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 DATETIMEEDIT field values, use a DATETIME YEAR TO MINUTE or DATETIME YEAR TO SECOND program variable, depending on the target front-end.

On desktop (GDC/GBC) and browser (GAS/GBC), the date/time value picker is generic and common to both front-end platforms. On mobile devices (GMA and GMI), when the dialog is an INPUT, the native date/time picker is used to edit the value. With a CONSTRUCT, the generic date/time picker is used to let the user enter a search criteria.

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.

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. It is recommended to use the same DBDATE setting as in the device 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.

Depending on the front-end platform, the widget and time picker to render a DATETIMEEDIT field may have the following limitations:
  • Date-time editor and calendar may not handle seconds and some front-ends may deny data types different from DATETIME YEAR TO {MINUTE|SECOND}.
  • The date-time value picker/editor may not allow to specify NULL.

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

A DATETIMEEDIT form item can be defined with an item tag and a DATETIMEEDIT item definition in a GRID, SCROLLGRID and TABLE/TREE.

Defining the widget size

The size of a DATETIMEEDIT widget is computed by following the layout rules as described in Widget width inside hbox tags.

Field input length

The input length in a DATETIMEEDIT fields is defined by the (DATETIME) program variable. 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.