What inspired this Wish List Request?
I have made an add-in prototype that solves this and will attach it below.
A customer (Luc Poelman, FactWise) copied a numeric column between two JMP sessions using different decimal separators. The column silently turned from Numeric Continuous into Character Nominal, and manually flipping it back converted the mismatched values to missing, real data loss risk, not just a display issue.
The only native fix, Custom Locale Settings, is a global preference you have to toggle per file and it doesn't help data already in an open table, which was Luc's actual trigger. I've now confirmed on JMP Pro 19.1.4 that even setting it to match the file still fails unless you also enable a separate, non-obvious import option (Use Regional Settings). The realistic native workaround requires knowing to combine two settings in two different places, and still doesn't cover the copy-paste case.
This keeps coming up: an open community Wish List item asking for the same thing has sat since March 2020, and a 2023 discussion has someone independently asking for a few-click fix. (Make decimal separator an option - JMP User Community , Solved: Comma to dot in a table column without changing preferences - JMP User Community , Solved: Import with decimal separator comma in JMP 16 - Custom Locale Settings not worki... - JMP User Community)
Please describe the new or improved feature or solution you would like to see.
I've built and tested a working add-in, Fix Decimals, attached here. Select any columns and run it once: it detects comma or dot decimal markers (plus thousands separators and percent signs), converts to proper Numeric Continuous, and never touches the Decimal Separator preference. Anything it can't confidently parse is left untouched, with an optional one-click backup first. It reports what converted, what was already numeric, and what was left as text.
The native long-term fix would be a decimal separator control at the file-import or column level, independent of the app-wide preference, which is what the existing community Wish List item already asks for.
What would the value be to you and/or other users if this new feature is provided?
Replaces a manual, per-column, error-prone workaround (toggling regional settings, find/replace, risking silent data loss via Column Info) with one safe click. Saves real time for anyone exchanging files across US/EU locales, and removes the risk of quietly losing data.
Is this an external customer request? Yes. Luc Poelman, FactWise (Belgium). This surfaced during Luc's Coursera STIP course while onboarding onto JMP; he has since converted to a paid license.
Is there a competitive software package that has this feature or solution that we should be aware of? Excel, via Power Query (Get & Transform), lets you right-click a column and choose Change Type > Using Locale to pick the locale used to interpret its numbers (decimal separator included), independent of and without changing Windows regional settings. Source: Set a locale or region for data (Power Query) | Microsoft Support
Will this impact a renewal, expansion, or adoption at a customer, and does this put an account at risk if we do not address this? Not at the moment, but it might have an impact on renewal on this and other customers.
