DtObj Chilkat2 Perl Reference Documentation

Chilkat2::DtObj

Current Version: 11.7.0

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Chilkat.DtObj

Represent a date/time as simple editable fields.

Chilkat.DtObj is a lightweight date/time value object used by Chilkat methods that need to pass or return individual date and time fields. It stores values such as year, month, day, hour, minute, and second, along with a flag indicating whether the value represents UTC or local time. It also provides a compact serialization format for saving and restoring the date/time value.

Simple date fields

Store and edit the year, month, day, hour, minute, and second as individual properties.

UTC or local time

Use the UTC flag to indicate whether the stored fields represent UTC or local time.

Struct tm compatibility

Use alternate month and year properties when working with struct tm-style date/time conventions.

Serialize and restore

Save and restore the object using Chilkat's compact internal serialized date/time representation.

Used by other classes

Pass DtObj values to Chilkat methods that require explicit date/time fields or return date/time information.

Small and focused

Use this class as a simple container rather than a full date/time calculation or timezone-conversion engine.

Common pattern: Create or receive a DtObj, set or read the individual date/time fields, check whether the value is UTC or local time, and pass the object to another Chilkat method. Use serialization only when the date/time value needs to be saved and restored in Chilkat's compact internal format.

For an extended overview, see DtObj Class Overview.

Object Creation

use Chilkat2;

my $dtObj = Chilkat2::DtObj->new;
# or set properties (and RaiseError) at creation:
# my $dtObj = Chilkat2::DtObj->new(VerboseLogging => 1, RaiseError => 1);
my $dtObj = Chilkat2::DtObj->new(Property => $value, ...);

Creates the object. The optional pairs set writable properties (and RaiseError) in order, as if set one by one; an unknown or read-only name croaks. use Chilkat2; loads every class; the Chilkat2/DtObj.pm file holds only this class's documentation (perldoc Chilkat2::DtObj).

Perl frees the object when its last reference goes (undef $dtObj, or the variable going out of scope); there is nothing to close. Objects returned by methods are independent and freed the same way. The class may be subclassed (use parent -norequire, 'Chilkat2::DtObj';): an object is a blessed hash reference whose hash is free for the subclass's own fields.

my $boolVal = $dtObj->RaiseError;
$dtObj->RaiseError($boolVal);

When false (the default), a method that fails returns false (or undef), and the reason is in LastErrorText. When true, it dies with a Chilkat2::Error instead, as DBI does with its RaiseError. Objects returned by a method inherit the value of the object that returned them.

Errors

A Chilkat2::Error stringifies to the failed call's full LastErrorText, and has the methods text, class ('Chilkat2::DtObj'), method (the method name) and object. Methods that look something up and find nothing return undef without dying (each such method says so), methods that answer a question (HasMember, IsUnlocked, ...) return a plain boolean, and property reads and writes never fail for Chilkat reasons.

Misuse always croaks, with your file and line, whatever RaiseError is: a wrong number of arguments, a reference or undef where a string or number is expected, an object of the wrong class, an out-of-range integer, a string containing a NUL character, a wide character in a byte string, or a write to a read-only property.

Strings are Perl character strings in both directions (length, regexes and :encoding layers see characters); binary data (BinData) is a byte string. Unlocking: call Chilkat2::Global->new->UnlockBundle('...') once at startup.

Properties

Day
# $intVal is an integer
my $intVal = $dtObj->Day;
$dtObj->Day($intVal);

The day of the month. The valid values for this member are 1 through 31.

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DebugLogFilePath
# $strVal is a string
my $strVal = $dtObj->DebugLogFilePath;
$dtObj->DebugLogFilePath($strVal);

If set to a file path, this property logs the LastErrorText of each Chilkat method or property call to the specified file. This logging helps identify the context and history of Chilkat calls leading up to any crash or hang, aiding in debugging.

Enabling the VerboseLogging property provides more detailed information. This property is mainly used for debugging rare instances where a Chilkat method call causes a hang or crash, which should generally not happen.

Possible causes of hangs include:

  • A timeout property set to 0, indicating an infinite timeout.
  • A hang occurring within an event callback in the application code.
  • An internal bug in the Chilkat code causing the hang.

