…so I’m working on a data base of “Examples, Tricks and Tips” to be mounted using a WordPress plug-in called WP Data Access.  I really hope it works out like it seems it will.  In the process I’ve tackled an f-string problem that has too much utility to bury it in a database – how to use one statement (probably in a function to print, right aligned, a column of dollars and cents.  The devil is in a careful reading and understanding of the term “replacement field”.  A few lines of code will save many paragraphs of explanation:

random_data=[9876.5432,123.45,65.7,10543.21, -9183.765]
detail_string = " =12,.2f"
summary_string = "=10,.0F"
for num in random_data:
    print(f"{'$'}{num:{detail_string}}")
print("-"*13)
print(f"{'$'}{sum(random_data):{detail_string}}")
print()
for num in random_data:
    print(f"{'$'}{num:{summary_string}}")
print("-"*11)
print(f"{'$'}{sum(random_data):{summary_string}}")

Changeing only the mini-language string this will produce:

$   9,876.54
$      123.45
$        65.70
$ 10,543.21
$-  9,183.76
————-
$ 11,425.14

$    9,877
$       123
$         66
$  10,543
$-   9,184
———–
$  11,425