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* Libc: (libc).                 C library.
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   This file documents the GNU C library.

   This is Edition 0.10, last updated 2001-07-06, of `The GNU C Library
Reference Manual', for Version 2.2.x.

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File: libc.info,  Node: Formatting Calendar Time,  Next: Parsing Date and Time,  Prev: High Accuracy Clock,  Up: Calendar Time

Formatting Calendar Time
------------------------

   The functions described in this section format calendar time values
as strings.  These functions are declared in the header file `time.h'.

 - Function: char * asctime (const struct tm *BROKENTIME)
     The `asctime' function converts the broken-down time value that
     BROKENTIME points to into a string in a standard format:

          "Tue May 21 13:46:22 1991\n"

     The abbreviations for the days of week are: `Sun', `Mon', `Tue',
     `Wed', `Thu', `Fri', and `Sat'.

     The abbreviations for the months are: `Jan', `Feb', `Mar', `Apr',
     `May', `Jun', `Jul', `Aug', `Sep', `Oct', `Nov', and `Dec'.

     The return value points to a statically allocated string, which
     might be overwritten by subsequent calls to `asctime' or `ctime'.
     (But no other library function overwrites the contents of this
     string.)

 - Function: char * asctime_r (const struct tm *BROKENTIME, char
          *BUFFER)
     This function is similar to `asctime' but instead of placing the
     result in a static buffer it writes the string in the buffer
     pointed to by the parameter BUFFER.  This buffer should have room
     for at least 26 bytes, including the terminating null.

     If no error occurred the function returns a pointer to the string
     the result was written into, i.e., it returns BUFFER.  Otherwise
     return `NULL'.

 - Function: char * ctime (const time_t *TIME)
     The `ctime' function is similar to `asctime', except that you
     specify the calendar time argument as a `time_t' simple time value
     rather than in broken-down local time format.  It is equivalent to

          asctime (localtime (TIME))

     `ctime' sets the variable `tzname', because `localtime' does so.
     *Note Time Zone Functions::.

 - Function: char * ctime_r (const time_t *TIME, char *BUFFER)
     This function is similar to `ctime', but places the result in the
     string pointed to by BUFFER.  It is equivalent to (written using
     gcc extensions, *note Statement Exprs: (gcc)Statement Exprs.):

          ({ struct tm tm; asctime_r (localtime_r (time, &tm), buf); })

     If no error occurred the function returns a pointer to the string
     the result was written into, i.e., it returns BUFFER.  Otherwise
     return `NULL'.

 - Function: size_t strftime (char *S, size_t SIZE, const char
          *TEMPLATE, const struct tm *BROKENTIME)
     This function is similar to the `sprintf' function (*note
     Formatted Input::), but the conversion specifications that can
     appear in the format template TEMPLATE are specialized for
     printing components of the date and time BROKENTIME according to
     the locale currently specified for time conversion (*note
     Locales::).

     Ordinary characters appearing in the TEMPLATE are copied to the
     output string S; this can include multibyte character sequences.
     Conversion specifiers are introduced by a `%' character, followed
     by an optional flag which can be one of the following.  These flags
     are all GNU extensions. The first three affect only the output of
     numbers:

    `_'
          The number is padded with spaces.

    `-'
          The number is not padded at all.

    `0'
          The number is padded with zeros even if the format specifies
          padding with spaces.

    `^'
          The output uses uppercase characters, but only if this is
          possible (*note Case Conversion::).

     The default action is to pad the number with zeros to keep it a
     constant width.  Numbers that do not have a range indicated below
     are never padded, since there is no natural width for them.

     Following the flag an optional specification of the width is
     possible.  This is specified in decimal notation.  If the natural
     size of the output is of the field has less than the specified
     number of characters, the result is written right adjusted and
     space padded to the given size.

