Promote Functions on Timing palatte

[JÞB]

The Timing palatte is looking bad with all thes gaps.  A simple fix would be to fill these holes with useful functions. I'm proposing 3 and attaching 2 from my re-use code. (I may re-create the third later)

Time to XL.vi (Attached): and its inverse, XL to Time.vi

12:00:00.0 AM Jan 0, 1900 is a pretty common epoch (Base Date) for external programs and converting from LabVIEW epoch shows up several times a year on the forums. and Time to excel has a few solutions to threads under its belt.   Moreover for analisys against external data from other enviornments you are often using Access, Excel, Lotus... All share the same epoch (and Leap year bug) in their date/time formats.  These vi.s have been pretty useful to me although the names may change to avoid (tm) infringements

Time to Time of Day.vi (Attached) has also been in my arsenal and proves both valuable and get on a few threads per year on the forum.

The gaps in the palatte make it a perfect fit

[JÞB]

Its Probably time to update the thread.  First, I doubt that the epoch conversion functions can be made "Bullet proof."   If for no other reason than the Excel format provides for a file configurable epoch option and that Excel, (like all spreadsheets) has an epoch based on local time.  (This keeps Noon on Tuesday Noon on Tuesday when you send your spreadsheed from Paris to Seattle).  Labview timestamps are not quite the same.  In fact the timestamp constants on the block diagrams of the vis have a tendancy to travel poorly.  I learned something after building an app in Central Timezone (US and Canada) and shipping it to New Jersey.  The same app would not deploy to multipe locations without some rather complex structures to compensate for target timezone and, since that zone information is buried deep in the OS and SUBJECT TO CHANGE by civil legislation....  The idea is great but implementation may not be possible in a manner other than "good enough for 95%".  NI should not be writing functions with limits like this although, the functions may be of use to you.  Feel free to download them and use them -  do edit the Timestamp constants as necessary to get appropriate results for your local settings.

Time to Time of Day Is fairly bullet proof but a rather simple vi that is easilly replicated and has limited use.  In fact since I created it (for a forum thread I replied to) I have used it exactly twice in five years.  Once was on my CLD exam and, I had to recreate the code for that.  Knowing such a conversion was possible saved me from implementing a "Suggestion" for a poor workaround on the exam that has since been retired.  It took longer to document why I ingored the suggestion than it took to build the code.  The exam's origin predated the timestamp's introduction to LabVIEW.

Summary:  It may be time to update the status of this Idea to "Declined"

[muks]

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Summary: It may be time to update the status of this Idea to "Declined"

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And give us our kudos back!!!

[JÞB]

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And give us our kudos back!!!

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That is up to the individual kudoser to act on-  You may "Optionally" Revoke your own kudos. to this outstanding idea

[muks]

I still like the idea

[Darren]

Declined for reasons listed here: http://forums.ni.com/t5/LabVIEW-Idea-Exchange/Promote-Functions-on-Timing-palatte/idc-p/2880054#M280...