DATETIMEEDIT item type

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.

Important: DATEEDIT fields are dedicated for DATETIME value input. Some front-ends (especially on mobile devices) deny data types different from DATE. If the front-end does not support the data type used for the DATEEDIT field, the runtime system will raise an error and stop 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 from the front-end. On some platforms, native date-time editors do not handle the seconds. Further, some front-ends (especially on mobile devices) deny data types different from DATETIME YEAR TO {MINUTE|SECOND}.

On some front-end platforms, the native widget used for DATETIMEEDIT fields allows only pure 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".

Some front-ends support different presentation and behavior options, which can be controlled by a STYLE attribute. For more details, see Common style attributes.

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
   -- An 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 in two different ways:

With an item tag and a DATETIMEEDIT item definition in a grid-layout container (GRID, SCROLLGRID and TABLE).
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 according to layout rules as described in Widget size within 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 Field input length.