-<!-- $PostgreSQL: pgsql/doc/src/sgml/func.sgml,v 1.419 2007/12/21 03:37:18 tgl Exp $ -->
+<!-- $PostgreSQL: pgsql/doc/src/sgml/func.sgml,v 1.420 2008/02/26 15:32:30 petere Exp $ -->
<chapter id="functions">
<title>Functions and Operators</title>
</itemizedlist>
</para>
+ <para>
+ Certain modifiers can be applied to any template pattern to alter its
+ behavior. For example, <literal>FM9999</literal>
+ is the <literal>9999</literal> pattern with the
+ <literal>FM</literal> modifier.
+ <xref linkend="functions-formatting-numericmod-table"> shows the
+ modifier patterns for numeric formatting.
+ </para>
+
+ <table id="functions-formatting-numericmod-table">
+ <title>Template Pattern Modifiers for Numeric Formatting</title>
+ <tgroup cols="3">
+ <thead>
+ <row>
+ <entry>Modifier</entry>
+ <entry>Description</entry>
+ <entry>Example</entry>
+ </row>
+ </thead>
+ <tbody>
+ <row>
+ <entry><literal>FM</literal> prefix</entry>
+ <entry>fill mode (suppress padding blanks and zeroes)</entry>
+ <entry><literal>FM9999</literal></entry>
+ </row>
+ <row>
+ <entry><literal>TH</literal> suffix</entry>
+ <entry>uppercase ordinal number suffix</entry>
+ <entry><literal>999TH</literal></entry>
+ </row>
+ <row>
+ <entry><literal>th</literal> suffix</entry>
+ <entry>lowercase ordinal number suffix</entry>
+ <entry><literal>999th</literal></entry>
+ </row>
+ </tbody>
+ </tgroup>
+ </table>
+
<para>
<xref linkend="functions-formatting-examples-table"> shows some
examples of the use of the <function>to_char</function> function.