TimeStamp issues between v3 and v4

ab042 · Post by **ab042** » Sat Nov 29, 2008 2:47 pm

When using a normal input form or a search query.

Under v3 if you click on the calendar icon of a TIMESTAMP attribute you received a calendar and clock and could select a date and time.

Under v4 if you click on the calendar icon of a TIMESTAMP attribute you receive a calendar and NO CLOCK making it impossible to select a TIME.

I'm sure I am not the only one that noticed this but I've searched the doc's and forum and couldn't find anything on the issue.

I now have an app that the TIME is important in the search or input. Any plans to fix this issue or any suggested work around.

Thanks

aware_support · Post by **aware_support** » Sat Nov 29, 2008 11:22 pm

The workaround is to enter the date using the calendar and then enter time manually - it is not really a big deal. You don't need a calendar to enter time.

ab042 · Post by **ab042** » Mon Dec 01, 2008 8:04 pm

It's not a big deal if your not a user trying to find something using a timestamp attribute in a query several times a day.

The calendar icon works great if your using it on a Date attribute.
However, if the attribute is a timestamp the calendar icon also returns 00:00 for the time. This makes a search (if user selects the calendar icon) using "contains" or any other search for that matter impossible on the timestamp attribute without manually editing or removing the 00:00.

If this is not an easy fix, then may I suggest you DO NOT RETURN 00:00 from the calendar selection if it is a TimeStamp attribute?

This would allow the user to get the search they expected. And if they want to add a time to the search they can.

This makes the calendar icon, returning just a date and everybody's happy regardless of the type of attribute.

Please consider removing the 00:00 that's being returned on a time stamp attribute. THANKS

rocketman · Post by **rocketman** » Sat Jan 10, 2009 6:46 pm

This really is a BIG issue for me. The whole purpose of my eval was to create a flight logging system for my gliding club and was going great guns

I want an non computer literate member to be able to press an icon and have the system insert the start TIME of a flight - then press it again when the aircraft lands to record the end time. We then use the duration to calculate the cost of the flight

If the clock was there in V3 - can we have it back ASAP please - it shouldn't be that much of a problem should it? or is ther a way We can put additional buttons on a standard form which will kick of a process or rule

tford · Post by **tford** » Sat Jan 10, 2009 7:30 pm

rocketman,

So are you looking to have 2 buttons /link to be able to click:

1) to log a flight in with the current timestamp
2) to end a flight with the current timestamp

Tom

rocketman · Post by **rocketman** » Sat Jan 10, 2009 7:45 pm

Yep Tom, that's about it. Ideally it would be one button and a rule which says "If startime is not defined put the current time in starttime else put the current time in stoptime.

I was about to start researching this when I spotted this topic if there's the possibility of a pre-designed image/icon/button that fits the look and feel of Aware - let's have it.

Even if the current calendar control gave the full timestamp and not have 00:00 at the end, it would be better than nothing because I can get around that by using the HH:mm formatting on the attribute - but a clock face would be better - nice and unambiguous.

Still - Anything will do to get me out of this dillema. My committee gave approval for the purchase last night providing I can finish the launchpoint part of he system and demonstrate it before the eval oeriod runs out (21 days and counting)

Thats one of the reasons I'm using the forum instead of ploughing through the manual - it's quicker. We are non profit making and don't have lots of spare cash available for non-flying items.

rocketman · Post by **rocketman** » Sat Jan 10, 2009 7:55 pm

I should add - just in case Aware-Support are monitoring this post -that if a field is defined as a timestamp - Putting an icon next to the field (which it does - the calendar control) that doesn't actually put the full TIMESTAMP in it is about as much use as a chocolate fireguard. I'f I'd have wanted a date,I'd have defined a date attribute

tford · Post by **tford** » Sat Jan 10, 2009 8:28 pm

This solution does not use a button on the form, but an operation link above the form. I would get this work first then build on it.

1) add 2 timestamp attributes to RegularUser BO: StartTime, StopTime

2) Create a process that has RegularUser as Process Input with 1 rule:
If RegularUser.StartTime IS UNDEFINED Then
RegularUser.StartTime=CURRENT_TIMESTAMP
DISPLAY MESSAGE 'Start time updated'
ELSE
RegularUser.StopTime=CURRENT_TIMESTAMP
DISPLAY MESSAGE 'Stop time updated'

3) On the Main form of RegularUser, you should now see the process from #2 above listed in the "Operation invoked...." section. Make sure it is marked as "Above the form".

4) Now test by running the bsv and clicking:
a) Standard | Search Objects -- select RegularUser
b) Click edit on Admin listing

You should see your form and be able to click on the process link at the top of the form.

Tom

aware_support · Post by **aware_support** » Sun Jan 11, 2009 3:46 am

It looks like there is some misunderstanding here about the importance of the original issue. All that the v3.0 interface did was display the time with two spin boxes, so that the user could adjust the hour and minute by clicking continuously on the spin boxes. Now spin boxes are not there (it IS quite some work to bring them back as we are using a different library now). Instead the value of 00:00 is inserted and the user can change this value manually by just typing 05:15 without using spin boxes. Even if we remove 00:00, the timestamp attribute will still be inserted with 00:00 internally because it's a timestamp. If you want to ignore the time in your queries, use the Date attribute or use the DATE_PART function.

