Allow user to select separator and delimiter convention for EUR currency

[zachgoll]

Discussed in #1093

^{Originally posted by 825i August 15, 2024}

Describe the feature

In most areas of the world numbers are written like so:

2,312.25

Not:

2.312,25

That is, comma first, period second.

There should be at the very least an option to reverse the placement.

Further reasoning for this is that my debts to me looks like I only owe €25.32 cents. Not €25,325...

Why is this feature important?

There is the possibility of misunderstanding balances.

Additional context, screenshots, and relevant links

Comma and period should be replaced eg. in the case of all these amounts.

[zachgoll]

What currently controls the placement of the separator/delimiter is the currencies file. By default, this will show a value such as €25.000,50.

maybe/config/currencies.yml

Lines 15 to 28 in ee572d8

	eur:
	name: Euro
	priority: 2
	iso_code: EUR
	iso_numeric: "978"
	html_code: "€"
	symbol: "€"
	minor_unit: Cent
	minor_unit_conversion: 100
	smallest_denomination: 1
	separator: ","
	delimiter: "."
	default_format: "%u%n"
	default_precision: 2

Would be curious to hear from folks using EUR, which countries predominantly view EUR with , as the thousands delimiter? (i.e. €25,000.50)

From what I've seen, the predominant way is €25.000,50?

[tonyvince]

Which countries predominantly view EUR with, as the thousands delimiter? (i.e. €25,000.50)

Ireland, Cyprus, and Malta use , as a thousand separator and . as a decimal separator like the rest of the (sane) world.

From what I've seen, the predominant way is €25.000,50?

Yes.

[gariasf]

Which countries predominantly view EUR with, as the thousands delimiter? (i.e. €25,000.50)

In Spain, local banks and other financial platforms generally use , as a decimal separator and . as the thousand separator. With that said, plenty of other foreign platforms still use the other approach. The formats are often mixed in documents related to the same thing. For example, the credit card receipt might be in one format and the actual receipt for the same purchase is sometimes displayed in the other format. It depends on the billing tools and platforms.

What matters is the precision of the decimal amount. It is rarely seen with more than two digits, perhaps except for crypto, and I would say that's where the confusion comes from. Normally, a thousand separator is displayed once we reach 4 digits, three of them after the separator, whichever it is. Hence, the confusion when seeing three decimal numbers on the decimal part.
I'd say that if we can only display the decimals rounded to two digits of precision everywhere sensible, this topic would become a non issue. Otherwise, if it were necessary, a legend, or format indication should be shown.

My take: Trying to account for this should not be relevant before a stable release. Moreover, it might also add unnecessary complexity and friction for other features. I'd leave it for polishing at a later stage if ever needed.