Date display formats can have two sections. The first is required and contains the format for dates; the second is optional and specifies how to represent NULLs:
date-format;null-format
Special characters
The following table shows characters that have special meaning in date display formats.
|
Character |
Meaning |
Example |
|---|---|---|
|
d |
Day number with no leading zero |
9 |
|
dd |
Day number with leading zero if appropriate |
09 |
|
ddd |
Day name abbreviation |
Mon |
|
dddd |
Day name |
Monday |
|
m |
Month number with no leading zero |
6 |
|
mm |
Month number with leading zero if appropriate |
06 |
|
mmm |
Month name abbreviation |
Jun |
|
mmmm |
Month name |
June |
|
yy |
Two-digit year |
97 |
|
yyyy |
Four-digit year |
1997 |
Colons, slashes, and spaces display as entered in the mask.
About 2-digit years
If users specify a 2-digit year in a DataWindow object, PowerBuilder assumes the date is the 20th century if the year is greater than or equal to 50. If the year is less than 50, PowerBuilder assumes the 21st century. For example:
1/1/85 is interpreted as January 1, 1985.
1/1/40 is interpreted as January 1, 2040.
Date keywords
You can use the following keywords as date display formats when you want PowerBuilder to determine an appropriate format to use:
-
[ShortDate]
-
[LongDate]
The format used is determined by the regional settings for date in the registry. Note that [Date] is not a valid display format.
Examples
The following table shows how the date Friday, January 30, 1998, displays when different format masks are applied.
|
Format |
Displays |
|---|---|
|
[red]m/d/yy |
1/30/98 in red |
|
d-mmm-yy |
30-Jan-98 |
|
dd-mmmm |
30-January |
|
mmm-yy |
Jan-98 |
|
dddd, mmm d, yyyy |
Friday, Jan 30, 1998 |
