric output (for example, :numeric) when you need calculation-safe values.

All numeric inputs should be posted using standard numeric notation (1000.00, 1.5, etc.). Formatting should be handled at output time.

See also:

• view_formatted_number
• view_setting
• cart_total

Parameters

These formatting parameters are used for output formatting.

Code note:

• cart_shipping_plus_tax explicitly reads prefix, decimals, dec_point, and thousands_sep.

• Other money tags typically format output through ee()->number->format(...) and follow store/default number-format behavior.

• decimals

• dec_point
• thousands_sep
• prefix

decimals

Controls decimal precision for formatted output.

Default in explicit CartThrob implementation (cart_shipping_plus_tax): 2.

decimals="2"

dec_point

Sets decimal separator character.

Default in explicit CartThrob implementation (cart_shipping_plus_tax): ..

dec_point="."

Example locale override:

dec_point=","

thousands_sep

Sets thousands separator character.

Default in explicit CartThrob implementation (cart_shipping_plus_tax): ,.

thousands_sep=","

Example locale override:

thousands_sep="."

prefix

Adds a string prefix to formatted monetary output.

Default in explicit CartThrob implementation (cart_shipping_plus_tax): $.

prefix="$"

Example:

prefix="Euro "

Related Tags

These tags are directly related to number formatting because they either:

1. format numeric output directly, or
2. expose formatted monetary variables.

Direct formatting tags

• view_formatted_number: format an arbitrary number for output.
• arithmetic: can return formatted output when format="yes".
• cart_shipping_plus_tax: explicitly supports prefix, decimals, dec_point, and thousands_sep parameters.

Cart and checkout totals tags

• cart_subtotal: formatted subtotal output (also used on Cart page and Checkout page).
• cart_subtotal_plus_shipping: formatted subtotal + shipping output (also used on Cart page and Checkout page).
• cart_subtotal_plus_tax: formatted subtotal + tax output (also used on Cart page).
• cart_subtotal_minus_discount: formatted subtotal - discount output (also used on Cart page and Discounts page).
• cart_shipping: formatted shipping output (also used on Cart page and Checkout page).
• cart_tax: formatted tax output (also used on Cart page and Checkout page).
• cart_total: formatted final total output (also used on Cart page and Checkout page).
• cart_discount: formatted discount output (also used on Checkout page and Discounts page).

Discount/coupon and order summary tags

• cart_discount_percent_of_subtotal: discount percentage output (also used on Discounts page).
• cart_discount_percent_of_total: discount percentage output (also used on Discounts page).
• coupon_info: formatted coupon discount amount variables (also used on Discounts page).
• discount_info: formatted discount amount variables (also used on Discounts page).
• order_totals: formatted aggregate order totals (also used on Cart page).

Tag pairs exposing formatted monetary variables

• cart_items_info: item/cart variables include formatted and :numeric forms (also used on Cart page and Checkout page).
• order_items: purchased item variables include formatted and numeric forms (also used on Cart page, Checkout page, and Downloads page).
• cart_info: cart-level totals and metadata values include formatted monetary output (also used on Cart page).
• get_shipping_options: option price values are formatted for display (also used on Checkout page).

Behavior and Constraints

1. Most CartThrob money-output tags format through ee()->number->format(...).
2. cart_shipping_plus_tax is a special case with explicit in-tag formatting parameter handling.
3. Many total tags support a :numeric modifier for raw values; use these for comparisons/calculations and formatted output for display.
4. Formatting behavior can depend on store number-format defaults and ExpressionEngine number formatter behavior.
5. Percentage tags (cart_discount_percent_of_subtotal, cart_discount_percent_of_total) return percentage numbers, not currency strings.

Examples

Default formatted cart total:

{exp:cartthrob:cart_total}

Raw numeric value for logic/calculations:

{exp:cartthrob:cart_total:numeric}

Explicit custom formatting (cart_shipping_plus_tax):

{exp:cartthrob:cart_shipping_plus_tax
  decimals="2"
  dec_point=","
  thousands_sep="."
  prefix="Euro "}

Utility formatting of an arbitrary number:

{exp:cartthrob:view_formatted_number number="12.1234" prefix="$" decimals="2"}

Configuration and Defaults

CartThrob number formatting defaults come from store settings and are used by tags that format output through ee()->number->format(...).

You can inspect currently configured defaults with view_setting:

{exp:cartthrob:view_setting decimals="yes"}
{exp:cartthrob:view_setting dec_point="yes"}
{exp:cartthrob:view_setting thousands_sep="yes"}
{exp:cartthrob:view_setting prefix="yes"}

Practical guidance:

1. Use store defaults for consistent output across your cart/checkout pages.
2. Override formatting per tag only when a template has a specific display requirement.
3. Use :numeric output variants when values are used for comparisons/calculations.