     An optional modifier can follow the optional flag and width
     specification.  The modifiers, which are POSIX.2 extensions, are:

    `E'
          Use the locale's alternate representation for date and time.
          This modifier applies to the `%c', `%C', `%x', `%X', `%y' and
          `%Y' format specifiers.  In a Japanese locale, for example,
          `%Ex' might yield a date format based on the Japanese
          Emperors' reigns.

    `O'
          Use the locale's alternate numeric symbols for numbers.  This
          modifier applies only to numeric format specifiers.

     If the format supports the modifier but no alternate representation
     is available, it is ignored.

     The conversion specifier ends with a format specifier taken from
     the following list.  The whole `%' sequence is replaced in the
     output string as follows:

    `%a'
          The abbreviated weekday name according to the current locale.

    `%A'
          The full weekday name according to the current locale.

    `%b'
          The abbreviated month name according to the current locale.

    `%B'
          The full month name according to the current locale.

    `%c'
          The preferred calendar time representation for the current
          locale.

    `%C'
          The century of the year.  This is equivalent to the greatest
          integer not greater than the year divided by 100.

          This format is a POSIX.2 extension and also appears in
          ISO C99.

    `%d'
          The day of the month as a decimal number (range `01' through
          `31').

    `%D'
          The date using the format `%m/%d/%y'.

          This format is a POSIX.2 extension and also appears in
          ISO C99.

    `%e'
          The day of the month like with `%d', but padded with blank
          (range ` 1' through `31').

          This format is a POSIX.2 extension and also appears in
          ISO C99.

    `%F'
          The date using the format `%Y-%m-%d'.  This is the form
          specified in the ISO 8601 standard and is the preferred form
          for all uses.

          This format is a ISO C99 extension.

    `%g'
          The year corresponding to the ISO week number, but without
          the century (range `00' through `99').  This has the same
          format and value as `%y', except that if the ISO week number
          (see `%V') belongs to the previous or next year, that year is
          used instead.

          This format was introduced in ISO C99.

    `%G'
          The year corresponding to the ISO week number.  This has the
          same format and value as `%Y', except that if the ISO week
          number (see `%V') belongs to the previous or next year, that
          year is used instead.

          This format was introduced in ISO C99 but was previously
          available as a GNU extension.

    `%h'
          The abbreviated month name according to the current locale.
          The action is the same as for `%b'.

          This format is a POSIX.2 extension and also appears in
          ISO C99.

    `%H'
          The hour as a decimal number, using a 24-hour clock (range
          `00' through `23').

    `%I'
          The hour as a decimal number, using a 12-hour clock (range
          `01' through `12').

    `%j'
          The day of the year as a decimal number (range `001' through
          `366').

    `%k'
          The hour as a decimal number, using a 24-hour clock like
          `%H', but padded with blank (range ` 0' through `23').

          This format is a GNU extension.

    `%l'
          The hour as a decimal number, using a 12-hour clock like
          `%I', but padded with blank (range ` 1' through `12').

          This format is a GNU extension.

    `%m'
          The month as a decimal number (range `01' through `12').

    `%M'
          The minute as a decimal number (range `00' through `59').

    `%n'
          A single `\n' (newline) character.

          This format is a POSIX.2 extension and also appears in
          ISO C99.

    `%p'
          Either `AM' or `PM', according to the given time value; or the
          corresponding strings for the current locale.  Noon is
          treated as `PM' and midnight as `AM'.

    `%P'
          Either `am' or `pm', according to the given time value; or the
          corresponding strings for the current locale, printed in
          lowercase characters.  Noon is treated as `pm' and midnight
          as `am'.

          This format was introduced in ISO C99 but was previously
          available as a GNU extension.

    `%r'
          The complete calendar time using the AM/PM format of the
          current locale.

          This format is a POSIX.2 extension and also appears in
          ISO C99.

    `%R'
          The hour and minute in decimal numbers using the format
          `%H:%M'.

          This format was introduced in ISO C99 but was previously
          available as a GNU extension.