More Information and Examples
Example showing how to use DebugLogFilePath.
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Hour
# $intVal is an integer
my $intVal = $dtObj->Hour;
$dtObj->Hour($intVal);

The hour. The valid values for this member are 0 through 23.

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LastErrorHtml
# $strVal is a string (read-only)
my $strVal = $dtObj->LastErrorHtml;

Provides HTML-formatted information about the last called method or property. If a method call fails or behaves unexpectedly, check this property for details. Note that information is available regardless of the method call's success.

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LastErrorText
# $strVal is a string (read-only)
my $strVal = $dtObj->LastErrorText;

Provides plain text information about the last called method or property. If a method call fails or behaves unexpectedly, check this property for details. Note that information is available regardless of the method call's success.

More Information and Examples
Concept of LastErrorTextLastErrorText Standard Information
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LastErrorXml
# $strVal is a string (read-only)
my $strVal = $dtObj->LastErrorXml;

Provides XML-formatted information about the last called method or property. If a method call fails or behaves unexpectedly, check this property for details. Note that information is available regardless of the method call's success.

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LastMethodSuccess
# $boolVal is a boolean
my $boolVal = $dtObj->LastMethodSuccess;
$dtObj->LastMethodSuccess($boolVal);

Indicates the success or failure of the most recent method call: 1 means success, 0 means failure. This property remains unchanged by property setters or getters. This method is present to address challenges in checking for null or Nothing returns in certain programming languages. Note: This property does not apply to methods that return integer values or to boolean-returning methods where the boolean does not indicate success or failure.

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Minute
# $intVal is an integer
my $intVal = $dtObj->Minute;
$dtObj->Minute($intVal);

The minute. The valid values for this member are 0 through 59.

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Month
# $intVal is an integer
my $intVal = $dtObj->Month;
$dtObj->Month($intVal);

The month. The valid values for this member are 1 through 12 where 1 = January and 12 = December.

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Second
# $intVal is an integer
my $intVal = $dtObj->Second;
$dtObj->Second($intVal);

The second. The valid values for this member are 0 through 59.

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StructTmMonth
# $intVal is an integer
my $intVal = $dtObj->StructTmMonth;
$dtObj->StructTmMonth($intVal);

The month. The valid values for this member are 0 through 11 where 0 = January and 11 = December.

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StructTmYear
# $intVal is an integer
my $intVal = $dtObj->StructTmYear;
$dtObj->StructTmYear($intVal);

The year represented as the number of years since 1900.

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Utc
# $boolVal is a boolean
my $boolVal = $dtObj->Utc;
$dtObj->Utc($boolVal);

1 if this is a UTC time, otherwise 0 if this is a local time.

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VerboseLogging
# $boolVal is a boolean
my $boolVal = $dtObj->VerboseLogging;
$dtObj->VerboseLogging($boolVal);

If set to 1, then the contents of LastErrorText (or LastErrorXml, or LastErrorHtml) may contain more verbose information. The default value is 0. Verbose logging should only be used for debugging. The potentially large quantity of logged information may adversely affect peformance.

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Version
# $strVal is a string (read-only)
my $strVal = $dtObj->Version;

Version of the component/library, such as "10.1.0"

More Information and Examples
How to get the Chilkat version at runtime.
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Year
# $intVal is an integer
my $intVal = $dtObj->Year;
$dtObj->Year($intVal);

The year, such as 2012.

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Methods

DeSerialize
# $serializedDtObj is a string
$dtObj->DeSerialize($serializedDtObj);

Loads the date/time with a string having the format as produced by the Serialize method, which is a string of SPACE separated integers containing (in this order) year, month, day, hour, minutes, seconds, and a UTC flag having the value of 1/0.

Returns the object, so calls can be chained.

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Serialize
# $str is a string or undef
my $str = $dtObj->Serialize();

Serializes the date/time to a us-ascii string that can be imported at a later time via the DeSerialize method. The format of the string returned by this method is not intended to match any published standard. It is formatted to a string with SPACE separated integers containing (in this order) year, month, day, hour, minutes, seconds, and a UTC flag having the value of 1/0.

Returns undef on failure; LastErrorText says why. With RaiseError on, a failure dies with a Chilkat2::Error instead (it stringifies to the LastErrorText); the object remains usable either way.

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