# Indirect tag formatString

**URL:** <https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/indirect-tag-formatstring/41859>\
**Category:** Ignition\
**Created:** [December 30, 2020, 4:23pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/indirect-tag-formatstring/41859 "2020-12-30T16:23:09Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Transistor](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/transistor/32/3380_2.png) [@Transistor](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Transistor)\
**Post date:** [December 30, 2020, 4:23pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/indirect-tag-formatstring/41859/1 "2020-12-30T16:23:09Z")

</div>

I’m trying to use my tags’ _FormatString_ in my view’s indirect tags. I found a similar thread, [Perspective Indirect formatting on a label](http://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/perspective-indirect-formatting-on-a-label/39929), but haven’t figured it out yet.

The following works up to step 3 but when I add the transform expression (4) it returns a _null_.

 ![Indirect format binding](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/original/3X/7/6/768903eefabb7b621491be3fd9abf4a18abf2df5.png)

I also tried to apply the format using only an expression binding:

```auto
numberFormat(
    tag("{view.params.tagPath}.value"), 
    tag("{view.params.tagPath}.FormatString")
)

```

This gives the same _null_ result.

Any suggestions?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![nminchin](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/nminchin/32/6911_2.png) [@nminchin](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/nminchin)\
**Post date:** [December 30, 2020, 7:51pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/indirect-tag-formatstring/41859/2 "2020-12-30T19:51:15Z")

</div>

`{view.params.tagPath}` will return a string. A string doesn't have a `FormatString` property.

> [@Transistor](#):
>
> tag("{view.params.tagPath}.FormatString")

Unless you have a tag with literal path "{view.params.tagPath}", this won't get you anything.

You _could_ use `tag({view.params.tagPath} +" .FormatString)` but you'll get told off by @pturmel 😁 you'll also get told off by operators if you have any performance issues due to using it

You should create an indirect binding to both your tag value and your formatString in two separate custom properties. Then use those in an expression binding