RPG free-format date-conversion cheat sheet

RPG free-format date-conversion cheat sheet

If you are new to free-format RPG and deal with any kind of character or numeric date data, you have no doubt been frustrated trying to figure out how to convert data from one format to another. Or perhaps you are using date data types in newer databases and are still dealing with legacy date data types in some other format. Or even yet, maybe you would like to be able to use some of the cool date bifs such as %years or %months on date data types. Whatever the reason, I was tired of trying to remember how to convert dates.

Below is a program with 72 examples of date data conversions from many different formats and data types. Feel free to print and keep as a 'crib-sheet' or load and compile on your system and you can use to debug or add you own that may not be listed.

Two notes:
Your region my use different separators...in the example listed, I use the American standard slash ('/') for all date seperators.

Some of the functions listed will only work properly on OS/400 V5R2 and higher.

Enjoy!


 
H option(*nodebugio)                                                   
                                                                       
D @charA          S              8    inz('04/12/01')                  
D @charB          S             10    inz('12/02/2004')                
D @charC          S              8    inz('12/03/04')

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D @dateA          S               d   inz(D'2004-12-04')               
                                                                       
D @numA           S              6  0 inz(041205)                      
D @numB           S              7  0 inz(1041206)                     
D @numC           S              8  0 inz(20041207)                    
D @numD           S              6  0 inz(120804)                      
D @numE           S              8  0 inz(12092004)                    
                                                                       
 /free                                                                                           
                                                                                                 
  // character to character...                                                                   
  @charB = %char(%date(@charA:*ymd/):*usa/);                // 'yy/mm/dd'     to  'mm/dd/ccyy'   
  @charC = %char(%date(@charA:*ymd/):*mdy/);                // 'yy/mm/dd'     to  'mm/dd/yy'     
  @charA = %char(%date(@charB:*usa/):*ymd/);                // 'mm/dd/ccyy'   to  'yy/mm/dd'     
  @charC = %char(%date(@charB:*usa/):*mdy/);                // 'mm/dd/ccyy'   to  'mm/dd/yy'     
  @charA = %char(%date(@charC:*mdy/):*ymd/);                // 'mm/dd/yy'     to  'yy/mm/dd'     
  @charB = %char(%date(@charC:*mdy/):*usa/);                // 'mm/dd/yy'     to  'mm/dd/ccyy'   
                                                                                                 
  // character to date...                                                                        
  @dateA = %date(@charA:*ymd/);                             // 'yy/mm/dd'     to  D'ccyy-mm-dd'  
  @dateA = %date(@charB:*usa/);                             // 'mm/dd/ccyy'   to  D'ccyy-mm-dd'  
  @dateA = %date(@charC:*mdy/);                             // 'mm/dd/yy'     to  D'ccyy-mm-dd'  
                                                                                                 
