DATE, DATETIME or DATETIME-TZ functions error out on ISO formatted timestamp to an ABL DATE, DATETIME or DATETIME-TZ value

Functions to convert strings to date / datetime values raise error (80) or (81) if an ISO8601-formatted string is passed as input.

Mar 4, 2015
Knowledge

Title

URL Name

P178777

Article Number

000140641

Environment

Product: OpenEdge Version: 10.x, 11.x OS: All supported platforms

Question/Problem Description

Can't pass an ISO formatted string to DATE, DATETIME or DATETIME-TZ function, that fails errors
There appears to be no built-in functionality to convert an ISO formatted timestamp to an ABL DATE, DATETIME or DATETIME-TZ value

Steps to Reproduce

Clarifying Information

Conversion to ISO formatted string is possible using ISO-DATE function
ISO8601 formatted strings are formatted as "9999-99-99", "9999-99-99THH:MM:SS.SSS" or "9999-99-99THH:MM:SS.SSS+HH:MM"

Following code shows the issue:

DEFINE VARIABLE stamp       AS DATETIME-TZ NO-UNDO.
DEFINE VARIABLE stamp2      AS DATETIME-TZ NO-UNDO.

DEFINE VARIABLE stringstamp AS CHARACTER   NO-UNDO.

stamp = NOW.
stringstamp = ISO-DATE(stamp). 
MESSAGE stringstamp.
stamp2 = DATETIME-TZ(stringstamp).
MESSAGE stamp = stamp2.

Error Message

** Day in month is invalid. (81) ** The month of a date must be from 1 to 12. (80)

Defect Number

Enhancement PSC00229298 / OE00202896

Enhancement Number

Cause

DATE, DATETIME or DATETIME-TZ functions always work by SESSION:DATE-FORMAT.
The common date formats are "mdy" ("month, day year") or "dmy" ("day, month, year"), where an ISO8601 formatted date by definition uses "year, month, day" ("ymd").

The functions will in fact properly parse the ISO8601-formatted strings if SESSION:DATE-FORMAT = "ymd".

Resolution

The Enhancement requested is to detect ISO8601 formatting and parse the strings correctly independent of the SESSION:DATE-FORMAT.
This Enhancement has not been implemented in the product.

Workaround

Switch the SESSION:DATE-FORMAT to "ymd" when handling ISO8601 formatted strings. Use -d "ymd" startup parameter to make this default, or do this temporarily in the ABL code.
Continuing from above example:

DEFINE VARIABLE stamp       AS DATETIME-TZ NO-UNDO.
DEFINE VARIABLE stamp2      AS DATETIME-TZ NO-UNDO.

DEFINE VARIABLE stringstamp AS CHARACTER   NO-UNDO.
DEFINE VARIABLE oldformat   AS CHARACTER   NO-UNDO.

stamp = NOW.
stringstamp = ISO-DATE(stamp).
MESSAGE stringstamp.

ASSIGN oldformat = SESSION:DATE-FORMAT
       SESSION:DATE-FORMAT = "ymd"
       stamp2 = DATETIME-TZ(stringstamp)
       SESSION:DATE-FORMAT = oldformat.

MESSAGE stamp = stamp2.

Alternatively, parse the ISO-formatted string manually.

Notes

Keyword Phrase

Last Modified Date

9/13/2015 3:29 AM

DATE, DATETIME or DATETIME-TZ functions error out on ISO formatted timestamp to an ABL DATE, DATETIME or DATETIME-TZ value

Files(0)

Was this article helpful?

Was this article helpful?

DATE, DATETIME or DATETIME-TZ functions error out on ISO formatted timestamp to an ABL DATE, DATETIME or DATETIME-TZ value

Information

Related Articles