Android Question What is the right way to compare date in yyyy-MM-dd hh:mm format with system date time

[beelze69]

Hi,

I am taking in a text input date in format yyyy-MM-dd hh:mm and compare it with current
system datetime to ascertain how many days, hours and minutes is the difference.

I attempted to convert both the system-system date and inputted date into
ticks before making the comparison.

I am attaching the relevant code..

This is not working..

The code and the error message is attached.

Please guide me in this regard.

Thanks.

Private Sub btnCompareDate_Click
xui.MsgboxAsync("To compare the dates","B4X")
    Dim f As Boolean
    Dim inputDate As String
    Dim d As Long
    Dim t As Long
    inputDate=txtInputDate.Text.Trim
    'first set the date format to the format in which the date is inputted in the text control viz. in dd/mm/yyy hh:mm
    DateTime.DateFormat = "yyyy-MM-dd hh:mm"
    d = DateTime.DateParse(inputDate)
    t = DateTime.Now '
    Log("Input date and time :" & d)
    Log("Current Date and Time:" & t)
    Log("Your Selected Date is " & DateTime.Date(d) & " " & "Current Date is " & DateTime.Date(t))
    If DateTime.Date(d) = DateTime.Date(t) Then
        xui.MsgboxAsync("The date and time match !","B4X")
        
    Else
        If DateTime.Date(d)< DateTime.Date(t) Then
        xui.MsgboxAsync("You have YET :" & DateTime.Date(t-d),"B4X")
        Else
        xui.MsgboxAsync("It is already PAST:" & DateTime.Date(d-t),"B4X")
        End If
    End If
End Sub


It gies this error..


b4xmainpage_btncomparedate_click (java line: 65)
java.text.ParseException: Unparseable date: "2025-02-08 00:05"
    at java.text.DateFormat.parse(DateFormat.java:362)
    at anywheresoftware.b4a.keywords.DateTime.DateParse(DateTime.java:148)
    at b4a.example.b4xmainpage._btncomparedate_click(b4xmainpage.java:65)
    at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Native Method)
    at anywheresoftware.b4a.BA.raiseEvent2(BA.java:221)
    at anywheresoftware.b4a.BA.raiseEvent(BA.java:201)
    at anywheresoftware.b4a.objects.ViewWrapper$1.onClick(ViewWrapper.java:80)
    at android.view.View.performClick(View.java:7189)
    at android.view.View.performClickInternal(View.java:7166)
    at android.view.View.access$3500(View.java:819)
    at android.view.View$PerformClick.run(View.java:27682)
    at android.os.Handler.handleCallback(Handler.java:883)
    at android.os.Handler.dispatchMessage(Handler.java:100)
    at android.os.Looper.loop(Looper.java:224)
    at android.app.ActivityThread.main(ActivityThread.java:7592)
    at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Native Method)
    at com.android.internal.os.RuntimeInit$MethodAndArgsCaller.run(RuntimeInit.java:539)
    at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit.main(ZygoteInit.java:950)

 

[Jerryk]

What does Log(inputDate) display? before d = DateTime.DateParse(inputDate)

 

[peacemaker]

DateTime.DateFormat = "yyyy-MM-dd hh:mm"

is wrong. "HH" !

 

[Daestrum]

HH = 0 - 23
hh = 1 - 12

 

[Jerryk]

for DateTime.DateFormat = "yyyy-MM-dd hh:mm" use DateTime.DateTimeParse instead DateTime.DateParse

 

[emexes]

I feel that soon you'll be looking for something like:

Sub WordsApart(Ticks As Long) As String
    If Ticks < 0 Then Ticks = -Ticks    'Long Abs
  
    Dim Apart As Long = Ticks / 1000
    Dim ApartUnits As String = "second"
  
    If Apart >= 60 Then
        Apart = Apart / 60
        ApartUnits = "minute"
      
        If Apart >= 60 Then
            Apart = Apart / 60
            ApartUnits = "hour"
          
            If Apart >= 24 Then
                Apart = Apart / 24
                ApartUnits = "day"
              
                If Apart >= 7 Then
                    Apart = Apart / 7
                    ApartUnits = "week"
                End If
            End If
        End If
    End If
  
    If Apart <> 1 Then ApartUnits = ApartUnits & "s"    'plural
  
    Return Apart & " " & ApartUnits
End Sub

that when tested with something like:

Dim T As Long = 500    'less than one second, to demonstrate "0 seconds late"

Log("Due             " & TAB & "Returned        " & TAB & "Message")
Log("================" & TAB & "================" & TAB & "================")

Do While T < DateTime.TicksPerDay * 30
    Dim ReturnDate As Long = DateTime.Now
    Dim DueDate As Long = ReturnDate - T

    Dim HowLongOver As Long = ReturnDate - DueDate 

    If HowLongOver > 0 Then    'change to eg > DateTime.TicksPerMinute
        DateTime.TimeFormat = "dd/MM/yyyy HH:mm"
        Dim DueDateString As String = DateTime.Time(DueDate)
        Dim ReturnDateString As String = DateTime.Time(ReturnDate)
  
        Dim HowLongOverString As String = "Your book was " & WordsApart(HowLongOver) & " late"
  
        Log(DueDateString & TAB & ReturnDateString & TAB & HowLongOverString)
    End If
  
    T = T * 1.5
Loop

generates:

