Use American-style number formatting (EK00051)
Consistent number formatting keeps values unambiguous. Use commas for thousands and a period for the decimal point across your documentation.
Using commas as thousands separators and a period as the decimal point keeps numeric values unambiguous and consistent across your documentation. EkLine flags numbers that don’t follow American formatting conventions (rule EK00051).
Why does number formatting matter in documentation?
Section titled “Why does number formatting matter in documentation?”Number formatting varies by region: some conventions use periods for thousands and commas for decimals, which reverses the American style. When a page mixes both, readers can misread 1.000 as one instead of one thousand. Most software and API documentation follows American formatting, and matching it keeps your numbers unambiguous and consistent with the tools your readers use.
What EkLine flags
Section titled “What EkLine flags”EK00051 matches numbers that use commas as the decimal point or periods as thousands separators and suggests the American form.
- ❌ Incorrect: The dataset contains 1.000.000 rows.
- ✅ Correct: The dataset contains 1,000,000 rows.
- ❌ Incorrect: Set the ratio to 3,5.
- ✅ Correct: Set the ratio to 3.5.
How to fix
Section titled “How to fix”Use commas to separate thousands and a period for the decimal point.
How should you format large numbers?
Section titled “How should you format large numbers?”Use commas to separate thousands and a period for the decimal point — 1,000,000 for a million and 3.5 for a ratio. This matches the format most software and API documentation uses.
Does this rule apply to version numbers and IP addresses?
Section titled “Does this rule apply to version numbers and IP addresses?”No. Version numbers, IP addresses, and other dotted identifiers aren’t measurements. Review the suggestion in context before you apply it.
Rule details
Section titled “Rule details”| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Rule ID | EK00051 |
| Category | Consistency |
| Default severity | Warning |
| Enabled by default | Yes |
Ignore this rule
Section titled “Ignore this rule”To keep a number’s formatting on one line, add an inline comment with a reason:
<!-- ekline-ignore-next-line EK00051 -- locale-specific example -->In this locale, one thousand is written 1.000.To disable the rule across your project, add it to the ignore list in your configuration file.