Just to add to what Jon said, I see a lot of confusion about the %date(field: format) and %char(date-field: format). They look the same, but the format identifier means slightly different things. In the %date() function, format tells the BIF the format of the date in field, but in the %char() function (and also in %dec), the format tells the format of the output date value. Maybe the real confusion is in the fact that none of the format identifiers tells the system how to store a date-field internally. Instead it tells the format of the value in a non-date field. This is because, to state the obvious, a value in a date field represents exactly one date, and every possible date has a unique representation in that date field. However, in a numeric or character field, there are a number of ways to represent January 1, 2010, and the value 100101 can represent a number of dates. Hence the need for a date format identifier.
The way I get around the confusion is to think of the internal date format of date and timestamp fields as always *ISO (even though it may be something different). I document that with ctl-opt DatFmt(*ISO); Then I define all of my constants and initializers in *iso format (d'0001-01-01'). When I move a date to a character or number field, I always explicitly specify the output format (that is the format I want the number or character value to appear as) in the %char or %dec function. When I move a number or character field to a date field, I always explicitly specify the input format (that is the format of the date value in the character or number field) in the %date function.
Mark Murphy
STAR BASE Consulting, Inc.
mmurphy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
-----"Vidal, Peter" <Peter.Vidal@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: -----
To: Midrange - RPG <rpg400-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
From: "Vidal, Peter" <Peter.Vidal@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: 03/11/2016 10:34AM
Subject: What is wrong with this %DATE function
Hi list!
DPA_F55EOPR S 10A Inz('20110101 ')
DMinDteCR S D DatFMT(*USA)
/free
MinDteCR = %Date((PA_F55EOPR):*USA);
*inlr = *on;
/end-free
It is blowing up with this error: Date, Time or Timestamp value is not valid (C G D F).
TIA,
Peter Vidal
Developer AS400
P: 800-808-1902, x137210 | F: 813-884-2847
9119 Corporate Lake Dr., Suite 300 | Tampa, FL 33634 | www.carecentrix.com<
http://www.carecentrix.com/>
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