Path: utzoo!yunexus!geac!syntron!jtsv16!uunet!tank!ncar!gatech!bloom-beacon!bu-cs!dartvax!eleazar.dartmouth.edu!boz
From: boz@eleazar.dartmouth.edu (John Boswell)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.hypercard
Subject: searching by dates in HC
Message-ID: <10580@dartvax.Dartmouth.EDU>
Date: 25 Oct 88 18:33:43 GMT
Article-I.D.: dartvax.10580
Sender: news@dartvax.Dartmouth.EDU
Reply-To: boz@eleazar.dartmouth.edu (John Boswell)
Distribution: comp.sys.mac.hypercard
Organization: Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH
Lines: 41

(munch, munch)

Hi.
	My question is relatively simple.  (I hope the answer is too...)
I'm developing a purchase order database in hypercard.  I've implemented
most of what I need, with the exception of a script that will give a summary
of money spent during any given month on any given account.  I'm stumped
here.  I want to be able to look at a card, see if the account number on the
card is the one to be reported, and then check to see if the date is within
the required range.  It is this last requirement that gives me trouble.
Sample script:

put "10/1/88" into startDate
put "10/31/88" into endDate
--following is done for each proper card:

put bg fld "date" into orderDate
-- following if is where the script fails:

if startDate < orderDate < endDate then
-- do something
else
-- do something (i.e. beep)

-- all I ever get is the beep.

	Now, I *really* didn't expect this to work, as what is in the
startDate, endDate and orderDate containers is a string, and not a 
number.  However, I can't figure out how to convert more than a 
character to a number.  Can anyone help me implement something like
the "if" routine above?  (It's getting close to the end of the month
*smile*).

					Thanks,

					John Boswell
					Dept. of Chemistry
					Dartmouth College
					Hangover, Nude Hampster  03755

					boz@eleazar.dartmouth.edu