Re: FMTSRC

On 02/03/99 12:27:12 PM david.kahn wrote:

Hi Dave!
> * Select from 1999/07 through 2000/01 inclusive
> * Drop the record if the year is too late
>O C 117 118EQC20                  CC
>OAC  54  55GTC00                  YY
>* Drop record if year is too early
>OOC 117 118EQC19                  CC
>OAC  54  55LTC99                  YY
>* Include dates within the specified month range
>I C  54  55EQC99                  YY
>IAC  56  57GEC07                  MM
>IOC  54  55EQC00                  YY
>IAC  56  57LEC01                  MM
>
>When you go to drop the records below 2000 you would omit all those with a
>century of 20 and a year less than 00. There aren't any, of course, but
>this is unimportant (see below). But there may be any number with a 
century
>of 19. These are still in, and the includes would grab any records in the
>range 1900/05 to 1901/04. In most cases you'll get away with it, but there
>are real world systems with dates this old, and your solution is not
>universally correct.

Good catch!!!!  That's the great thing about having a list like this: 
another set of eyes to find oversights!

>No arguments. It's a nasty, tricky problem, and arranging all the dates in
>a sensible form like CCYYMMDD is definitely the way to go. It's a pity
>Booth's forced to work with a split date. Split dates serve only 2 useful
>purposes: amusing the readership of midrange-l and torturing trainee
>programmers.  :-))

Heh!  It's discussing stuff like this out loud that makes me smarter! 
Someday (HAH!) I'll learn to look twice before I press <send>, but this one 
has been the most enlightening trip down memory lane in years...  :-)

Thank you!

Buck Calabro
CommSoft, Albany, NY
mailto:mcalabro@commsoft.net

ps - Are you the same Dave who used to post from Tengizchevroil? <sp>
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