Small question?

[Bruce W. Darby]

I've almost completed my little application for work. This weekend I've been
working on Streams so I can write a logfile showing the work that was
accomplished. Wanting to make each logfile programmaticall y unique, I
decided to include the date that the log was written as a part of it's
filename. I was looking through all of the date stuff and all the posts
about formatting and was wondering how in the world I was going to get all
of that in a sub the way I wanted. I was searching for a way to format JUST
the date and ran into the 'DateString' method. It gave me exactly what I was
looking for without a lot of extra work, but I was wondering... and here's
the question... is there something substandard with this method? In the
newsgroup here I've seen folks wanting JUST a date and the answers have
really been strong on formatting, which the DateString doesn't require.

[Spam Catcher]

"Bruce W. Darby" <kr****@comcast .netwrote in
news:ZI******** *************** *******@comcast .com:

I've almost completed my little application for work. This weekend
I've been working on Streams so I can write a logfile showing the work
that was accomplished.

Have you taken a look at Log4Net or Microsoft's Enterprise logging blocks?

>I've seen folks wanting JUST a date and the answers have really been

strong on formatting, which the DateString doesn't require.

What a rambling post - have you taken a look at now().ShortDate ? That
formats the date to the local regional settings.

Otherwise you can use the FormatDateTime command specify your own format.

[Cor Ligthert [MVP]]

Bruce,

I did not knew this function. Not so strange:. if I understand it well, than
it is outside the USA completely useless.

In my idea is this construction beneath the nicest for your purpose

Dim mylogfiledate As String = Now.ToString("y yyyMMddhhmmss")
I hope this helps,

Cor

"Bruce W. Darby" <kr****@comcast .netschreef in bericht
news:ZI******** *************** *******@comcast .com...

I've almost completed my little application for work. This weekend I've
been working on Streams so I can write a logfile showing the work that was
accomplished. Wanting to make each logfile programmaticall y unique, I
decided to include the date that the log was written as a part of it's
filename. I was looking through all of the date stuff and all the posts
about formatting and was wondering how in the world I was going to get all
of that in a sub the way I wanted. I was searching for a way to format
JUST the date and ran into the 'DateString' method. It gave me exactly
what I was looking for without a lot of extra work, but I was wondering...
and here's the question... is there something substandard with this
method? In the newsgroup here I've seen folks wanting JUST a date and the
answers have really been strong on formatting, which the DateString
doesn't require.

[Stephany Young]

The first thing that you need to remember, Bruce, is that the DateString
function does not return a Date. Instaed it returns a string that represents
the current Date formatted as MM-dd-yyyy.

This is the same value that is returned by
DateTime.Today. ToString("MM-dd-yyyy") and also
DateTime.Now.To String("MM-dd-yyyy"). If your Regional Short Date setting is
set to MM-dd-yyyy then the same value is also returned by
DateTime.Today. ToString("d") and DateTime.Now.To String("d").

If all you will ever need is the date in MM-dd-yyyy fomat then fine, but the
multitude of date formatting options provides you with so many more options.

As to log files, the questions you need to ask yourself include:

1. Will the program write a new logfile each time it runs?

2. Will the program run multiple times in any one day?

3. Will the log files need to be accessed by anyone else apart from me?

If (1) is true and (2) is true then you're going to run into problems
because subsequent runs in the same day will overwrite the log files from
previous runs on that day.

If (3) is true then the naming convention for the log files must be such
that they know, unambiguously, what it is they are looking at, i.e. when the
file is named 01-02-2007.log, they must be absolutely aware that the file
relates to the 2nd of January and not the 1st of February.

I use log files extensively, not only to log critical activity, but also for
diagnostic information.

When I am using a new log file for each day, the naming convention I use is
yyyyMMdd.log and everybody who has to deal with such file knows that the
name is in that format.

When I am using a new log file for each month, the naming convention I use
is yyyyMM.log and, again, everybody who has to deal with such file knows
that the name is in that format.

The most important thing is to be absolutely consistent with what you do. If
you chop and change then you will end up confusing yourself.
"Bruce W. Darby" <kr****@comcast .netwrote in message
news:ZI******** *************** *******@comcast .com...

I've almost completed my little application for work. This weekend I've
been working on Streams so I can write a logfile showing the work that was
accomplished. Wanting to make each logfile programmaticall y unique, I
decided to include the date that the log was written as a part of it's
filename. I was looking through all of the date stuff and all the posts
about formatting and was wondering how in the world I was going to get all
of that in a sub the way I wanted. I was searching for a way to format
JUST the date and ran into the 'DateString' method. It gave me exactly
what I was looking for without a lot of extra work, but I was wondering...
and here's the question... is there something substandard with this
method? In the newsgroup here I've seen folks wanting JUST a date and the
answers have really been strong on formatting, which the DateString
doesn't require.

[Stephany Young]

BTW Bruce, small questions have a habit of becoming big questions :)
"Bruce W. Darby" <kr****@comcast .netwrote in message
news:ZI******** *************** *******@comcast .com...

