ISDATE function fails in CR8.5

[dean12]

I'm getting a strange error in my user function library (UFL). I have a function that accepts a string and checks to see if it is a date like this:


Public Function psToDate(ByVal YYYYMMDD As String) As Date
'
' Convert the date held in the string to an actual date field
'

On Error GoTo ErrorTrap
YYYYMMDD = "12012001"
MsgBox "pstodate=" & YYYYMMDD
If IsDate(YYYYMMDD) Then
MsgBox "pstodate convert to date"
psToDate = CDate(YYYYMMDD)
MsgBox "pstodate returns date"
Else
psToDate = Null
MsgBox "pstodate returns null"
End If
Exit Function

ErrorTrap:
MsgBox "?Trapped error in psToDate"

End Function

-------------------------------------------------------

This fails on the IF ISDATE(....... statement. All of this looks good to me and the message I get is the dreaded "Memory Full" error.

The only thing I can think of is that CR supports the ISDATE function directly and maybe there is some type of conflict but that seems to be a long shot as that would preclude the use of almost all the VB functions.

Any ideas?

 

[dgillz]

This UFL has already been written. Your formula should be
NumberToDate({NumberField}). This function takes an 8 digit integer in teh YYYYMMDD format and converts it to a true date. If the field is a string, just convert it to a number first, then use the NumberToDate() function.

You can download it here:

http://support.crystaldecisions.com/communityCS/FilesAndUpdates/ufltdate.exe.asp

Software Support for Macola, Crystal Reports and Goldmine
714-348-0964
dgilsdorf@mchsi.com

 

[dean12]

Thanks for letting me know this - especially since ISDATE does not recognize YYYYMMDD as a real date anyway.

But the question still remains, and this is the bigger issue, why does this fail rather than simply return FALSE?

 

[Ngolem]

YYYYMMDD = "12012001"

Somehow this doesn't look like the proper format...maybe you are getting a valid none date....this looks like the year 1201 with month 20 (definately illegal) and day 01

hope this is all it is Jim Broadbent

 

[dean12]

I agree, this date format is not going to work. However, the routine aborts and takes the "on error" trap rather than return TRUE or FALSE.

When I code up the same functionality directly in VB6, no failure - TRUE or FALSE - but it doesn't simply die.

In CR8.5, without the ON ERROR statement, the report aborts with MEMORY FULL and that's not the right thing to do.

 

[dgillz]

I was just reading the CR help files, and it does not appear that IsDate() supports an 8 digit string for this.

Check it out and see what you think. Software Support for Macola, Crystal Reports and Goldmine
714-348-0964
dgilsdorf@mchsi.com

 

[dean12]

This does introduce an interesting question:

Since CR8.5 offers an ISDATE function call and VB offers an ISDATE function call, which is being used when in a UFL which is VB code and created using VB Studio?

I have tested the use of "20021212" against code written and executed within VB Studio and it does not fail. It doesn't detect it as a date which is unfortunate but more importantly it does not simply abort or die.

 

[dean12]

Oh, and by the way the NumberToDate function takes a numeric - my value here is a string.

 

[Ngolem]

Dean12 - to use the NumberToDate function with a string...just convert the string to a number with ToNumber

Jim Broadbent

 

[dgillz]

Dean,

yes, I mentioned in my first post on this thread that you would need to convert that to a number if it is a string. Software Training and Support for Macola, Crystal Reports and Goldmine
714-348-0964
dgilsdorf@mchsi.com

 

[dean12]

Well yes that could be done I suspect.

Stupid thing about this is that you have to setup the formulas to convert to number, convert to date, etc. everytime you want a date formatted nicely on the report. No way to save those formulas that I can see from report to report so this gets tedious doing it over and over again. Guess I was just looking for a fast way to get the job done so I tried writing my own UFL.