CFLib.org – Common Function Library Project

Description:
Takes a numeric string and returns the best date equivilent based on the format you specify. Accepts four different formats: mmddyyyy, yyyymmdd, ddmmyyyy, yyyyddmm. If a date string is passed in the date is returned. If a non-numeric or non-date string is passed in it returns 1/1/1900.

Return Values:
Returns a date.

Example:

<cfset datevals = "01599,4/5/1978,010599,1599,151999,01051999,010519999,010501999,159,10599,avkld,24587,343532,12423232,987822,311993">

<cfoutput>
    <table>
        <tr>
            <th>Old Date</th>
            <th>mm/dd/yyyy</th>
            <th>dd/mm/yyyy</th>
            <th>yyyy/mm/dd</th>
            <th>yyyy/dd/mm</th>
        </tr>
    <cfloop list="#dateVals#" index="dateval">
        <tr>
            <td>#dateval# </td>
            <td>#dateFormat(textToDate(dateVal,"mmddyyyy"),"mm/dd/yyyy")#</td>
            <td>#dateFormat(textToDate(dateVal,"ddmmyyyy"),"mm/dd/yyyy")#</td>
            <td>#dateFormat(textToDate(dateVal,"yyyymmdd"),"mm/dd/yyyy")#</td>
            <td>#dateFormat(textToDate(dateVal,"yyyyddmm"),"mm/dd/yyyy")#</td>
        </tr>
    </cfloop>
    </table>
</cfoutput>

Parameters:

Full UDF Source:

<!---
 cffunction that takes a text string and a format and returns a date object.
 
 @param textString      Date as a string. (Required)
 @param format      Format of the date. Valid values are: mmddyyyy,yyyymmdd,ddmmyyyy,yyyyddmm (Optional)
 @return Returns a date. 
 @author Bill Rawlinson (wmrawlin@sbcs.com) 
 @version 1, January 21, 2005 
--->
<cffunction name="textToDate" returnType="string" output="false" hint="converts a numeric string to a date object">
    <cfargument name="textString" type="string"    requied="true" hint="numeric string to convert to a date object">
    <cfargument name="format" type="string" required="false" default="mmddyyyy"    hint="best guess at the format of the string; valid values are mmddyyyy | yyyymmdd | ddmmyyyy | yyyyddmm">

    <cfset var dateval    = arguments.textstring>
    <cfset var month    = "">
    <cfset var day        = "">
    <cfset var year        = "">
    <cfset var detelen = "">
    <cfset var maxDays = "">
    
    <!--- placeholders used to find month and date on strings between 4-6 characters long --->
    <cfset var sp        = "">
    <cfset var counter1    = "">
    <cfset var counter2    = "">

    <cfif isNumeric(dateval)>
        <cfset datelen = len(dateval)>

        <cfswitch expression="#datelen#">
            <cfcase value="1,2,3">
                <cfset day = 1>
                <cfset month = 1>
                <cfset year = "1900">
            </cfcase>
            <cfcase value="4,5,6">
                <cfif right(arguments.format,4) eq "yyyy">
                    <cfset year = right(dateval,2)>
                    <cfset dateVal = left(dateval,Len(dateval)-2)>
                    <cfset arguments.format = left(arguments.format,4)>
                <CFELSE>
                    <CFSET year = Left(dateval,2)>
                    <CFSET dateVal = Right(dateval,Len(dateval)-2)>
                    <CFSET arguments.format = Right(arguments.format,4)>
                </CFIF>

                <!--- 
                due to variable lenths of remaining numbers
                we have to figure out where to chop up the string to get 
                the month and day 
                --->
                <cfset dateLen = len(dateval)>
                <cfset counter1 = 2>
                <cfset counter2 = 2>
                <cfif dateLen EQ 3>
                    <cfset counter1 = 2>
                    <cfset counter2 = 1>
                <cfelseif dateLen EQ 2>
                    <cfset counter1 = 1>
                    <cfset counter2 = 1>
                </cfif>

                <cfif left(arguments.format,2) EQ "mm">
                    <cfset month = mid(dateval,1,counter1)>
                    <cfset sp = 1 + counter1>
                    <cfset day = mid(dateval,sp,counter2)>
                <cfelse>
                    <cfset day = mid(dateval,1,counter1)>
                    <cfset sp = 1 + counter1>
                    <cfset month = mid(dateval,sp,counter2)>
                </cfif>

            </cfcase>
            <cfdefaultcase><!--- datelen gt 6 --->
                <cfif right(arguments.format,4) EQ "yyyy">
                    <cfset year = right(dateval,4)>
                    <cfset dateVal = left(dateval,len(dateval)-4)>
                    <cfset arguments.format = left(arguments.format,4)>
                <cfelse>
                    <cfset year = left(dateval,4)>
                    <cfset dateVal = right(dateval,len(dateval)-4)>
                    <cfset arguments.format = right(arguments.format,4)>
                </cfif>
                <cfif left(arguments.format,2) EQ "mm">
                    <cfset month = mid(dateval,1,2)>
                    <cfset day = mid(dateval,3,2)>
                <cfelse>
                    <cfset month = mid(dateval,3,2)>
                    <cfset day = mid(dateval,1,2)>
                </cfif>
            </cfdefaultcase>
        </cfswitch>

        <cfset year = mid(val(year),1,4)>
        <cfset year = 0 & year>

        <cfset month = month MOD 12>
        <cfif month EQ 0>
            <cfset month = 12>
        </cfif>

        <cfset maxDays = daysInMonth(createDate(year,month,1))>
        
        <cfset day = day MOD maxDays>
        <cfif day EQ 0>
            <cfset day = maxDays>
        </cfif>

    <cfelseif isDate(dateval)>
        <cfset day = day(dateval)>
        <cfset month= month(dateval)>
        <cfset year= year(dateval)>
    <cfelse>
         <!--- if an invalid string is passed in we return 1/1/1900 --->
        <cfset day = 1>
        <cfset month = 1>
        <cfset year = "1900">
    </cfif>

    <cfreturn createDate(year,month,day)>

</cffunction>