I've almost completed my little application for work. This weekend I've
been working on Streams so I can write a logfile showing the work that was
accomplished. Wanting to make each logfile programmaticall y unique, I
decided to include the date that the log was written as a part of it's
filename. I was looking through all of the date stuff and all the posts
about formatting and was wondering how in the world I was going to get all
of that in a sub the way I wanted. I was searching for a way to format
JUST the date and ran into the 'DateString' method. It gave me exactly
what I was looking for without a lot of extra work, but I was wondering...
and here's the question... is there something substandard with this
method? In the newsgroup here I've seen folks wanting JUST a date and the
answers have really been strong on formatting, which the DateString
doesn't require.

[Bruce W. Darby]

"Spam Catcher" <sp**********@r ogers.comwrote in message
news:Xn******** *************** ***********@127 .0.0.1...

"Bruce W. Darby" <kr****@comcast .netwrote in
news:ZI******** *************** *******@comcast .com:
Have you taken a look at Log4Net or Microsoft's Enterprise logging blocks?

Actually, no, I haven't. :) I'm working this little tool up myself on my own
time for work so I can extend my understanding of programming and the .Net
environment. As such, I look at what is avail 'at the time'. Would I require
the Enterprise version of VS2995 to use the logging blocks? As it is, I only
have the Standard Edition.

What a rambling post - have you taken a look at now().ShortDate ? That
formats the date to the local regional settings.

Otherwise you can use the FormatDateTime command specify your own format.

Sorry for rambling, but I just wanted to provide some data that I wasn't
sure was widely known.

[Bruce W. Darby]

I did not knew this function. Not so strange:. if I understand it well,

than it is outside the USA completely useless.

I didn't see any warnings that it would not be useful outside the United
States. Perhaps it's a method that is much the same as the 'Shortdate'
method SpamCatcher mentioned.

In my idea is this construction beneath the nicest for your purpose

Dim mylogfiledate As String = Now.ToString("y yyyMMddhhmmss")
I hope this helps,

Thanks for the formatting string above, Cor. If you didn't want the hours,
minutes, seconds, I take it that you just don't include them in the
formatting string? I'll keep it in mind, but what I was actually doing is
concatenating the date into the file path, as in...

Dim strFullFilename As String = strPathName & "\" & DateString &
[filename.ext]

DateString returns a string formatted as 12-25-2006, which worked perfectly
for what I needed.

When I attempted to use another Date format, the slashes in the date were
interpreted as directory seperators and it created a directory structure
where12 was its own directory with a subdirectory of 25, etc.

I'm learning... thanks for your input!

[Bruce W. Darby]

As to log files, the questions you need to ask yourself include:

>
1. Will the program write a new logfile each time it runs?

Yes. :)

2. Will the program run multiple times in any one day?

EXTREMELY doubtful

3. Will the log files need to be accessed by anyone else apart from me?

The VP probably. We're a small company with 5 employees, so it's me or him.
LOL I've included a sample of the actual filename syntax in my response to
Cor. I wanted to make absolutely certain that my logfiles were descriptive
AND unique. I anticipate having to run the utility about once a week at the
most, so this naming system should suffice quite nicely. If it needs to be
changed at a later date, I can do a revision quickly. And I can totally
understand the communication issues and the need to be consistent. Thanks
again.

[Bruce W. Darby]

>. Would I require the Enterprise version of VS2995 to use the logging

>blocks?

Sorry, meant 2005... FAT FINGERS!!!

[Cor Ligthert [MVP]]

Bruce,

If I have read it well, than DateString returns forever a MM dd yy format.
That format is only used in the USA and some Coca Cola cultures, (Think
about Japan when they are not using their own figurs but not on China). You
would believe that Canada had the same as the USA, but they have it like
England and I thought a more sophisticated way (not like France)..

You can see that it is confusing as Stephany shows. See always thinks that
more people know about those very different culture differences when writing
date and time. (it is not only the date it is as well with times), in my
idea are it only a few.

Somebody wrote ones in this newsgroup. I live in Australia, we will never
use American software because it gives always troubles with dates (Australia
has the same time standards as the USA). I assume that he meant with we his
company, before I get some responses from Stephany.

(I gave the full string, like Stephany I did not know how many times a day
you would write a log file, beside that is the ISO way better when you do a
Dir in your log directory).

Cor
"Bruce W. Darby" <kr****@comcast .netschreef in bericht
news:2L******** *************** *******@comcast .com...

>I did not knew this function. Not so strange:. if I understand it well,
than it is outside the USA completely useless.

I didn't see any warnings that it would not be useful outside the United
States. Perhaps it's a method that is much the same as the 'Shortdate'
method SpamCatcher mentioned.

>In my idea is this construction beneath the nicest for your purpose

Dim mylogfiledate As String = Now.ToString("y yyyMMddhhmmss")
I hope this helps,

Thanks for the formatting string above, Cor. If you didn't want the hours,
minutes, seconds, I take it that you just don't include them in the
formatting string? I'll keep it in mind, but what I was actually doing is
concatenating the date into the file path, as in...

Dim strFullFilename As String = strPathName & "\" & DateString &
[filename.ext]

DateString returns a string formatted as 12-25-2006, which worked
perfectly for what I needed.

When I attempted to use another Date format, the slashes in the date were
interpreted as directory seperators and it created a directory structure
where12 was its own directory with a subdirectory of 25, etc.

I'm learning... thanks for your input!