Waiting for debugger to connect...
Program started.
Due                 Returned            Message
================    ================    ================
08/02/2025 11:32    08/02/2025 11:32    Your book was 0 seconds late
08/02/2025 11:32    08/02/2025 11:32    Your book was 0 seconds late
08/02/2025 11:32    08/02/2025 11:32    Your book was 1 second late
08/02/2025 11:32    08/02/2025 11:32    Your book was 1 second late
08/02/2025 11:32    08/02/2025 11:32    Your book was 2 seconds late
08/02/2025 11:32    08/02/2025 11:32    Your book was 3 seconds late
08/02/2025 11:32    08/02/2025 11:32    Your book was 5 seconds late
08/02/2025 11:32    08/02/2025 11:32    Your book was 8 seconds late
08/02/2025 11:32    08/02/2025 11:32    Your book was 12 seconds late
08/02/2025 11:32    08/02/2025 11:32    Your book was 19 seconds late
08/02/2025 11:32    08/02/2025 11:32    Your book was 28 seconds late
08/02/2025 11:31    08/02/2025 11:32    Your book was 43 seconds late
08/02/2025 11:31    08/02/2025 11:32    Your book was 1 minute late
08/02/2025 11:31    08/02/2025 11:32    Your book was 1 minute late
08/02/2025 11:30    08/02/2025 11:32    Your book was 2 minutes late
08/02/2025 11:28    08/02/2025 11:32    Your book was 3 minutes late
08/02/2025 11:27    08/02/2025 11:32    Your book was 5 minutes late
08/02/2025 11:24    08/02/2025 11:32    Your book was 8 minutes late
08/02/2025 11:20    08/02/2025 11:32    Your book was 12 minutes late
08/02/2025 11:14    08/02/2025 11:32    Your book was 18 minutes late
08/02/2025 11:04    08/02/2025 11:32    Your book was 27 minutes late
08/02/2025 10:51    08/02/2025 11:32    Your book was 41 minutes late
08/02/2025 10:30    08/02/2025 11:32    Your book was 1 hour late
08/02/2025 09:59    08/02/2025 11:32    Your book was 1 hour late
08/02/2025 09:12    08/02/2025 11:32    Your book was 2 hours late
08/02/2025 08:02    08/02/2025 11:32    Your book was 3 hours late
08/02/2025 06:17    08/02/2025 11:32    Your book was 5 hours late
08/02/2025 03:39    08/02/2025 11:32    Your book was 7 hours late
07/02/2025 23:42    08/02/2025 11:32    Your book was 11 hours late
07/02/2025 17:48    08/02/2025 11:32    Your book was 17 hours late
07/02/2025 08:55    08/02/2025 11:32    Your book was 1 day late
06/02/2025 19:37    08/02/2025 11:32    Your book was 1 day late
05/02/2025 23:39    08/02/2025 11:32    Your book was 2 days late
04/02/2025 17:43    08/02/2025 11:32    Your book was 3 days late
02/02/2025 20:48    08/02/2025 11:32    Your book was 5 days late
31/01/2025 01:26    08/02/2025 11:32    Your book was 1 week late
26/01/2025 20:22    08/02/2025 11:32    Your book was 1 week late
20/01/2025 12:47    08/02/2025 11:32    Your book was 2 weeks late
11/01/2025 01:25    08/02/2025 11:32    Your book was 4 weeks late
Program terminated (StartMessageLoop was not called).

 

[beelze69]

Wow emexes !! That will be really helpful !!

 

[beelze69]

Hi,

I later figured out that DateUtils offers lot of useful features regarding such date and time comparisons.

    Dim PerDiff As  Period
    Dim constructedInputDateTime As String 'this will hold the constructed date and time
    'let us store a date time
    constructedInputDateTime="2025-02-08 17:25"
    Dim constructedSystemDateTime As String 'a variable to hold the System Date and Time
    'setting the suitable format for the DateTime ..
    DateTime.DateFormat="yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm"
    constructedSystemDateTime=DateTime.Date(DateTime.Now)
    'a variable to hold the Ticks count for the System Date time
    Dim dSystemDateWithTime As Long
    'now store the Ticks count of the System time
    dSystemDateWithTime = DateTime.DateParse(constructedSystemDateTime)
    'a variable to hold the Ticks count for the Input Date Time
    Dim dInputDateWithTime As Long
    dInputDateWithTime=DateTime.DateParse(constructedInputDateTime)

    'now obtain the Period Difference in Days, Hours, Minutes and Seconds

    PerDiff=DateUtils.PeriodBetweenindays(dSystemDateWithTime,dInputDateWithTime)
    Log("Current Date and Time:" & constructedSystemDateTime)
    Log("Inputted Date and Time:" & constructedInputDateTime)
    Log("Difference in Days:" & PerDiff.days)
    Log("Difference in Hours:" & PerDiff.hours)
    Log("Difference in Minutes:" & PerDiff.minutes)
    Log("Difference in Seconds:" & PerDiff.seconds)

I wrote a small example and it works fine.

Any improvisation on the code will be very helpful.

Thanks.

 

[emexes]

Is there any particular reason for converting the current system ticks to a String and back again to ticks?

constructedSystemDateTime = DateTime.Date(DateTime.Now)
dSystemDateWithTime = DateTime.DateParse(constructedSystemDateTime)

 

[Jerryk]

Also you can use DateUtils library

Dim p As Period = DateUtils.PeriodBetweenInDays(start, end)
log(p.Years)
...
log(p.Days)
...
log(p.Seconds)

 

[beelze69]

Is there any particular reason for converting the current system ticks to a String and back again to ticks?

constructedSystemDateTime = DateTime.Date(DateTime.Now)
dSystemDateWithTime = DateTime.DateParse(constructedSystemDateTime)

Hi emexes,

Well ! You are right .. That is not necessary exactly...