  // character to numeric...                                                                     
  @numA = %dec(%char(%date(@charA:*ymd/):*ymd0):6:0);       // 'yy/mm/dd'     to  yymmdd         
  @numB = %dec(%char(%date(@charA:*ymd/):*cymd0):7:0);      // 'yy/mm/dd'     to  cyymmdd        
  @numC = %dec(%char(%date(@charA:*ymd/):*iso0):7:0);       // 'yy/mm/dd'     to  ccyymmdd       
  @numD = %dec(%char(%date(@charA:*ymd/):*mdy0):7:0);       // 'yy/mm/dd'     to  mmddyy         
  @numE = %dec(%char(%date(@charA:*ymd/):*usa0):7:0);       // 'yy/mm/dd'     to  mmddyyyy       
  @numA = %dec(%char(%date(@charB:*usa/):*ymd0):6:0);       // 'mm/dd/ccyy'   to  yymmdd         
  @numB = %dec(%char(%date(@charB:*usa/):*cymd0):7:0);      // 'mm/dd/ccyy'   to  cyymmdd        
  @numC = %dec(%char(%date(@charB:*usa/):*iso0):7:0);       // 'mm/dd/ccyy'   to  ccyymmdd         
  @numD = %dec(%char(%date(@charB:*usa/):*mdy0):7:0);       // 'mm/dd/ccyy'   to  mmddyy           
  @numE = %dec(%char(%date(@charB:*usa/):*usa0):7:0);       // 'mm/dd/ccyy'   to  mmddyyyy         
  @numA = %dec(%char(%date(@charC:*mdy/):*ymd0):6:0);       // 'mm/dd/yy'     to  yymmdd           
  @numB = %dec(%char(%date(@charC:*mdy/):*cymd0):7:0);      // 'mm/dd/yy'     to  cyymmdd          
  @numC = %dec(%char(%date(@charC:*mdy/):*iso0):7:0);       // 'mm/dd/yy'     to  ccyymmdd         
  @numD = %dec(%char(%date(@charC:*mdy/):*mdy0):7:0);       // 'mm/dd/yy'     to  mmddyy           
  @numE = %dec(%char(%date(@charC:*mdy/):*usa0):7:0);       // 'mm/dd/yy'     to  mmddyyyy         
                                                                                                   
  // date to character...                                                                          
  @charA = %char(@dateA:*ymd/);                             // D'ccyy-mm-dd'  to  'yy/mm/dd'       
  @charB = %char(@dateA:*usa/);                             // D'ccyy-mm-dd'  to  'mm/dd/ccyy'     
  @charC = %char(@dateA:*mdy/);                             // D'ccyy-mm-dd'  to  'mm/dd/yy'       
                                                                                                   
  // date to numeric...                                                                            
  @numA = %dec(%char(@dateA:*ymd/):6:0);                    // D'ccyy-mm-dd'  to  yymmdd           
  @numB = %dec(%char(@dateA:*cymd/):7:0);                   // D'ccyy-mm-dd'  to  cyymmdd          
  @numC = %dec(%char(@dateA:*iso-):8:0);                    // D'ccyy-mm-dd'  to  ccyymmdd         
  @numD = %dec(%char(@dateA:*mdy/):6:0);                    // D'ccyy-mm-dd'  to  mmddyy           
  @numE = %dec(%char(@dateA:*usa/):8:0);                    // D'ccyy-mm-dd'  to  mmddccyy         
                                                                                                   
  // numeric to character...                                                                       
  @charA = %char(%date(@numA:*ymd):*ymd/);                  // yymmdd         to  'yy/mm/dd'       
  @charB = %char(%date(@numA:*ymd):*usa/);                  // yymmdd         to  'mm/dd/ccyy'     
                                                                                                   
                                                                                                 
  @charC = %char(%date(@numA:*ymd):*mdy/);                  // yymmdd         to  'mm/dd/yy'    
  @charA = %char(%date(@numB:*cymd):*ymd/);                 // cyymmdd        to  'yy/mm/dd'    
  @charB = %char(%date(@numB:*cymd):*usa/);                 // cyymmdd        to  'mm/dd/ccyy'  
  @charC = %char(%date(@numB:*cymd):*mdy/);                 // cyymmdd        to  'mm/dd/yy'    
  @charA = %char(%date(@numC:*iso):*ymd/);                  // D'ccyy-mm-dd'  to  'yy/mm/dd'    
  @charB = %char(%date(@numC:*iso):*usa/);                  // D'ccyy-mm-dd'  to  'mm/dd/ccyy'  
  @charC = %char(%date(@numC:*iso):*mdy/);                  // D'ccyy-mm-dd'  to  'mm/dd/yy'    
  @charA = %char(%date(@numD:*mdy):*ymd/);                  // mmddyy         to  'yy/mm/dd'    
  @charB = %char(%date(@numD:*mdy):*usa/);                  // mmddyy         to  'mm/dd/ccyy'  
  @charC = %char(%date(@numD:*mdy):*mdy/);                  // mmddyy         to  'mm/dd/yy'    
  @charA = %char(%date(@numE:*usa):*ymd/);                  // mmddccyy       to  'yy/mm/dd'    
  @charB = %char(%date(@numE:*usa):*usa/);                  // mmddccyy       to  'mm/dd/ccyy'  
  @charC = %char(%date(@numE:*usa):*mdy/);                  // mmddccyy       to  'mm/dd/yy'    
                                                                                                 
