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(format "Hard-coded value is 100\% and the variable is %s" "50\\%")

Returns

Debugger entered--Lisp error: (error "Invalid format operation %a") format("Hard-coded value is 100% and the variable is %s" "50%") eval((format "Hard-coded value is 100% and the variable is %s" "50%") nil) eval-last-sexp-1(nil) eval-last-sexp(nil) call-interactively(eval-last-sexp nil nil) command-execute(eval-last-sexp)

(Note how in the debugger output, the command has the "%" escaped)

How in heaven can I use a string with a percentage in it?

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  • 1
    I think it's %%. Commented Jul 19, 2017 at 22:16
  • Elisp manual, node Formatting Strings. You can get to that just by using C-h i, choosing the Elisp manual, and i format RET. Commented Jul 20, 2017 at 21:53

1 Answer 1

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6

It is indeed %%. If you type C-h f format <RET> you'll pull up the documentation for the format function, which states:

Use %% to put a single % into the output.

Thus:

(format "Hard-coded value is 100%% and the variable is %s" "50%")

(the % signs never need to be escaped with backslashes).

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