Ability allows you to perform arithmetic with dates and times. To do this, it has a built-in numbering sequence, called a date/time code, that starts on 1st Jan 1900 and increases by one for each subsequent day.
The date time code has a fractional component as well, to correspond to the hour, minute and second since midnight. A date/time code of 1.5 represents one-and-a-half days since the start of the year 1900, that is 12:00 noon on the 2nd Jan 1900.
For example:
Date/time code |
35484.47917 |
24th Feb 1997 11:30:00 AM |
Date code |
35484 |
24th Feb 1997 i.e. 35484 days since 1/1/1900 |
Time code |
0.47917 |
11:30 AM i.e. 0.47917 * 24 hours since midnight |
A date code, then, is the integer part of a date/time code, and a time code is the fractional remainder.
You can use Ability’s built-in date functions to generate a date/time code or to translate a date code into the weekday, day, month or year, and a time code into hours, minutes and seconds.
To change how a date/time code is displayed, use the Number command from the Format menu and then select a date format.
Here is a complete list of date functions in Ability:
See also:
Year 2000 for details on how Ability deals with dates in the 21st Century.