This tab allows you to replace data with other text. We will start with a few examples to see how this could be used. Let's say you had a products database and you want to display the number of items left in stock for a particular item. The field in the database could be called 'Stock level'. You want to display a message such as 'Out of stock' or 'None left' if the stock level is 0. You may also want to display 'Hurry, last few left' if the stock level is below five. What you could do is to use the tab to tell Repeat Signage to do this. You would have to select 'Number' from the 'Replacement type' list and then use the Add button to add the following lines to the grid:
| Stock value | Operator | Replacement value |
| 5 | LESS THAN | Hurry, last few left |
| 1 | EQUALS | Last one left |
| 0 | EQUALS | Out of stock |
So what will happen is if the stock level is 10, it would just display '10'. Stock of 5 would display '5' (the operator above is less than 5), and 4 or 3 or 2 would display 'Hurry, last few left'. A stock level of 1 would display 'Last one left' and 0 is 'Out of stock'.
Numbers are also used in databases as status codes. For example, one UK estate agent (realtor) website uses Property codes in it's data feed. Each number is a different type of product such as:
| Property code | Property type |
| 0 | Not specified |
| 1 | Terraced house |
| 2 | End of terrace house |
| 3 | Semi-detached house |
| 4 | Detached house |
| Etc. |
Since this information is not available within the data feed, we could use replacements to replace a value of 1 with 'Terraced house', etc.
Text information can also be replaced. For example, in a museum an exhibit could allow visitors to enter comments into a database which are then displayed on a screen. Text has the option of 'FIND AND REPLACE' (as wells EQUALS) so you could use this to remove any swear words by replacing bad words with nothing or replace some words with *****.
Replacement rules
With the exception of FIND AND REPLACE then the first replacement line in the gird that matches is used, so the order of the replacement lines is important. For example, if you used the following:
| Number value | Operator | Replacement value |
| 100 | LESS THAN | Less than 100 |
| 1000 | LESS THAN | Less than 1000 |
and the number is 23 you would expect the replacement value to be 'Less than 100'. However, if the items in the grid are the other way around:
| Number value | Operator | Replacement value |
| 1000 | LESS THAN | Less than 1000 |
| 100 | LESS THAN | Less than 100 |
then 23 would display 'Less than 1000' instead, so this would be the first rule that matched.
Using replacement for conditional formatting with numbers
You an also use the place holder <VALUE> in your replacement statements. For example, you may want to colour numbers between certain values. For example, you could apply different colours to numbers:
| Number value | Operator | Replacement value |
| 1000 | LESS THAN | <span style="color:red"><VALUE></span> |
| 100 | LESS THAN | <span style="color:green"><VALUE></span> |
which means that less than 100 you would get the colour green applied and between 100 to 999 you would get red applied.
IMPORTANT - You have to change the 'Display as' field to 'BASIC HTML' so that the colours are applied.
Using this system
Use the 'Replacement type' list to select the type of data such as TEXT, NUMBER, CURRENCY, etc. Then use the add button to add an entry. Use the help system on the displayed form for more information and your options.
Additional options such as prefixes and suffixes
There are applied after any replacements have been made.