  // numeric to date...                                                                         
  @dateA = %date(@numA:*ymd);                               // yymmdd         to  D'ccyy-mm-dd' 
  @dateA = %date(@numB:*cymd);                              // cyymmdd        to  D'ccyy-mm-dd' 
  @dateA = %date(@numC:*iso);                               // ccyymmdd'      to  D'ccyy-mm-dd' 
  @dateA = %date(@numD:*mdy);                               // mmddyy         to  D'ccyy-mm-dd' 
  @dateA = %date(@numE:*usa);                               // mmddccyy       to  D'ccyy-mm-dd' 
                                                                                                 
  // numeric to numeric...                                                                      
  @numB = %dec(%char(%date(@numA:*ymd):*cymd0):7:0);        // yymmdd         to  cyymmdd       
  @numC = %dec(%char(%date(@numA:*ymd):*iso0):8:0);         // yymmdd         to  ccyymmdd      
                                                                                                 
  @numD = %dec(%char(%date(@numA:*ymd):*mdy0):6:0);         // yymmdd         to  mmddyy     
  @numE = %dec(%char(%date(@numA:*ymd):*usa0):8:0);         // yymmdd         to  mmddccyy   
  @numA = %dec(%char(%date(@numB:*cymd):*ymd0):6:0);        // cyymmdd        to  yymmdd     
  @numC = %dec(%char(%date(@numB:*cymd):*iso0):8:0);        // cyymmdd        to  ccyymmdd   
  @numD = %dec(%char(%date(@numB:*cymd):*mdy0):6:0);        // cyymmdd        to  mmddyy     
  @numE = %dec(%char(%date(@numB:*cymd):*usa0):8:0);        // cyymmdd        to  mmddccyy   
  @numA = %dec(%char(%date(@numC:*iso):*ymd0):6:0);         // ccyymmdd       to  yymmdd     
  @numB = %dec(%char(%date(@numC:*iso):*cymd0):7:0);        // ccyymmdd       to  cyymmdd    
  @numD = %dec(%char(%date(@numC:*iso):*mdy0):6:0);         // ccyymmdd       to  mmddyy     
  @numE = %dec(%char(%date(@numC:*iso):*usa0):8:0);         // ccyymmdd       to  mmddccyy   
  @numA = %dec(%char(%date(@numD:*mdy):*ymd0):6:0);         // mmddyy         to  yymmdd     
  @numB = %dec(%char(%date(@numD:*mdy):*cymd0):7:0);        // mmddyy         to  cyymmdd    
  @numC = %dec(%char(%date(@numD:*mdy):*iso0):8:0);         // mmddyy         to  ccyymmdd   
  @numE = %dec(%char(%date(@numD:*mdy):*usa0):8:0);         // mmddyy         to  mmddccyy   
  @numA = %dec(%char(%date(@numE:*usa):*ymd0):6:0);         // mmddccyy       to  yymmdd     
  @numB = %dec(%char(%date(@numE:*usa):*cymd0):7:0);        // mmddccyy       to  cyymmdd    
  @numC = %dec(%char(%date(@numE:*usa):*iso0):8:0);         // mmddccyy       to  ccyymmdd   
  @numD = %dec(%char(%date(@numE:*usa):*mdy0):6:0);         // mmddccyy       to  mmddyy     
                                                                                             
  *inlr = *on;                                                                               
 /end-free

This was first published in April 2004

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