microsoft/PowerToys

Powertoys run calculator weird behavior with space-separated thousands

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#34,145 opened on Aug 4, 2024

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 (7 comments) (1 reaction) (0 assignees)C# (7,978 forks)batch import
Cost-SmallHelp WantedIdea-EnhancementIssue-BugProduct-PowerToys RunRun-Plugin

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Description

Microsoft PowerToys version

0.83.0

Installation method

PowerToys auto-update

Running as admin

No

Area(s) with issue?

PowerToys Run

Steps to reproduce

  1. Open powertoys run
  2. Type in 100 500/100 - the result is incorrect (500 instead of 1005)
  3. If we type in 100500/100 (without the separator), we get the correct result - 1005.

I believe this is because the whitespace will be treated as implied multiplication, so the equation becomes 100(500/100) = 500

✔️ Expected Behavior

Whitespace can be used for thousands separator.

According to Wikipedia, space is the internationally recommended thousands separator.

❌ Actual Behavior

Doing calculations with large numbers formatted with whitespace as thousand separator give misleading results.

Other Software

No response

Contributor guide

Research direction
Investigate how PowerToys Run parses expressions with spaces. The issue likely lies in the calculator logic where spaces are treated as multiplication. To fix, spaces between digits should be ignored or handled as thousands separators. Look for the expression parsing code, likely in PowerToys Run's calculation module. Consider adding a check for spaces within numbers.
Tech stack
csharp
Domain
desktop
Issue type
Bug
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
2
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
1-3 hours
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
Active
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
Clear
Prerequisites
GitC#
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
65