[NOT BUG, PEBKAC] system.date.parse returning dodgy date for formats other than YYYY-MM-dd HH:mm:ss

Ignition
1

When using system.date.parse with formats other than the standard, it returns whatever dates it feels like, everything but what it should!

E.g.

system.date.format(
	system.date.parse('20250312_120000', 'YYYYMMdd_HHmmss')
)
>>
u'2024-12-29 12:00:00' (or Sun Dec 29 12:00:00 ACDT 2024)

???

2

Ok nevermind... apparently "YYYY" should be "yyyy" :face_with_spiral_eyes:
Java thinks Y is "Week Year" and y is Year... good job Java for being different....

First time using Ignition :slight_smile:

3 Likes
3

Yep, I had used 'YYYY' for years before discovering it. We're usually on shutdown between Christmas and New Year's, so it was a self inflicted bug that didn't show itself for a very... long... time.

2 Likes
4

It's funny, there are at least 4 different date format formats I've found so far in Ignition:

  • Python, not that you should use its datetime objects (%Y-%M or something)
  • Java (yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss - lowercase y)
  • Expression function dateFormat (yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss - lowercase y, same as Java)
  • SQL (ok, not really Ignition) (YYYY-MM-dd HH:mm:ss - normal)
  • Perspective Tables (YYYY-MM-DD HH:mm:ss - DDs)
2 Likes
5

Also:

  • Expression function stringFormat("%tY-%<tm-%<td %<tH:%<tM:%<tS", someDateObj)

or

  • Expression function stringFormat("%tF %<tT", someDateObj)

( From java.util.Formatter )

6

:dizzy_face:

7

I tend to use a variant of that last, because when formatting dates, you are usually also formatting other things. And those work in Ignition's logger's .debugf(), .infof() and similar methods.

1 Like