The dateFormat property identifies the format for dates.
Characters may be dropped from the beginning or end of a complete date specification, but not from the middle.
vgj.datemask.gregorian.long.NLS
For additional details on vgj.nls.code, see Java runtime properties (details).
vgj.datemask.julian.long.NLS
For additional details on vgj.nls.code, see Java runtime properties (details).
When the user enters valid data, the date is converted from the format specified for the field to an internal format that is used for subsequent validation.
The internal format for a character date is the same as the system default format and includes separator characters.
In a form, the field length on the form must be greater than or equal to the length of the field mask that you specify. The length of the field must be long enough to hold the internal format of the date.
Examples are in the next table.
Format type | Example | Length of form field | Minimum length of page field (character type) | Valid length of page field (numeric type) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Short Gregorian | yy/MM/dd | 8 | 8 | 6 |
Long Gregorian | yyyy/MM/dd | 10 | 10 | 8 |
Short Julian | DDD-yy | 6 | 6 | 5 |
Long Julian | DDD-yyyy | 8 | 8 | 7 |
Data entered into a variable field is checked to ensure that the date was entered in the format specified. The user does not need to enter the leading zeros for days and months, but can specify (for example) 8/5/1996 instead of 08/05/1996. The user who omits the separator characters, however, must enter all leading zeros.
Related concepts
Java runtime properties
Overview of EGL properties