DATETIMEEDIT item type
Defines a line-edit with a calendar widget to pick a datetime.
DATETIMEEDIT item basics
The DATETIMEEDIT
form item defines a field that can open a
calendar to ease date-time input.
To store the field value, use a DATETIME YEAR TO MINUTE
or DATETIME YEAR TO SECOND
program variable with such form item.
DATETIMEEDIT
fields are dedicated for
DATETIME
value input. Some front-ends (especially on mobile devices) deny data
types different from DATETIME
. If the front-end does not support the data type used
for the DATETIMEEDIT
field, the runtime system raises an error and stops the
program. Consider testing your application with all types of front-ends.Defining a DATETIMEEDIT
The DATETIMEEDIT
form item type allows the user to edit date-time
values with a specific widget for date-time input. A DATETIMEEDIT
field typically provides a calendar and clock widget, to let the end user pick a
date and time from it.
The display and input precision (time part with or without seconds) of the
DATETIMEEDIT
widget depends on the front-end. On some platforms, native date-time
editors do not handle the seconds. Furthermore, some front-ends (especially on mobile devices) do
not allow data types different from DATETIME YEAR TO
{MINUTE|SECOND}
.
On some front-end platforms, the native widget used for DATETIMEEDIT
fields may
allow only strict date-time value input, and therefore cannot be used with a
CONSTRUCT
instruction, where it must be possible to enter search filters like
">= 2014-01-23 11:00
".
When using a DATETIME
variable as recommended, with desktop front-ends, the
format of DATETIMEEDIT
fields is defined by the DBDATE environment variable. On mobile platforms, the
date format is defined by the device OS language settings.
Front-ends support different presentation and behavior options, which can be controlled by a
STYLE
attribute. For more
details, see Style attributes common to all elements.
Detecting DATETIMEEDIT calendar selection
To inform the dialog when a date-time is picked from the calendar widget, define an
ON CHANGE
block for the DATETIMEEDIT
field. The program can then
react immediately to user changes in the field:
-- Form file (grid layout)
DATETIMEEDIT dt1 = order.ord_shipdate,
NOT NULL;
-- Program file:
ON CHANGE ord_shipdate
-- A new date-time value was picked from the calendar
For more details, see Reacting to field value changes.
Where to use a DATETIMEEDIT
DATETIMEEDIT
form item can be defined in different ways:- With an item tag and a DATETIMEEDIT item definition in a
grid-layout container (
GRID
,SCROLLGRID
andTABLE
). - As a DATETIMEEDIT stack item in a
STACK
container.
Defining the widget size
In a grid-based layout, the size of a DATETIMEEDIT
widget is
computed by following the layout rules as described in Widget width inside hbox tags.
In a stack-based layout, the widget will take the full width available in the parent container.
Field input length
The input length in a DATETIMEEDIT
fields is defined by the
(DATETIME
) program variable. In a grid-based layout, define an item tag with enough
positions to be able to display dates with 4 year digits. For more details, see Input length of form fields.