# Date Handling

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# Introduction

Date blocks are used as input parameters for other blocks. At the moment some of these blocks are found in the ephemeris section, whilst others are found in the persistence section - they may be equally useful for both. These blocks are typed to assure correct connection to other blocks.

# Overview of the Date Handling blocks

Blocks in the ephemeris section

ephemeris-dates

Blocks in the persistence section

persistence-dates

# Date Handling Blocks

# today

today

Type: DayOffset

Ephemeris blocks expect a date formatted as the number of days since today. As a result, this block returns 0.

# today +/- x days

now-plus-minus-offset

Type: DayOffset

Returns the number of days since today, as configured in the number block. The number can be positive (offset into the future) or negative (offset into the past).

# date-picker

date-picker

Type: ZonedDateTime

Returns a date as ZonedDateTime. The date can be selected from a date picker. The time is set to 00:00:00.

# Get date

get-date

Type: ZonedDateTime

This block will return the date as ZonedDateTime based on a given String. The String may be one of the following formats

  • yyyy-MM-dd
  • yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss
  • yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss +HH:mm

The input String may be a variable-block.

# Get Date now with offset

now-with-offset

Type: ZonedDateTime

Returns a date as ZonedDateTime with offset relative to the current date and time.

The options for the time period base are

  • seconds
  • minutes
  • hours
  • days
  • months
  • years

# Get String representation of date

date-tostring

Type: String

Returns the String representation of a given ZonedDateTime-block, with or without the time.

# Example

Assuming this block is run at 20:47:36 on 31/01/2022

date-text-example

The output in the log will be.

2022-01-31
2022-01-31 00:00:00
2022-01-31 20:47:36

# Return to Blockly Reference

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