Manipulating Date Fields with String Functions


There are many calculations that need to dissect a date field.  This tip will 
explain the basics of how dates are manipulated as strings of text.


The Internal Format


Q&A does not store a date the same way it is displayed on your screen.  
Instead it uses its own internal format, YYYY/MM/DD where Y = Year, M = Month 
and D = Day.


              Jun 13, 1989 is stored as 1989/06/13


This format is what all text and string functions will look at when they are 
used on a date.


The following examples presume the date is in a field numbered #1 and the 
results are from the date given above:



    Function                           Result

    @LEFT(#1,4)                        1989
    @RIGHT(#1,5)                       06/13
    @MID(#1,6,2)                       06
    @NUM(#1)                           19890613
    @LEN(#1)                           10
    @STR(#1)                           1989/06/13




Application:  An application may need both a standard and a customized date
format such as MM/YY.
















Q & A Application Note       Rev. 6/92           #2113     Page 1 of 1