How to format an expression when using a UI template for creating custom calculator functions

Dear all,

I want to add a custom calculator function.

Apparently, it is possible to format the output, such that unlike the simple order of function name and parameters, something completely different can be sent to calculator buffer.

Let's take the settlingTime() function as an example. It simply fowards all parameters to calculator buffer, such that the function call is something like this:

settlingTime(signal 20n t 50n t 1 nil "time" )

Now assume I would like to manipulate the output by doing some formatting, such that the output sent to calculator buffer upon clicking "OK", for example, is

settlingTime(dB20(signal) 20n t 50n t 1 nil "time" )

(This is a useless example in practice, I just want to make clear that some manipulation shall take place instead of just combining the function name with the parameters sepcified by the template UI file.)

In chapter F "Working With Function Templates" of Virtuoso Visualization and Analysis XL User Guide, there is an example, which may show what I need:

START OF CITATION

Example 3: Signature described by a format statement: compression.ocn

Location:

(<CDS_INST_DIR>/tools/dfII/etc/tools/wavescan/measures/compress.ocn)
...
9 analysis (nil
10   general (nil
11       ;; args (signal ...)
12 format ("compression(dB20(harmonic(%s, %s)), ?x %s, ?compress %s)" signal harmNumber xpoint compressiondb)
...

The compression function is one of those examples where the expression does not conform to a simple rule of function name plus name/value pairs for the parameters. We have to use the format statement (line 12 above).

The format uses %s to substitute in the values of the named parameters (signal, harmNumber, xpoint, and compressiondb).

END OF CITATION

As I understand it, format() does what I want, but unluckily, I cannot find the example code in my installation, and I don't know WHERE exactly to put the staetment in the template UI file and what other parts to remove (like the "outputs(result)" line, or anything else.

Can anyone help?