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A Better Moustrap: FmtDate to replace FormatDateTime

Article by:

Jeremy M (5/15/2004)

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Summary:

An example of a simple-to-use replacement for the visual basic script function FormatDateTime.

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A Better Moustrap: FmtDate to replace FormatDateTime

Have you ever been frustrated with the lack of options with visual basic script's built in function FormatDateTime? If so, then this function is for you- and it demonstrates how simple it is to build very complex search-and-relace functions.

Once you've added the two functions below to your ASP or VBS file, you can call the function just like any other function. Two parameters are required, the first is the date/time value you want to re-format, and the second parameter is the format you want. For all the different options you can use in the format, check out the comments at the top of FmtDate.

I'm not the original author of this function, but I've added and changed a lot of it to make it more useful. I've used it and modified so much for so many years, I don't even know where the original version came from.

Here it is, have fun!

example:

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FmtDate("1/1/2003","%B %d%O, %Y (%a)")

returns

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January 1st, 2003 (Wednesday)

Here's the function(s). You need both for it to work properly! FmtDate calls

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Function FmtDate(byVal strDate, byRef strFormat)

 ' Accepts strDate as a valid date/time,
 ' strFormat as the output template.
 ' The function finds each item in the
 ' template and replaces it with the
 ' relevant information extracted from strDate
'%B %d%O,%Y
 ' Template items (example)
 ' %m Month as a decimal (02)
 ' %B Full month name (February)
 ' %b Abbreviated month name (Feb )
 ' %d Day of the month (23)
 ' %O Ordinal of day of month (eg st or rd or nd)
 ' %j Day of the year (54)
 ' %Y Year with century (1998)
 ' %y Year without century (98)
 ' %w Weekday as integer (0 is Sunday)
 ' %a Abbreviated day name (Fri)
 ' %A Weekday Name (Friday)
 ' %H Hour in 24 hour format (24)
 ' %h Hour in 12 hour format (12)
 ' %N Minute as an integer (01)
 ' %n Minute as optional if minute <> 0
 ' %S Second as an integer (55)
 ' %P AM/PM Indicator (PM)

' On Error Resume Next

 Dim intPosItem
 Dim int12HourPart
 Dim str24HourPart
 Dim strMinutePart
 Dim strSecondPart
 Dim strAMPM

 ' Insert Month Numbers
 strFormat = Replace(strFormat, "%m", _
          DatePart("m", strDate), 1, -1, vbBinaryCompare)

 ' Insert non-Abbreviated Month Names
 strFormat = Replace(strFormat, "%B", _
          MonthName(DatePart("m", strDate), _
          False), 1, -1, vbBinaryCompare)

 ' Insert Abbreviated Month Names
 strFormat = Replace(strFormat, "%b", _
          MonthName(DatePart("m", strDate), _
          True), 1, -1, vbBinaryCompare)

 ' Insert Day Of Month
 strFormat = Replace(strFormat, "%d", _
          DatePart("d",strDate), 1, _
          -1, vbBinaryCompare)

 ' Insert Day of Month Ordinal (eg st, th, or rd)
 strFormat = Replace(strFormat, "%O", _
          GetDayOrdinal(Day(strDate)), _
          1, -1, vbBinaryCompare)

 ' Insert Day of Year
 strFormat = Replace(strFormat, "%j", _
          DatePart("y",strDate), 1, _
          -1, vbBinaryCompare)

 ' Insert Long Year (4 digit)
 strFormat = Replace(strFormat, "%Y", _
          DatePart("yyyy",strDate), 1, _
          -1, vbBinaryCompare)

 ' Insert Short Year (2 digit)
 strFormat = Replace(strFormat, "%y", _
          Right(DatePart("yyyy",strDate),2), _
          1, -1, vbBinaryCompare)

 ' Insert Weekday as Integer (eg 0 = Sunday)
 strFormat = Replace(strFormat, "%w", _
          DatePart("w",strDate,1), 1, _
          -1, vbBinaryCompare)

 ' Insert Abbreviated Weekday Name (eg Sun)
 strFormat = Replace(strFormat, "%a", _
          WeekDayName(DatePart("w",strDate,1),True), 1, _
          -1, vbBinaryCompare)

 ' Insert non-Abbreviated Weekday Name
 strFormat = Replace(strFormat, "%A", _
          WeekDayName(DatePart("w",strDate,1),False), 1, _
          -1, vbBinaryCompare)

 ' Insert Hour in 24hr format
 str24HourPart = DatePart("h",strDate)
 If Len(str24HourPart) < 2 then str24HourPart = "0" & _
                                                 str24HourPart
 strFormat = Replace(strFormat, "%H", str24HourPart, 1, _
          -1, vbBinaryCompare)

 ' Insert Hour in 12hr format
 int12HourPart = DatePart("h",strDate) Mod 12
 If int12HourPart = 0 then int12HourPart = 12
 strFormat = Replace(strFormat, "%h", int12HourPart, 1, _
          -1, vbBinaryCompare)

 ' Insert Minutes
 strMinutePart = DatePart("n",strDate)
 If Len(strMinutePart) < 2 then _
          strMinutePart = "0" & strMinutePart
 strFormat = Replace(strFormat, "%N", strMinutePart, _
          1, -1, vbBinaryCompare)

 ' Insert Optional Minutes
 If CInt(strMinutePart) = 0 then
  strFormat = Replace(strFormat, "%n", "", 1, _
           -1, vbBinaryCompare)
 Else
  If CInt(strMinutePart) < 10 then _
           strMinutePart = "0" & strMinutePart
  strMinutePart = ":" & strMinutePart
  strFormat = Replace(strFormat, "%n", strMinutePart, _
           1, -1, vbBinaryCompare)
 End if

 ' Insert Seconds
 strSecondPart = DatePart("s",strDate)
 If Len(strSecondPart) < 2 then _
          strSecondPart = "0" & strSecondPart
 strFormat = Replace(strFormat, "%S", strSecondPart, 1, _
          -1, vbBinaryCompare)

 ' Insert AM/PM indicator
 If DatePart("h",strDate) >= 12 then
   strAMPM = "PM"
 Else
   strAMPM = "AM"
 End If

 strFormat = Replace(strFormat, "%P", strAMPM, 1, _
          -1, vbBinaryCompare)

FmtDate = strFormat

End Function ' FmtDate

Function GetDayOrdinal(byVal intDay)
 ' Accepts a day of the month as an integer and returns the
 ' appropriate suffix

 Dim strOrd

 Select Case right(intDay,1)
 Case 1
  strOrd = "st"
 Case 2
  strOrd = "nd"
 Case 3
  strOrd = "rd"
 Case Else
  strOrd = "th"
 End Select

 GetDayOrdinal = strOrd
End Function ' GetDayOrdinal

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User Comments on 'A Better Moustrap: FmtDate to replace FormatDateTime'

Posted by : gmason at 17:17 on Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Tried to put comments in here twice without sucess.

<Added>

Of course now it works.
Briefly recapping:
Nice func solved alot of problems for me and I will reuse frequently.

Made 2 changes to %d and %m to make sure it returned a 2 position value for month and date numbers (obviously I am no longer returning integers)

G Mason
www.thegreenhorse.com

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