Convert Custom String in to Date Format (mmmm dd, yyyy)

Rajan Kapadia

Hi.. All I m Working on one of Text-correction module .. I have some difficulty in conversion of the various form of Date come in to raw-input text to some Standard format(mmmm dd yyyy). various possibilty of Date text are: input OutPut Jan 5th 2005 = January 5, 2005 Jan 2605 = January 26, 2005 Jan of 05 = January 2005 Jan 05 = January 2005 6th of June = June 6, 2005 or June 6 6th of June 05= June 6, 2005 this month 6th = July 6, 2005 On 6th of this month = June 6, 2005 or only number like max-digit(i.e: 06242005) = output Reqired is : mm/dd/yyyy =06/24/2005 to min-digit (i.e : 625) = = output Reqired is : mm/dd/yyyy =06/2/2005 Can any one Guide me ... how I can Do...it.. I m very much confused ?? for the logic.... can any MFC class help here ? CDateTime , CDateTimeFormatInfo ???? pls...Help me ... looking for positive reply form all of u ! thanks in Advance !! Rajan Kapadia

Nilesh K

CDateTimeCtrl::SetFormat[^] might be able to help you.

- Nilesh "Reading made Don Quixote a gentleman. Believing what he read made him mad" -George Bernard Shaw

Aamir Butt

Have a look at COleDateTime class as well. Steve Mayfield: "Coding in VB is like riding a tricycle...once you figured out how to peddle, its really hard to fall off." My Articles

Anonymous

Thanks for u r Reply... But I have clearly mention that ... My problem is Parsing the "ambigous" String not the Formating the Date. If I can find the Proper input the Any Constructer of MFC class (like , COLEDateTime, CDateTime , CDateTimeFormatINfo,,... ) then I can Convert to any format of date!! But My Problem is how to find parse the input Nummeric?? i.e: only number like max-digit(i.e: 06242005) = output Reqired is : mm/dd/yyyy =06/24/2005 to min-digit (i.e : 625) = = output Reqired is : mm/dd/yyyy =06/2/2005. Can u help me for this ???

David Crow

Break the inputs down into what they are/aren't like:

if (first_3_letters_are_a_month)
{
Jan 5th 2005 = January 5, 2005
Jan 2605 = January 26, 2005
Jan of 05 = January 2005
Jan 05 = January 2005
}
else
{
if (first_word_is_this)
this month 6th = July 6, 2005
else if (first_word_is_on)
On 6th of this month = June 6, 2005
else // must start with a number
{
if (first_word_has_th)
{
6th of June = June 6, 2005 or June 6
6th of June 05= June 6, 2005
}
else
{
06242005 = 06/24/2005
625 = 06/2/2005
}
}
}

Now you should have an easier time parsing them.

"Ideas are a dime a dozen. People who put them into action are priceless." - Unknown

Anonymous

Thanks for u r Reply sir. But ..still here my patterns are not static ( u assumed by mistake ) my patterns may vary due to human tendecies to speck every time different patterns for the same thing !! so.....I can't make the code based on pre-assumption like u !! Currently , I m doing the Ambigious rule making for the Text-correction.. But , I m still confused at parsing the only Numbers string ( how to differnceate with numbers for Day,Month,Year...! Can i make Regular Expression to validate the input numbers in to Day, Month, Year? Can u assist me ? Cheers, Rajan Kapadia :)

David Crow

Anonymous wrote: But , I m still confused at parsing the only Numbers string ( how to differnceate with numbers for Day,Month,Year...! How about:

CString strDate;
if (strDate.GetLength() == 8) // e.g., 06242005
{
nMonth = atoi(strDate.Left(2));
nDay = atoi(strDate.Mid(2, 2));
nYear = atoi(strDate.Right(4));
}
else if (strDate.GetLength() == 3) // e.g., 625
{
nMonth = atoi(strDate.Left(1));
nDay = atoi(strDate.Mid(1, 1));
nYear = atoi(strDate.Right(1)); // might want to add 2000
}

"Ideas are a dime a dozen. People who put them into action are priceless." - Unknown

Rajan Kapadia

Thanks for u r reply.... I have done same thing ... just 2-day before... I have written various RE for classifying Input String in to DATE Formats based on it length. one of possible RE u can see : for 8-digit string : ((^(?10|12|0?[13578])(?3[01]|[12][0-9]|0?[1-9])(?(1[8-9]\\d{2})|([2-9]\\d{3}))$)|(^(?11|0?[469])(?30|[12][0-9]|0?[1-9])(?(1[8-9]\\d{2})|([2-9]\\d{3}))$)|(^(?0?2)(?2[0-8]|1[0-9]|0?[1-9])(?(1[8-9]\\d{2})|([2-9]\\d{3}))$)|(^(?0?2)(?29)(?[2468][048]00)$)|(^(?0?2)(?29)(?[3579][26]00)$)|(^(?0?2)(?29)(?[1][89][0][48])$)|(^(?0?2)(?29)(?[2-9][0-9][0][48])$)|(^(?0?2)(?29)(?[1][89][2468][048])$)|(^(?0?2)(?29)(?[2-9][0-9][2468][048])$)|(^(?0?2)(?29)(?[1][89][13579][26])$)|(^(?0?2)(?29)(?[2-9][0-9][13579][26])$)) This way I have solved my proble ......is it write-way to do it ??? and I want to ask? how to parse the Unkown or Ambigous pattern ....like ? "on 10th of this month" ----> so I want to find the current system date whenever I found word "this" !!!! is It?? Can I do similar for "next", "previous" ...words???? and for Day,Month,Year ?? can u assist in this similar type of problem ??? Cheers, Rajan Kapadia :)

David Crow

Rajan Kapadia wrote: ...is it write-way to do it ??? My first response would be no. Since there are only six possibilities, using an if/else construct would be much simpler now and in the future if you or someone else needed to modify it. Rajan Kapadia wrote: I want to find the current system date... That is what time() is for.