    `%s'
          The number of seconds since the epoch, i.e., since 1970-01-01
          00:00:00 UTC.  Leap seconds are not counted unless leap
          second support is available.

          This format is a GNU extension.

    `%S'
          The seconds as a decimal number (range `00' through `60').

    `%t'
          A single `\t' (tabulator) character.

          This format is a POSIX.2 extension and also appears in
          ISO C99.

    `%T'
          The time of day using decimal numbers using the format
          `%H:%M:%S'.

          This format is a POSIX.2 extension.

    `%u'
          The day of the week as a decimal number (range `1' through
          `7'), Monday being `1'.

          This format is a POSIX.2 extension and also appears in
          ISO C99.

    `%U'
          The week number of the current year as a decimal number
          (range `00' through `53'), starting with the first Sunday as
          the first day of the first week.  Days preceding the first
          Sunday in the year are considered to be in week `00'.

    `%V'
          The ISO 8601:1988 week number as a decimal number (range `01'
          through `53').  ISO weeks start with Monday and end with
          Sunday.  Week `01' of a year is the first week which has the
          majority of its days in that year; this is equivalent to the
          week containing the year's first Thursday, and it is also
          equivalent to the week containing January 4.  Week `01' of a
          year can contain days from the previous year.  The week
          before week `01' of a year is the last week (`52' or `53') of
          the previous year even if it contains days from the new year.

          This format is a POSIX.2 extension and also appears in
          ISO C99.

    `%w'
          The day of the week as a decimal number (range `0' through
          `6'), Sunday being `0'.

    `%W'
          The week number of the current year as a decimal number
          (range `00' through `53'), starting with the first Monday as
          the first day of the first week.  All days preceding the
          first Monday in the year are considered to be in week `00'.

    `%x'
          The preferred date representation for the current locale.

    `%X'
          The preferred time of day representation for the current
          locale.

    `%y'
          The year without a century as a decimal number (range `00'
          through `99').  This is equivalent to the year modulo 100.

    `%Y'
          The year as a decimal number, using the Gregorian calendar.
          Years before the year `1' are numbered `0', `-1', and so on.

    `%z'
          RFC 822/ISO 8601:1988 style numeric time zone (e.g., `-0600'
          or `+0100'), or nothing if no time zone is determinable.

          This format was introduced in ISO C99 but was previously
          available as a GNU extension.

          A full RFC 822 timestamp is generated by the format
          `"%a, %d %b %Y %H:%M:%S %z"' (or the equivalent
          `"%a, %d %b %Y %T %z"').

    `%Z'
          The time zone abbreviation (empty if the time zone can't be
          determined).

    `%%'
          A literal `%' character.

     The SIZE parameter can be used to specify the maximum number of
     characters to be stored in the array S, including the terminating
     null character.  If the formatted time requires more than SIZE
     characters, `strftime' returns zero and the contents of the array
     S are undefined.  Otherwise the return value indicates the number
     of characters placed in the array S, not including the terminating
     null character.

     _Warning:_ This convention for the return value which is prescribed
     in ISO C can lead to problems in some situations.  For certain
     format strings and certain locales the output really can be the
     empty string and this cannot be discovered by testing the return
     value only.  E.g., in most locales the AM/PM time format is not
     supported (most of the world uses the 24 hour time
     representation).  In such locales `"%p"' will return the empty
     string, i.e., the return value is zero.  To detect situations like
     this something similar to the following code should be used:

          buf[0] = '\1';
          len = strftime (buf, bufsize, format, tp);
          if (len == 0 && buf[0] != '\0')
            {
              /* Something went wrong in the strftime call.  */
              ...
            }

     If S is a null pointer, `strftime' does not actually write
     anything, but instead returns the number of characters it would
     have written.

     According to POSIX.1 every call to `strftime' implies a call to
     `tzset'.  So the contents of the environment variable `TZ' is
     examined before any output is produced.

     For an example of `strftime', see *Note Time Functions Example::.

