Version 8.2.5
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Date-Time Edit Mask Processing in Format and Search Buffers

Date-time edit masks can be used to describe the layout of a date/time field in format and search buffers. These edit masks can be used to convert values from the record into a date-time format you need. Unlike the other format buffer edit masks, date-time edit masks can also be used to update records.

For example, the following format buffer example produces output for field ND in DATE format:

...,ND,8,U,E(DATE)

If the field is defined in the FDT with format NATDATE, it will be converted in the record buffer to DATE format.

This document describes how Adabas handles date-time edit masks in format and search buffers.

A complete reference of the different date-time edit masks possible is provided in Date-Time Edit Mask Reference. Valid values range from 0001-01-00:00:00:00.000000 through 9999:12-31:23:59:59.999999 are allowed.

Adabas allows you to add a date-time edit mask to any field with formats B, F, P, or U in a loaded file. However, the field may have values stored in the database which are not correct for the specified date-time edit mask. For compatibility reasons, Adabas uses the following processing rules:

Depending on the format and length used for UNIXTIME and XTIMESTAMP fields, you may find that only a subset of the range between ) and 9999 years are supported:

Fields with date-time edit masks should not be used to store time intervals (ranges) because:

Date-time edit masks and the daylight saving indicator are not allowed in format selection criteria.

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