string comparison problems 1

[edpatterson]

I am trying to determine if a file has been modified since a script last ran. The last modification date information is stored in a text file. When the script runs it reads the file and checks that value against a objFile.DateLastModified call. The last modified date in the file is identical to the one returned yet the comparison fails.

Option Explicit

Dim strFilein, strLinein, strTestTime
Dim dicFileData
Dim intCount
Dim objFSO, objTSO, objFile 
Set objFSO = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
Set objTSO = objFSO.CreateTextFile("test.txt")
objTSO.Close
Set objTSO = objFSO.CreateTextFile("test2.txt")
Set objFile = objFSO.GetFile("test.txt")
strTestTime = cdate(objFile.DateLastModified)
objTSO.WriteLine strTestTime
objTSO.Close
Set objTSO = objFSO.OpenTextFile("test2.txt")
strLinein = Trim(objTSO.ReadLine)

' In theory strLinein = objFile.DateLastModified
If strLinein <> CDate(objFile.DateLastModified) Then
	WScript.Echo "They are different"
	WScript.Echo strLinein&"."
	WScript.Echo CDate(objFile.DateLastModified)&"."
Else
	WScript.Echo "They are the same"
End If

Even though the values are identical (as far as I can see) the <> tests positive.

Perhaps I have simply looked at it too long.

Ed

 

[dm4ever]

What if you changed it to:

CDate(strLinein) <> CDate(objFile.DateLastModified)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
dm4ever
My philosophy: K.I.S.S - Keep It Simple Stupid

 

[edpatterson]

Thanks a million! It works but I am rather confused. The output to screen and file appeared to be identical so why did the comparison fail? I would not thing that any conversion took place during the writeline or readline calls.

Ed

 

[jfdabiri]

data type is the difference. one becomes date (CDate), the other one is a string.