RPG free-format date-conversion cheat sheet
Here you'll find a cheat sheet to convert dates in free-format RPG.
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') 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