Hello everyone,
I have a report which needs a date parameter as follows:

WHERE STC_STATUS_DATE EQ HDTTM('&Status_Date', 8, 'HYYMDs')

STC_STATUS_DATE is a datetime in SQLServer.

The report works fine if I run it and provide a date at the prompt like so: 20060130.

I want to schedule this report to run in Report Caster and have the System Date passed as the date parameter. I have tried to use the &YYMD variable but it was unsuccessful and gave the following error message:

INVALID TYPE OF ARGUMENT #1 FOR USER FUNCTION HDTTM

Does anyone know the correct way to pass the system date as a parameter in Report Caster?
Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Regards,

Jason

Jaywill, it appears that the first argument to the HDTTM function must be a smart date, rather than an I8.
If you convert the system date to a smart date, then put the smart date into the HDTTM function, it would work;
here's a carfile example, working in windows, now granted there's a more elegant way to get from i8 to yymd... in DM, use DATECVT function
DEFINE FILE CAR
TODAY/I8YYMD WITH CAR = &YYMD ;
STODAY/YYMD = TODAY;
1DATE/HYYMDs WITH CAR=HDTTM( STODAY , 8, 'HYYMDs')
END
TABLE FILE CAR PRINT TODAY 1DATE CAR
END

To work your requirement into Susannah's example, try -

-SET &Status_Date = AYMD(&YYMD,0,'I8YYMD');
-* or
-SET &Status_Date = &YYMD;

DEFINE FILE CAR
TODAY/I8YYMD WITH CAR = &YYMD ;
STODAY/YYMD = TODAY;
1DATE/HYYMDs WITH CAR = HDTTM( STODAY , 8, 'HYYMDs');
END
TABLE FILE CAR PRINT TODAY 1DATE CAR
WHERE 1DATE EQ HDTTM('&Status_Date.EVAL' , 8, 'HYYMDs');
END

Either &Status_Date is acceptable to the HDTTM function.

T

Thanks for the suggestion Susannah!
For this report, I'm trying to keep it generic so that it may be run on demand by a user who can supply any date they wish, or it can be run on a schedule in Report Caster with the System date. I'm trying to set this up from within the Report Caster Gui for Schedule Management, so all I can supply for &Status_Date is the NAME/VALUE pairing on the Parameters tab.

Other suggestions??

so you just have to edit the date you pass is a smartdate, rather than an i8;
T says to try a .EVAL after your statusdate in your function as it is already. Give that a try... That .EVAL works magic...but do remember to tell us your version/system in your signature (edit your profile..muchas gracias)

Thanks a bunch to both of you, the .EVAL worked like a charm!!

I'm trying to set up the same thing as Jaywill-report that can be run by report caster passing the system date and also be a user who can supply any date. I've added the .EVAL to my fex procedure. What do I need set the report caster variable to so I can pass &YYMD?

Thanks

I would set up a default date in the fex; pass the date as &REP_DATE from the user request and NOT pass the system date from Report Caster:

-DEFAULT &REP_DATE = '&YYMD.EVAL';

Use &REP_DATE if all further calculations.

hmmm. i don't think that actually works...
when you try it, what do you get?
i get that &REP_DATE is set to an actual character string '&YYMD.EVAL'...
??