"Ideas are a dime a dozen. People who put them into action are priceless." - Unknown

Rajan Kapadia

Thanks for u r reply.... David Crow Wrote:: using an if/else construct would be much simpler now ??? means what is exact ....?? means ?? --> 8-3 Length string ?? for Current SystemDate I want to Know how i can do for "next","this", "previous" , etc words ?? ??? Cheers, Rajan Kapadia :)

David Crow

Rajan Kapadia wrote: means what is exact ....?? means ?? --> 8-3 Length string ?? This is a very strange looking sentence, but I think what you are asking looks like this:

if (3 == length)
else if (4 == length)
else if (5 == length)
else if (6 == length)
else if (7 == length)
else if (8 == length)

If that is not right, please ask again. Rajan Kapadia wrote: for Current SystemDate I want to Know how i can do for "next","this", "previous" , etc words ?? Like I indicated, today's date can be obtained using time(). Yesterday's date can be obtained by subtracting 86400 from that value, and tomorrow's date can be obtained by adding 86400 to that value. Make sense?

"Ideas are a dime a dozen. People who put them into action are priceless." - Unknown

Rajan Kapadia

Thanks for u r Reply ..... its good to see u that we r thinking same way...!! :-O For Only Number- parsing last time I have written , that I have written various Regular-Expression (RE) to parse the given length number in case statment !!! ( one of Example of RE for stringlen(8) I have given last time ) In Last Reply I have asked a'bt how to tekal words like : "this Month" , "this year", "Next Month","Next Year", "Previous Month", "Previous Year", Etc... Currently I m thinking in a way that, I m Extracting DAY,MONTH,YEAR from the given pattern and then I search for words (this, next, Previous)tide with DAY,MONTH,YEAR word and then from Current system date Extratcion of current DAY, MONTH , YEAR......I m incrementing (+1) or decremanting (-1) by one to corresponding DAY,MONTH,YEAR variable . But,conflict for "next " phares is when we r in Decemeber and "next month " phares occurs then we increment Year and set month to January ......similar problem for "Previous" phares at January month ...? :(:(( ........ Is It I m going right way in my path ? :confused: or .....any other good Idea :cool: ?? wait for u positive reply and then start implementing this Idea..... Cheers , Rajan Kapadia :)

David Crow

Rajan Kapadia wrote: I m incrementing (+1) or decremanting (-1) by one to corresponding DAY,MONTH,YEAR variable . But,conflict for "next " phares is when we r in Decemeber and "next month " phares occurs then we increment Year and set month to January ......similar problem for "Previous" phares at January month ...? ........ Is It I m going right way in my path ? or .....any other good Idea ?? This is how I did it some eleven years ago. But since MFC has four date-related classes (I'm not sure if STL does or not), I would use them instead. There's no need to reinvent the wheel.

"Ideas are a dime a dozen. People who put them into action are priceless." - Unknown

Rajan Kapadia

This is how I did it some eleven years ago. But since MFC has four date-related classes (I'm not sure if STL does or not), I would use them instead. There's no need to reinvent the wheel. I m not Understanding ..? can u Explain me in Deep?? As Mention preiously that how i can code perticular Pattern like this ::: " Next year 10th of January " ------> "Next Year [Day](th)* (of) [Month]" (I m parsing using this rule) and initilize the DataTime strucure with parsed Day,Month and missing term Year with Current System Year with (+/-) corresponding to words like " previous, next, this" phrases. Replacement pattern is : [Month] [Day], [CurrentSystemYear] can I stic to this type of staic parsing ?:zzz: Is it write way to do it ?:confused: Waits for u r reply!!:-D Cheers, Rajan Kapadia :)

David Crow

Rajan Kapadia wrote: I m not Understanding ..? can u Explain me in Deep?? Instead of doing this:

void IncrementDay( int &nMonth, int &nDay, int &nYear )
{
nDay++;
if (nDay > DaysInMonth(nMonth, nYear))
{
nDay = 1;

    nMonth++;
    if (nMonth > 12)
    {
        nMonth = 1;
        nYear++;
    }
}

}

Do something like this instead:

CTime today = CTime::GetCurrentTime();
CTimeSpan oneDay(1, 0, 0, 0);
CTime tomorrow = today + oneDay;
CTime yesterday = today - oneDay;

Simpler?

"Ideas are a dime a dozen. People who put them into action are priceless." - Unknown

Rajan Kapadia

this one is simpler ....but how to takel with Month & Year ....increment ....No constructor for which give us month and year initilization.( we can't sent timeticks also ....i.e 30|31 * oneDaytime or 365|366 * onedaytime ) How i can Do increment & decremant Month & Year Now from U r Way ! U make me more confuse by giveing this idea!:laugh: also, how u think a'bt my Search-Replace Rule Idea ?:rolleyes: Wait for u r reply here !! :cool: Cheers , Rajan Kapadia :)

David Crow

Rajan Kapadia wrote: How i can Do increment & decremant Month... By knowing how many days are in each month. If today is July 27th, 2005 and I wanted to advance one month, use: CTime today = CTime::GetCurrentTime(); CTimeSpan oneMonth(31, 0, 0, 0); CTime nextMonth = today + oneMonth;

"One must learn from the bite of the fire to leave it alone." - Native American Proverb