Display Format Glyph for Timestamps

[JÞB]

String containers have display format Glyphs to help us understand the String Values when the display is Normal, Hex or Escape codes.

Integer numeric type containers have them too to show radix.

Timestamp containers must be inspected for their display format property to determine if they are in System Time or UTC.   

Timestamp Controls, Indicators and Contsants SHOULD have a similar optional display format glyph.

This could be used instead of the misleading coercion dots when operations are performed on Timestamps as Seen Here 

[wiebe@CARYA]

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@JÞB wrote:

This could be used instead of the misleading coercion dots when operations are performed on Timestamps as Seen Here 

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I like (kudo'd) the idea, but I don't see the relation to those coercion dots.

[rolfk]

There is NO relation to the coercion dots.

As far as the glyph goes, a simple U (for UTC) and L (for Local time) would be already enough.

[JÞB]

No, I was mistaken about the coercion dots disappearing when UTC display was used.

However this picture shows a potential visual indication that would clarify the shown code

 

Certainly, a better graphic artist could have at it! but without some display indication the 4 hour difference is obfuscated.  Yes, my PC is in EDT.  But I like those glyphs for Local (Clock) and UTC (Global) 

Glyphs leave a bit of room for anticipated expansion.  Soon (hopefully) Someone will suggest that UTC would be better renamed to Terran Time Coordinated (TTC) and a nice reddish glyph could represent MTC (Martian Time Coordinated) to account for the extra 37minutes per solar day there!  We might have to rescope LabVIEW Globals!

[wiebe@CARYA]

How to deal with timestamps that display both UTC and Local time?

Simply show both indication?

Also, should doubles get this indication if they're formatted for time?

[JÞB]

How to deal with timestamps that display both UTC and Local time?

Simply show both indication?

Also, should doubles get this indication if they're formatted for time?

The existing indications for integers, floats and strings force display format changes. 

Try formating an I32 display as

"%d

%x

%p"

The radix display can no longer be shown.

Try "Show Radix" on a float formated with a time container.  The current implementation FAILS TO SHOW ANYTHING, ALTHOUGH THE CHECKBOX CAN BE SELECTED! So there are simply missing options for the display format selections for floats as currently implemented.  And while fixing that oversight, NI could add sexagesimal notation too! You remember, degrees, minutes, seconds ... they only predate decimal notation by 5Kyears.

I would expect that similar rules would apply for Time supporting single display format only and allowing change to display format from the indication selector.

[ChrisStrykesAgain]

What's wrong with the just using ISO8601 style for the display? Very clear and no glyph needed...

"2007-04-05T14:30Z" for UTC or  "2007-04-05T12:30−02:00" for UTC -2 for example.

Edit to add link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_8601

[JÞB]

Gosh Christopher, absolutely nothing wrong with that except LabVIEW defaults to system time format %<...>T. Or UTC %^<...>T and doesn't have a %|ISO8601|<...>T container. That would be a different idea 💡and you can't use Thursday since it breaks the lexical requirement in 8601

[ChrisStrykesAgain]

I see your point. Didn't intend to threadjack.