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GETDATE(3) Linux Programmer's Manual GETDATE(3)
NAME
getdate, getdate_r - convert a date-plus-time string to broken-down time
SYNOPSIS
#define _XOPEN_SOURCE 500
#include <time.h>
struct tm *getdate(const char *string);
extern int getdate_err;
#define _GNU_SOURCE
#include <time.h>
int getdate_r(const char *string, struct tm *res);
DESCRIPTION
The function getdate() converts a string representation of a date and time, contained in the buffer pointed to by string,
into a broken-down time. The broken-down time is stored in a tm structure, and a pointer to this structure is returned
as the function result. This tm structure is allocated in static storage, and consequently it will be overwritten by
further calls to getdate().
In contrast to strptime(3), (which has a format argument), getdate() uses the formats found in the file whose full path-
name is given in the environment variable DATEMSK. The first line in the file that matches the given input string is
used for the conversion.
The matching is done case insensitively. Superfluous whitespace, either in the pattern or in the string to be converted,
is ignored.
The conversion specifications that a pattern can contain are those given for strptime(3). One more conversion specifica-
tion is specified in POSIX.1-2001:
%Z Timezone name. This is not implemented in glibc.
When %Z is given, the structure containing the broken-down time is initialized with values corresponding to the current
time in the given timezone. Otherwise, the structure is initialized to the broken-down time corresponding to the current
local time (as by a call to localtime(3)).
When only the weekday is given, the day is taken to be the first such day on or after today.
When only the month is given (and no year), the month is taken to be the first such month equal to or after the current
month. If no day is given, it is the first day of the month.
When no hour, minute and second are given, the current hour, minute and second are taken.
If no date is given, but we know the hour, then that hour is taken to be the first such hour equal to or after the cur-
rent hour.
getdate_r() is a GNU extension that provides a reentrant version of getdate(). Rather than using a global variable to
report errors and a static buffer to return the broken down time, it returns errors via the function result value, and
returns the resulting broken-down time in the caller-allocated buffer pointed to by the argument res.
RETURN VALUE
When successful, getdate() returns a pointer to a struct tm. Otherwise, it returns NULL and sets the global variable
getdate_err to one of the error numbers shown below. Changes to errno are unspecified.
On success getdate_r() returns 0; on error it returns one of the error numbers shown below.
ERRORS
The following errors are returned via getdate_err (for getdate()) or as the function result (for getdate_r()):
1 The DATEMSK environment variable is not defined, or its value is an empty string.
2 The template file specified by DATEMSK cannot be opened for reading.
3 Failed to get file status information.
4 The template file is not a regular file.
5 An error was encountered while reading the template file.
6 Memory allocation failed (not enough memory available).
7 There is no line in the file that matches the input.
8 Invalid input specification.
ENVIRONMENT
DATEMSK
File containing format patterns.
TZ, LC_TIME
Variables used by strptime(3).
CONFORMING TO
POSIX.1-2001.
NOTES
The POSIX.1-2001 specification for strptime(3) contains conversion specifications using the %E or %O modifier, while such
specifications are not given for getdate(). In glibc, getdate() is implemented using strptime(3), so that precisely the
same conversions are supported by both.
EXAMPLE
The program below calls getdate() for each of its command-line arguments, and for each call displays the values in the
fields of the returned tm structure. The following shell session demonstrates the operation of the program:
$ TFILE=$PWD/tfile
$ echo '%A' > $TFILE # Full weekday name
$ echo '%T' >> $TFILE # ISO date (YYYY-MM-DD)
$ echo '%F' >> $TFILE # Time (HH:MM:SS)
$ date
$ export DATEMSK=$TFILE
$ ./a.out Tuesday '2009-12-28' '12:22:33'
Sun Sep 7 06:03:36 CEST 2008
Call 1 ("Tuesday") succeeded:
tm_sec = 36
tm_min = 3
tm_hour = 6
tm_mday = 9
tm_mon = 8
tm_year = 108
tm_wday = 2
tm_yday = 252
tm_isdst = 1
Call 2 ("2009-12-28") succeeded:
tm_sec = 36
tm_min = 3
tm_hour = 6
tm_mday = 28
tm_mon = 11
tm_year = 109
tm_wday = 1
tm_yday = 361
tm_isdst = 0
Call 3 ("12:22:33") succeeded:
tm_sec = 33
tm_min = 22
tm_hour = 12
tm_mday = 7
tm_mon = 8
tm_year = 108
tm_wday = 0
tm_yday = 250
tm_isdst = 1
Program source
#define _GNU_SOURCE 500
#include <time.h>
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
int
main(int argc, char *argv[])
{
struct tm *tmp;
int j;
for (j = 1; j < argc; j++) {
tmp = getdate(argv[j]);
if (tmp == NULL) {
printf("Call %d failed; getdate_err = %d\n",
j, getdate_err);
continue;
}
printf("Call %d (\"%s\") succeeded:\n", j, argv[j]);
printf(" tm_sec = %d\n", tmp->tm_sec);
printf(" tm_min = %d\n", tmp->tm_min);
printf(" tm_hour = %d\n", tmp->tm_hour);
printf(" tm_mday = %d\n", tmp->tm_mday);
printf(" tm_mon = %d\n", tmp->tm_mon);
printf(" tm_year = %d\n", tmp->tm_year);
printf(" tm_wday = %d\n", tmp->tm_wday);
printf(" tm_yday = %d\n", tmp->tm_yday);
printf(" tm_isdst = %d\n", tmp->tm_isdst);
}
exit(EXIT_SUCCESS);
}
SEE ALSO
time(2), localtime(3), setlocale(3), strftime(3), strptime(3), feature_test_macros(7)
COLOPHON
This page is part of release 3.25 of the Linux man-pages project. A description of the project, and information about
reporting bugs, can be found at http://www.kernel.org/doc/man-pages/.
2008-09-07 GETDATE(3)
