Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!mailrus!ames!lll-lcc!pyramid!infmx!aland
From: aland@infmx.UUCP (Dr. Scump)
Newsgroups: comp.databases
Subject: Re: Informix 4gl "construct" statement broken
Summary: good point...   the current release works how you want it
Message-ID: <526@infmx.UUCP>
Date: 15 Oct 88 02:04:31 GMT
References: <471@pan.UUCP> <1214@cod.NOSC.MIL> <467@infmx.UUCP> <491@pan.UUCP>
Organization: Informix Software Inc., Menlo Park, CA.
Lines: 46

In article <491@pan.UUCP>, jw@pan.UUCP (Jamie Watson) writes:
> In article <497@infmx.UUCP> aland@infmx.UUCP (Dr. Scump) writes:
> >Jamie, if you are still having problems with it, make sure of the
> >following:
> >   3) if using dates in forms, make sure you have the correct FORMAT
> >      clause on the field attribute, e.g.  
> >         f001 = person.birthdate, format = "dd.mm.yy";
> >      otherwise, the standard date format ("mm/dd/yy") is assumed.
> 
> Wait a minute, why is this necessary?  I just created a tiny test form
> and a 4gl program to go with it, and sure enough, if I add a format
> specification to the form as you indicate, the construct statement
> in the 4gl program works.  I certainly don't see why it is necessary,
> though; in fact, it looks to me like it defeats the purpose of the
> DBDATE environment variable, because it is hard-coding the date format
> into the form!
> ... 
> jw

Yeah, I agree with you...  technically, the general default date format
is "mm/dd/yyyy", but it does seem somewhat arbitrary that DBDATE does
not automatically override this default in FORM4GL.  If you look at
page 3-32R, you will see these examples using the date Sept. 15 1986:

          Input               Result

      no FORMAT attribute     "09/15/86"
            ...                   ...
      FORMAT = "dd-mm-yy"     "15-09-86"

Soooo, the documentation is *technically* correct (no flames please :-]),
but this functionality is not explained well at all.   In my opinion,
it should have been stated in a Note at least, especially since the
environment variable appendix entry on DBDATE implies that DBDATE alone
should take care of default date formatting.  If it makes you feel any 
better, this was changed in the current release (1.10.03) so that 
DBDATE *does* override the general default in FORM4GL.  Therefore, the
FORMAT="dd.mm.yy" would not be necessary in the current release.
(I also tested this is the current DOS release [1.10.06], and it 
works the same as UNIX 1.10.03, in case you use DOS.)

-- 
 Alan S. Denney  |  Informix Software, Inc.  |  {pyramid|uunet}!infmx!aland
 Disclaimer: These opinions are mine alone.  If I am caught or killed,
             the secretary will disavow any knowledge of my actions.
 Santos' 4th Law: "Anything worth fighting for is worth fighting *dirty* for"