## Syntax
```mermaid
%%{init: {
'theme': 'base',
'flowchart': { 'padding': '7', 'nodeSpacing': '20', 'rankSpacing': '20' },
'themeVariables': {
'fontSize': '11px',
'fontFamily': 'Arial'
}
}}%%
flowchart LR
Start((START)) --> TO_CHAR[TO_CHAR]:::quoted
TO_CHAR --> End((END))
```
## Purpose
The `TO_CHAR` SQL function converts a value into text.
Parameters:
- Input (`ANY`): value to convert.
- Format (optional, `varchar2`): format mask. Defaults to US American style. The list of format masks is available in [[Format Masks]].
Returns: the input converted to text.
## Examples
The following example converts a date to text using a format mask:
```sql
select to_char(to_date('20260703', 'YYYYMMDD'), 'DD-MM-YYYY')
-------------------
03-07-2026
```
The following example converts a number to text:
```sql
select to_char(123.45)
-------------------
123.45
```