# xs:decimal

Converts $string-var (a string) to a decimal value.

If $string-var is the empty sequence, the empty sequence is returned. The empty sequence is a sequence containing zero items (), which is similar to null in SQL.

### Signatures

xs:decimal(xs:string $string-var) —> xs:decimal

### Arguments

Data Type | Argument | Description
--- | --- | ---
xs:string | $string-var | Represents the string to convert to a decimal number.

### Returns

Returns the decimal value of $string-var.

### Examples

#### Simple

Invoking decimal("2.2") returns the decimal value 2.2 as shown in the following example query:

    <decimal>{xs:decimal("2.2")}</decimal>

The preceding query generates the following result:

    <decimal>2.2</decimal>

#### Null

Invoking decimal(()) returns an empty sequence. The empty sequence is a sequence containing zero items (), which is similar to null in SQL.

For example, the following example query:

    <decimal>{xs:decimal(())}</decimal>

The preceding query generates the following result:

    <decimal/>

Related Topics

W3C decimal data type description