AmbiguousDate ( Text )

Returns an approximate date for unspecific date input

Average rating: 3.8 (43 votes) Log in to vote

Lewis Buckingham
None
none

Sample input:

AmbiguousDate( Late Dec 1942 );
AmbiguousDate( 1942 );
AmbiguousDate( July 1942 );
AmbiguousDate( Late 1942 )

Sample output:

24/12/1942;
1/1/1942;
1/7/1942;
1/11/1942

Function definition: (Copy & paste into FileMaker's Edit Custom Function window)


Let([ 

ActingDay = 

Case( 

 IsValid(LeftWords ( Text ; 1 )) and (Length(LeftWords ( Text ; 1 )) < 3); 

LeftWords ( Text ; 1 ) 

;

PatternCount(Text ; "Early") and (RelativeMonthCheck(Text) = 1); 

5;

PatternCount(Text ; "Mid") and (RelativeMonthCheck(Text) = 1); 

15;

PatternCount(Text ; "Late") and (RelativeMonthCheck(Text) = 1); 

 26;

 1) ;

ActingMonth = 

Case ( (PatternCount(Text ; "Early") 

and
( (PatternCount ( Text ; "Jan" )  =  0) and (PatternCount ( Text ; "Feb" )  =  0) and (PatternCount ( Text ; "Mar" )  =  0) and (PatternCount ( Text ; "Apr" )  =  0) and (PatternCount ( Text ; "May" )  =  0) and (PatternCount ( Text ; "Jun" )  =  0) and (PatternCount ( Text ; "Jul" )  =  0) and (PatternCount ( Text ; "Aug" )  =  0) and (PatternCount ( Text ; "Sep" )  =  0) and (PatternCount ( Text ; "Oct" )  =  0) and (PatternCount ( Text ; "Nov" )  =  0) and (PatternCount ( Text ; "Dec" )  =  0) )) ; 3

;(PatternCount(Text ; "Mid") 

and
( (PatternCount ( Text ; "Jan" )  =  0) and (PatternCount ( Text ; "Feb" )  =  0) and (PatternCount ( Text ; "Mar" )  =  0) and (PatternCount ( Text ; "Apr" )  =  0) and (PatternCount ( Text ; "May" )  =  0) and (PatternCount ( Text ; "Jun" )  =  0) and (PatternCount ( Text ; "Jul" )  =  0) and (PatternCount ( Text ; "Aug" )  =  0) and (PatternCount ( Text ; "Sep" )  =  0) and (PatternCount ( Text ; "Oct" )  =  0) and (PatternCount ( Text ; "Nov" )  =  0) and (PatternCount ( Text ; "Dec" )  =  0) )) ; 7

;
(PatternCount(Text ; "Late") 

and
( (PatternCount ( Text ; "Jan" )  =  0) and (PatternCount ( Text ; "Feb" )  =  0) and (PatternCount ( Text ; "Mar" )  =  0) and (PatternCount ( Text ; "Apr" )  =  0) and (PatternCount ( Text ; "May" )  =  0) and (PatternCount ( Text ; "Jun" )  =  0) and (PatternCount ( Text ; "Jul" )  =  0) and (PatternCount ( Text ; "Aug" )  =  0) and (PatternCount ( Text ; "Sep" )  =  0) and (PatternCount ( Text ; "Oct" )  =  0) and (PatternCount ( Text ; "Nov" )  =  0) and (PatternCount ( Text ; "Dec" )  =  0) )) ; 11

; PatternCount ( Text ; "Jan" ) > 0 ; 1 ; PatternCount ( Text ; "Feb" ) > 0 ; 2 ;PatternCount ( Text ; "Mar" ) > 0 ; 3 ;PatternCount ( Text ; "Apr" ) > 0 ; 4 ;PatternCount ( Text ; "May" ) > 0 ; 5 ;PatternCount ( Text ; "Jun" ) > 0 ; 6 ;PatternCount ( Text ; "Jul" ) > 0 ; 7 ;PatternCount ( Text ; "Aug" ) > 0 ; 8 ;PatternCount ( Text ; "Sep" ) > 0 ; 9 ;PatternCount ( Text ; "Oct" ) > 0 ; 10 ;PatternCount ( Text ; "Nov" ) > 0 ; 11 ;PatternCount ( Text ; "Dec" ) > 0 ; 12 ;1 ) ;

ActingYear = 

Right ( Text ; 4 ) ] ;

ActingDay & "/" & ActingMonth & "/" & ActingYear )

This function requires my RelativeMonthCheck(Text) function to work.

Used for creating an acting date when the information given is not specific, but the original data is still required to be kept.

Good for ordering information or display etc.

Input is a text file with UK format - i.e. Day, Month, Year.

It needs the first three letters of a month, and accepts the terms "Early" , "Mid", and "Late" which generate arbitrary numbers for day of the month or month of the year.

Comments

		Fergus Pearson, Whitehaven, UK May 22, 2015
This is a brilliant solution! I'm doing research on a guy from the 18thC and I'm trying to catalogue his letters - I want to sort them by date, but not every letter is dated exactly - so your function has fixed the problem where I couldn't even guess what the solution would be. Thanks!

		Lewis Buckingham, Sydney, Australia May 22, 2015
I'm glad it came in handy. I figured the function for pretty much exactly the same reason - dating family photos and letters, as well as events mentioned in letters and interviews. I figured, you should be able to make it as detailed as is possible, and hopefully once everything's input, finer details of order might become apparent.

Note: these functions are not guaranteed or supported by BrianDunning.com. Please contact the individual developer with any questions or problems.

AmbiguousDate ( Text )

Comments

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