Date methods from recordset

[John Kenickney]

I use ASP/Javascript. I pull a date from a recordset field like this.

var theDate = new Date()
theDate = rs.Fields.Item( "date").val ue

Now I want to apply the method toLocaleString( ). There are 2 things I can
think of

1) change my code to
var theDate = new Date()
theDate = rs.Fields.Item( "date").toLocal eString()

But this gives the error that this method is not supported by that object.

2) Add a string variable

var theDate = new Date()
theDate = rs.Fields.Item( "date").val ue
var strDate = theDate.toLocal eString()

Now I get the error message that theDate is null or not an object.

Any ideas?

[RobG]

Re: Date methods from recordset

John Kenickney wrote:[color=blue]
> I use ASP/Javascript. I pull a date from a recordset field like this.
>
> var theDate = new Date()[/color]

So 'theDate' contains the date of midnight on the morning of the
current date according to the user's computer (which may be set
incorrectly and almost certainly not accurately)
[color=blue]
> theDate = rs.Fields.Item( "date").val ue[/color]

What does 'rs.Fields.Item ("date").val ue' return? If it's a
string, you just turned theDate into a string and it's not a date
object any more.
[color=blue]
>
> Now I want to apply the method toLocaleString( ). There are 2 things I can
> think of[/color]
[...]

Neither of which work (but you knew that). If you want to create
a date for a specific date (say 3 January 2004), use:

var theDate = new Date(2004,0,3);
alert(theDate);

Which, for someone living in Japan, may return something like:

Sat Jan 03 2004 00:00:00 GMT+1000

Depending on your OS, browser, settings, etc. If you want a
decent output format, you must do it yourself, e.g. for an
ISO8601 date generated according to the users' local settings:

<script type="text/javascript">
function addZero(a) {
return (a < 10)? a = '0'+a : a;
}

var theDate = new Date('2004','0' ,'3');
var year = theDate.getFull Year();
var month = +theDate.getMon th()+1;
var daydate = theDate.getDate ();
alert(year
+ '-' + addZero(month)
+ '-' + addZero(daydate ));
</script>

Note that months Jan to Dec are numbered 0 to 11 respectively.
The addZero() function just adds a leading zero to single digit
months or days. Some also recommend using getYear(), but it has
it's own issues. Read below.
[color=blue]
> Any ideas?[/color]

Read Dr. J's stuff here:

<URL:http://www.merlyn.demo n.co.uk/js-dates.htm>


--
Rob

[John Kenickney]

Re: Date methods from recordset


"RobG" <rgqld@iinet.ne t.auau> schreef in bericht
news:41d9f6c6$0 $31857$5a62ac22 @per-qv1-newsreader-01.iinet.net.au ...[color=blue]
> John Kenickney wrote:[color=green]
> > I use ASP/Javascript. I pull a date from a recordset field like this.
> >
> > var theDate = new Date()[/color]
>
> So 'theDate' contains the date of midnight on the morning of the
> current date according to the user's computer (which may be set
> incorrectly and almost certainly not accurately)
>[color=green]
> > theDate = rs.Fields.Item( "date").val ue[/color]
>
> What does 'rs.Fields.Item ("date").val ue' return? If it's a
> string, you just turned theDate into a string and it's not a date
> object any more.
>[color=green]
> >
> > Now I want to apply the method toLocaleString( ). There are 2 things I[/color][/color]
can[color=blue][color=green]
> > think of[/color]
> [...]
>
> Neither of which work (but you knew that). If you want to create
> a date for a specific date (say 3 January 2004), use:
>
> var theDate = new Date(2004,0,3);
> alert(theDate);
>
> Which, for someone living in Japan, may return something like:
>
> Sat Jan 03 2004 00:00:00 GMT+1000
>
> Depending on your OS, browser, settings, etc. If you want a
> decent output format, you must do it yourself, e.g. for an
> ISO8601 date generated according to the users' local settings:
>
> <script type="text/javascript">
> function addZero(a) {
> return (a < 10)? a = '0'+a : a;
> }
>
> var theDate = new Date('2004','0' ,'3');
> var year = theDate.getFull Year();
> var month = +theDate.getMon th()+1;
> var daydate = theDate.getDate ();
> alert(year
> + '-' + addZero(month)
> + '-' + addZero(daydate ));
> </script>
>
> Note that months Jan to Dec are numbered 0 to 11 respectively.
> The addZero() function just adds a leading zero to single digit
> months or days. Some also recommend using getYear(), but it has
> it's own issues. Read below.
>[color=green]
> > Any ideas?[/color]
>
> Read Dr. J's stuff here:
>
> <URL:http://www.merlyn.demo n.co.uk/js-dates.htm>[/color]


Thanks for your reply. I must deal however with the info in the recordset so
I cannot declare a date with the new Date(some date) function. I think I
must downsize my problem how to get a date object from my recordset. Server
side is ASP and I use an MS access database which I approach with SQL.

Maybe I'm in the wrong place here? :-)

[Dr John Stockton]

Re: Date methods from recordset

JRS: In article <41d9f6c6$0$318 57$5a62ac22@per-qv1-newsreader-
01.iinet.net.au >, dated Tue, 4 Jan 2005 11:47:42, seen in
news:comp.lang. javascript, RobG <rgqld@iinet.ne t.auau> posted :[color=blue]
>John Kenickney wrote:[color=green]
>> I use ASP/Javascript. I pull a date from a recordset field like this.[/color][/color]

You should have read the newsgroup FAQ, carefully, before posting.
[color=blue][color=green]
>> var theDate = new Date()[/color]
>
> So 'theDate' contains the date of midnight on the morning of the
> current date according to the user's computer (which may be set
> incorrectly and almost certainly not accurately)[/color]

For me, and IIRC ECMA-262, it will contain the current instant.
Midnight does not occur on a morning; it is between p.m. and a.m. in the
American dialect, and elsewhere is 00:00 of one day and 24:00 of the
previous day.
[color=blue][color=green]
>> theDate = rs.Fields.Item( "date").val ue[/color][/color]

Variable theDate was previously set to a Date Object, and it is now set
to (probably) a string. So (a) it was a waste of time setting it at
all; (b) if a date object, but not the current instant, were really
needed, then it is better to use new Date(0), for two reasons.

[color=blue][color=green]
>> Now I want to apply the method toLocaleString( ).[/color][/color]

You no longer have a Date Object; you have a String which may look like
a date.

IMHO, toLocaleString cannot normally be used for showing dates to
ordinary people on a WWW page; the result will confuse many of them.

One must construct a string that everyone will understand.

The machines in our (British) Public Library are, or at least were,
configured to American format and used mainly by Koreans.

--
© John Stockton, Surrey, UK. ?@merlyn.demon. co.uk Turnpike v4.00 IE 4 ©
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