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From: std-unix@ut-sally.UUCP (Moderator, John Quarterman)
Newsgroups: mod.std.unix
Subject: Re: strftime et al.
Message-ID: <6708@ut-sally.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 23-Dec-86 12:05:01 EST
Article-I.D.: ut-sally.6708
Posted: Tue Dec 23 12:05:01 1986
Date-Received: Tue, 23-Dec-86 21:50:49 EST
References: <6572@ut-sally.UUCP>
Organization: IEEE P1003 Portable Operating System for Computer Environments Committee
Lines: 34
Approved: jsq@sally.utexas.edu

From: chris@mimsy.umd.edu (Chris Torek)
To: std-unix@sally.utexas.edu, hpfcdg!rgt%hplabs.csnet@relay.cs.net
Date: Mon, 15 Dec 86 16:25:27 EST

The time string formats seem to express a fair number of similar
numeric entities:
...
>	%H is replaced by the hour (24-hour clock) as a decimal number
>	   (00 to 23)
>	%I is replaced by the hour (12-hour clock) as a decimal number
>	   (01 to 12)
...
>	%U is replaced by the week number of the year with Sunday as the
>	   first day of the week (00 to 52)
>	%V is replaced by the week number of the year with Monday as the
>	   first day of the week (00 to 52)
>	%w is replaced by the weekday as a decimal number [0 (Sunday) to 6]
...
>	%y is replaced by the year without century (00 to 99)
>	%Y is replaced by the year with century

Now, time conversion may or may not be anywhere near as complex a
task as terminal control, but it seems to me that we may be repeating
the mistake made with termcap, repaired in terminfo.  Rather than
defining a specific set of numeric values, perhaps strftime, like
terminfo, should have a small calculator built in.  Then, e.g.,
`%y' and `%Y' are unnecessary.  `%y' could push the year-with-century,
and `%{100}' the value 100; invoking mod (`%%'? the name may prove
problematical) and `%2d' could then produce the year-without-century.
-- 
In-Real-Life: Chris Torek, Univ of MD Comp Sci Dept (+1 301 454 7690)
UUCP:	seismo!mimsy!chris	ARPA/CSNet:	chris@mimsy.umd.edu

Volume-Number: Volume 8, Number 70