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Built-in Date Format Property

Description

This property establishes the format mask used in converting a date value to or from a string that is not potentially visible to the end user. This format mask is most commonly used when executing a Built-in subprogram.

Applies to application (global value)

Set programmatically

Refer to Built-in

GET_APPLICATION_PROPERTY Built-in

SET_APPLICATION_PROPERTY Built-in

Required/Optional optional. However, it is STRONGLY RECOMMENDED that, for a new application, you set this property to a format mask containing full century and time information. It is also recommended that this format mask be the same as the one specified in the PLSQL_DATE_FORMAT property .

Default

As noted above, it is strongly recommended that you explicitly set this value for a new application. However, if you do not, the default value used will depend on the context.

Forms first determines whether the item is a DATE2, DATE4, or DATETIME object, and then tries a series of format masks accordingly. (These default masks are used for compatibility with prior releases.)

Object types are determined as shown in the following table:

Date object

Type

Item of datatype DATETIME

DATETIME

Item of datatype DATE:

…having a format mask that contains yyyy, YYYY, rrrr, or RRRR

DATE4

…having a format mask that does not contain yyyy, YYYY, rrrr, or RRRR

DATE2

…not having a format mask, and its length (Maximum Length) is 10 or more

DATE4

…not having a format mask, and its length (Maximum Length) is 9 or less

DATE2

Parameter (as in :PARAMETER.myparam) of datatype DATE. (Note that there are no DATETIME parameters, and that a parameter's Maximum Length property applies only to CHAR parameters.)

DATE2

LOV column of datatype DATE. (Note that there are no DATETIME LOV columns.)

DATE2

Internal value of system variables CURRENT_DATETIME and EFFECTIVE_DATE

DATETIME

After determining the object type of the item to be converted, Forms uses one of the masks listed below. There are two sets of masks -- one set for YY operations, and another set for RR operations.

For a date-to-string operation, only the first (primary) format mask is used. For a string-to-date operation, Oracle Forms first tries the first/primary format mask. If that conversion is unsuccessful, it tries the other (secondary) masks, in the order shown

For YY:

Object Type

Format Masks Used

DATE2

DD-MON-YY

DD-MM-SYYYY HH24:MI:SS

DATE4

DD-MON-YYYY

DD-MM-SYYYY HH24:MI:SS

DATETIME

DD-MON-YYYY HH24:MI:SS

DD-MON-YYYY HH24:MI

DD-MM-SYYYY HH24:MI:SS

For RR:

Object Type

Format Masks Used

DATE2

DD-MON-RR

DD-MM-SYYYY HH24:MI:SS

DATE4

DD-MON-RRRR

DD-MM-SYYYY HH24:MI:SS

DATETIME

DD-MON-RRRR HH24:MI:SS

DD-MON-RRRR HH24:MI

DD-MM-SYYYY HH24:MI:SS