Multi-Input Date and Time Drop Downs

Multi-input date and time drop downs show a box for each component of the date and time. The user can either type a value directly into the box, or click the down arrow button to display a list of values to choose from. Multi-input drop downs are the default control type for time of day attributes.

Multi-input date in an interview

Note: Multi-input drop downs for times are only available in Latest Version interviews. (Multi-input drop downs for date attributes are available in August 2016 interviews.)

When defining multi-input date and time drop downs you can specify the year range, the minute increment and the second increment. To do this:

  1. Select the multi-input date/time drop down input in the screen list or screen layout view, and click the Input Options button.

    The Input Options button on the Interview tab in Policy Modeling
  2. In the drop-down window:
    • for dates and datetimes, enter the year range in the First and Last fields. You can enter:
      • absolute values. For example, 2020. OR
      • relative values where 0 represents the current year, and the plus sign (+) and minus sign (-) are used to signify values relative to the current year. For example, +10 and -10 where +10 is the current year plus 10 years and -10 is the current year minus ten years.
    • for datetimes and times:
      • select the Minute increment in the drop down list. Options are 1, 5, 6, 10, 15, 20 or 30, and
      • (if configured) select the Second increment in the drop down list. Options are 1, 5, 6, 10, 15, 20 or 30.


    The Input Options window in Policy Modeling showing the input options for a date and time attribute

The input date and time format for these multi-input drop down controls is based on the first input specified for those attributes types in the language formatting settings for the project. Note that seconds and the am/pm input are only shown if the first input format specifies they are needed. For more information, see Change the Formatting of Attribute Values In an Interview.

You can change the display text for the months and the days of the week, and also the hint text for the date or time components (for example, 'yyyy') which appears in this input control. For more information, see Change the date and time text.

Note that when the interview user clicks on the down arrow of the 'day' field (dd or configured equivalent), they will see a drop-down list of numbers 1 to 19. If the user wishes to enter a date commencing with the number 2 or 3 (for example '24' or '31'), the user must type a 2 or a 3 into the text entry field for the 'day' control. This will display a drop-down list of numbers 20-29 or 30-31 as the case may be.

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