Zend_Measure supports outputting of strings automatically.

$locale = new Zend_Locale('de');
$mystring = "1.234.567,89";
$unit = new Zend_Measure_Length($mystring,
                                Zend_Measure_Length::STANDARD,
                                $locale);

echo $unit;

The value of a measurement can be output using getValue().

$locale = new Zend_Locale('de');
$mystring = "1.234.567,89";
$unit = new Zend_Measure_Length($mystring,
                                Zend_Measure_Length::STANDARD,
                                $locale);

echo $unit->getValue();

The getValue() method accepts an optional parameter round which allows to define a precision for the generated output. The standard precision is '2'.

The function getType() returns the current unit of measurement.

$locale = new Zend_Locale('de');
$mystring = "1.234.567,89";
$unit = new Zend_Measure_Weight($mystring,
                                Zend_Measure_Weight::POUND,
                                $locale);

echo $unit->getType();

Outputting a string in a format common in the users' country is usually desirable. For example, the measurement "1234567.8" would become "1.234.567,8" for Germany. This functionality will be supported in a future release.