Re: Converting from %date() to numeric

[Scott Klement <rpg400-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> %char ( %date() : *iso ) will give 2000-02-09

Really?  For some reason my iSeries thinks that it's 2005.  Maybe it's 
broken.

> and the separators will cause the %int to fail, or to evaluate the 
> aritmetic expression.

That's why you code *ISO0 instead of *ISO.  The zero tells it to suppress 
the date separators.

> That's why I use a format without separators.

Me too.  But, in my case, it's a 4-digit year, so I don't have to muck 
with the century.


> Never try *iso 0, I may be wrong, but I remember reading that ISO had 
> the separators mandatory.  I'm still using V5.2.

No, you can code *ISO0 (or any date format followed by a zero) to suppress 
date separators.  This feature has been around for at least a few 
releases.


> It makes sense that the compiler will choose the proper format for the output 
> when the function is called by another function.  No separtors is obvious, 
> but how does the compiler chooses the order? dmy? iso?

You specify it on the keyword.  i.e. %char(blah: *ISO) will output in ISO 
format, %char(blah: *DMY) will output in DMY format.  Likewise, in V5R3, 
%dec(mydate: *ISO) will output in ISO format, %dec(mydate: *DMY) will 
output in, you guessed it, DMY format.