date validation

[onnotche]

Hi, I would like Filemaker to halt a script if a given date is invalid.

I've tried this

If

Date=10/10/2005

Message (sorry this date is invalid)

Halt script

End if

Knowing how FM handles dates, I can understand that this does not work. But even if I try DateToText it does not work. What am I doing wrong?

[Maarten Witberg]

Is the date user entered? what version of fmpro?

Are you sure the test is performed on the correct record, or is Date a global?

 

kjoe

[onnotche]

Hi kjoe, thanks for your quick reply.

I'm using FM5-5.5/server 5

The date is user entered and it is not a global. The script step that is supposed to validate the date entered by should include several invalid dates and date ranges.

[Maarten Witberg]

Do you plan on hardcoding these dates into the script?

If I test against a datefield it works ok

 

if[userDate=InvalidDate]

message["invalid"]

end if

 

kjoe

[onnotche]

Well, I was actually thinking of hardcoding the dates in the script. Testing against datefields would oblige me to create a related file "invalid_dates.fp5", because there are several invalid dates every year.

[Maarten Witberg]

What if you use an InvalidDates field which is global- text, put the list of invalid dates in there, separated by paragraph marks, and then validate

 

if[PatternCount(InvalidDates;DateToText(UserDate))>=1]

###etc

end if

 

You'd then just have to add to the InvalidDates field every year, instead of opening up the script every time. Mind you, it could be a little tedious if the ranges are long...

You'd have to take care the format entered in UserDate (slashes or hyphens) is the same as the format in InvalidDates.

 

hope it helps

 

kjoe

[onnotche]

Just found out why date to text did not work: for testing, I used 05/05/2005, without realizing that DateToText returns 5/05/2005 instead of 05/05/2005.

Thanks for your suggestion kjoe, i'll give it a try!

[Maarten Witberg]

I was wondering, are these invalid dates always the same, f.i. october 10 every year? Then you could validate using

 

Month(UserDate)&Day(UserDate)

 

and no more edits necessary

 

kjoe

[onnotche]

Unfortunately not, actually the dates vary every year (Christmas, easter etc.).

Thanks for your help,

Onno