Decimal Places in Attribute Pane

Question

I'm using a hosted feature layer in ArcPro with a Float data type field.  I have the decimal places set to 2.  The number entered only shows as 1 decimal place in the Attribute Table and Pane.  When you click to edit the number, it shows 16 decimals of superfluous numbers.  So, if I enter 2.4 in the field, it shows 2.4000000953674316.  If I look at the data in AGOL, it'll show 2.40, but when clicked to edit shows 2.4000000953674316.  What is going on?  Why does it just make up numbers?  I assume it has something to do with how it was published, but I have no idea.

Here's a snip from the Attribute Pane as displayed, and when you try to edit.

DanielFox1 · Accepted Answer

Hi @LukeGilner1

Float uses 32 bit precision, meaning that it cannot store exact decimal values like to 2.4 cleanly in binary. So when you enter 2.4 it will store it very close to 2.4 such as 2.4000000953674316. This is a limitation with binary floating point representation not a defect in ArcGIS.

In ArcGIS Pro and ArcGIS Online the value is formatted to 2 decimal places for display but when editing you see the raw stored value.

How you can resolve this.

1. Use Double instead of Float

Double is 64 bit and has better precision. You will need to make a new field that has double and recalculate the values again.

If you need exact formatting to always show 2.4 for example you can create a calculated text field that formats the number as a string.

Example: Text($feature.YourFloatField, "#.00")

This should avoid floating point issue entirely for display purposes.