TimeFormat parse functions

The parse functions parse the value contained by the timeDate parameter according to the format passed in the format parameter or wrapped by the CompiledPattern.

All functions return the result as a float of seconds since the epoch.

For usage information, see the API Reference for EPL (ApamaDoc) .

Notes

For all parse functions:

If the timeDate parameter specifies only a time, the date is assumed to be 1 January 1970 in the appropriate time zone. If the timeDate parameter specifies only a date, the time is assumed to be the midnight that starts that day in the appropriate time zone. Adding them together as seconds gives the right result.

If the timeDate string specifies a time zone, and there is a matching z, Z, v, or V in the format string, the time zone specified in the timeDate string takes precedence over any other ways of specifying the time zone. For example, when you call the parseUTC() or parseTimeWithTimeZone() function, and you specify a time zone or offset in the timeDate string, the time zone or offset specification in the timeDate string overrides the time zone you specify as a parameter to the parseTimeWithTimeZone() function and the normal interpretation of times and dates as UTC by the parseUTC() function.

Parsing behavior is undefined if the format string includes duplicate elements such as "MM yyyy MMMM", has missing elements such as "MM", or it includes potentially contradictory elements and is given contradictory input, for example, "Tuesday 3 January 1970" (it was actually a Saturday).

Dates before 1970 are represented by negative numbers.

Example

The following example returns 837007736:

TimeFormat.parseTime("yyyy.MM.dd G 'at' HH:mm:ss", "1996.07.10 AD at 15:08:56")