Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!wuarchive!uunet!auspex!guy
From: guy@auspex.auspex.com (Guy Harris)
Newsgroups: comp.sources.wanted
Subject: Re: Public domain STRPTIME()
Message-ID: <8444@auspex.auspex.com>
Date: 20 Jun 91 23:17:41 GMT
References: <1991Jun14.153947.1180@ednor.bbc.com>
Distribution: usa
Organization: Auspex Systems, Santa Clara
Lines: 23

>I'm looking for a public domain implementation of strptime(), which is to
>strftime() as scanf() is to printf(). Any leads would be appreciated.

"strptime()" isn't completely the correct solution.  It "knows about"
some of the items in the format string, so that it "knows" that you can
leave the seconds off in a time, and the like. 

A better solution would have been to have:

	1) a routine that parses the input string strictly, requiring
	   matches for all fields - i.e., a *true* analog to "scanf()";

	2) a routine that gets a list of format strings, and tries them
	   in order with the first routine until it finds one that
	   works.

1) should be a fair bit easier to write than "strptime()"; it should be
fairly straightforward, if slightly tedious, to write.  2) should add
less complication than the hacks in "strptime()".

I.e., if you can avoid it, don't propagate the errors in specifying the
interface that I made when I first created "strptime()"; do the above
instead.