Now, regarding the rocketman's problem - this is a totally different matter altogether. Here the user doesn't need to enter anything because the timestamp is supposed to be set automatically by the software to the current time. As Tom said, this can be done by rules.

The only thing we can do here very easily is change the default from 00:00 to the current time. If this is really what you, guys, want and not the spin boxes of the previous interface, then we can do it for the next build.

ab042 · Post by **ab042** » Sun Jan 11, 2009 5:36 am

Support suggested: "The only thing we can do here very easily is change the default from 00:00 to the current time. If this is really what you, guys, want and not the spin boxes of the previous interface, then we can do it for the next build."

I don't think this will solve my problem. If you have time please re-read my post from Dec 01, 2008 @ 8:04pm in this same thread. The 00:00 is an issue because a user thinks it means anything and in fact it is looking for 00:00. Same as if you entered 09:30 it would only find items from 09:30am. So the users are confused by the lack of data being returned.

Support, I don't think it needs to be a spin boxs. Just create a field next to the calendar for a user to enter a time if they want. Any maybe default it to the current time?

When a user clicks on the Icon of a TimeStamp attribute in addition to the calendar have a field they can key a time (screw the spin box's if its hard). Just so they don't have to click on the calendar have it return a date & 00:00 then move to the end of the field and erase the 00:00 and key the time. It would just make for a cleaner interface IMHO.

rocketman · Post by **rocketman** » Sun Jan 11, 2009 11:27 pm

Interestingly enough, Support - when I roll the mouse over "Today" in the calendar control it shows me the correct time with the word spacebar in brackets after it. so clearly, the current time is being retrieved somewhere in the logic of the calendar control.

Trouble is - pressing the spacebar simply returns 00:00 - as does clicking any of the dates on the calendar.

For me it's a question of definition. for me a TIMEstamp is just that. The current date AND the current time. If you are going to have the calendar control - or any othr input aid visible next to a timestamp field on a form, then that control should return Current_Timestamp

My suggesion would be either:

A) For timestamp attributes -give us a button or clock face that returns the current time or:

B) Make the "Today" button on the calendar control return the "Current_Timestamp" value. Personally, I could live with that.

For future builds, I think a really useful feature would be to allow us to add custom buttons to auto-generated forms which can kick off rules.

For now I've followed Tom's advice and it works, but it would be nice to get something Big and unambiguous (like a clock face up close to the input fields .... You know what end users are like. Give them a good reason to mess up and they surely will

Othere systems - for eg Dreamweaver - lets us put as many buttons on a form as we like (but your rule based approach is still winning)

tford · Post by **tford** » Mon Jan 12, 2009 2:56 am

rocketman,

For future builds, I think a really useful feature would be to allow us to add custom buttons to auto-generated forms which can kick off rules.

You can put buttons on forms today. You can reference them in an html cell & the button can call a process as defined in Appendix D of the User Guide.

Tom

technopak · Post by **technopak** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 11:40 pm

Just to throw in my tuppence-worth -

I'm in an opposite situation, I want my users to enter the start date and time of an event using two different form controls - a date attribute input control and a timestamp input control (which only takes the time as input). My system will then combine the date attribute plus the time part of the timestamp attribute to create the complete timestamp for the start of the event. I guess I'm essentially trying to make it easier for my users to input the event time.

So, I have a couple of queries:

1. Is there TIME_PART functionality similar to DATE_PART ?

2. Is it possible to have a timestamp attribute NOT display a calendar icon beside the form control and simply allow the user to enter the time in some user-friendly way ? Specifying the HH:mm format doesn't achieve this on my forms.

A time type attribute would be very useful

Any suggestions/help much appreciated.

Peter

rocketman · Post by **rocketman** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 1:10 am

Hi Peter,

If you define a timestamp attribute with mask HH:mm, the field will allow you to enter the time manually. I know seeing the calendar control will tempt some users to click it but at least it will work - as long as you don't want to do any maths because it seeds the unseen date part as 01/01 1971

It would be nice to have a switch when defining the form to display or not to display the icon.

The other thing I've thought of trying - but not had time to test would be to have the user enter the HH:mm in a plain text field, then have a dynamic rule that stuffs it into the timestamp attrib - which of course needn't be on the form.

You may have guessed I have an identical requirement in my project.

Of course, if you're not doing any time/date compares, you could just stick an imput mask on a plain text attrib

technopak · Post by **technopak** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 8:02 am

Hi Rocketman,

I've been trying the HH:mm format, but the fact that the calendar button presents really is a nuisance.

I've also experimented with using a plain text field with preset values (06:00, 06:30 etc) to enable the user to make a simple time selection but the subsequent conversion and concatenation of the date attribute and the text field to produce a timestamp has given me some trouble.

If there's no easy way to present a time choice to a user, the plain text option may be the best way. I've tried to create the timestamp for my object with the following code -

Event.Start=Timestamp(DAY_OF_MONTH(Event.StartDate),MONTH(Event.StartDate),YEAR(Event.StartDate),AS_NUMBER(CHARS_FROM_LEFT(Event.StartTime,2)),AS_NUMBER(CHARS_FROM_RIGHT(Event.StartTime,2)))

But I keep getting a 'Invalid Parameter' error for the TIMESTAMP function. I've also tried the code above without the AS_NUMBER conversion of the plain text attribute, but no luck.

Maybe support can help with a solution to this one ?