 - Function: size_t wcsftime (wchar_t *S, size_t SIZE, const wchar_t
          *TEMPLATE, const struct tm *BROKENTIME)
     The `wcsftime' function is equivalent to the `strftime' function
     with the difference that it operates on wide character strings.
     The buffer where the result is stored, pointed to by S, must be an
     array of wide characters.  The parameter SIZE which specifies the
     size of the output buffer gives the number of wide character, not
     the number of bytes.

     Also the format string TEMPLATE is a wide character string.  Since
     all characters needed to specify the format string are in the basic
     character set it is portably possible to write format strings in
     the C source code using the `L"..."' notation.  The parameter
     BROKENTIME has the same meaning as in the `strftime' call.

     The `wcsftime' function supports the same flags, modifiers, and
     format specifiers as the `strftime' function.

     The return value of `wcsftime' is the number of wide characters
     stored in `s'.  When more characters would have to be written than
     can be placed in the buffer S the return value is zero, with the
     same problems indicated in the `strftime' documentation.


File: libc.info,  Node: Parsing Date and Time,  Next: TZ Variable,  Prev: Formatting Calendar Time,  Up: Calendar Time

Convert textual time and date information back
----------------------------------------------

   The ISO C standard does not specify any functions which can convert
the output of the `strftime' function back into a binary format.  This
led to a variety of more-or-less successful implementations with
different interfaces over the years.  Then the Unix standard was
extended by the addition of two functions: `strptime' and `getdate'.
Both have strange interfaces but at least they are widely available.

* Menu:

* Low-Level Time String Parsing::  Interpret string according to given format.
* General Time String Parsing::    User-friendly function to parse data and
                                    time strings.


File: libc.info,  Node: Low-Level Time String Parsing,  Next: General Time String Parsing,  Up: Parsing Date and Time

Interpret string according to given format
..........................................

   he first function is rather low-level.  It is nevertheless frequently
used in software since it is better known.  Its interface and
implementation are heavily influenced by the `getdate' function, which
is defined and implemented in terms of calls to `strptime'.

 - Function: char * strptime (const char *S, const char *FMT, struct tm
          *TP)
     The `strptime' function parses the input string S according to the
     format string FMT and stores its results in the structure TP.

     The input string could be generated by a `strftime' call or
     obtained any other way.  It does not need to be in a
     human-recognizable format; e.g. a date passed as `"02:1999:9"' is
     acceptable, even though it is ambiguous without context.  As long
     as the format string FMT matches the input string the function
     will succeed.

     The user has to make sure, though, that the input can be parsed in
     a unambiguous way.  The string `"1999112"' can be parsed using the
     format `"%Y%m%d"' as 1999-1-12, 1999-11-2, or even 19991-1-2.  It
     is necessary to add appropriate separators to reliably get results.

     The format string consists of the same components as the format
     string of the `strftime' function.  The only difference is that
     the flags `_', `-', `0', and `^' are not allowed.  Several of the
     distinct formats of `strftime' do the same work in `strptime'
     since differences like case of the input do not matter.  For
     reasons of symmetry all formats are supported, though.

     The modifiers `E' and `O' are also allowed everywhere the
     `strftime' function allows them.

     The formats are:

    `%a'
    `%A'
          The weekday name according to the current locale, in
          abbreviated form or the full name.

    `%b'
    `%B'
    `%h'
          The month name according to the current locale, in
          abbreviated form or the full name.

    `%c'
          The date and time representation for the current locale.

    `%Ec'
          Like `%c' but the locale's alternative date and time format
          is used.

    `%C'
          The century of the year.

          It makes sense to use this format only if the format string
          also contains the `%y' format.

    `%EC'
          The locale's representation of the period.

          Unlike `%C' it sometimes makes sense to use this format since
          some cultures represent years relative to the beginning of
          eras instead of using the Gregorian years.

    `%d'

    `%e'
          The day of the month as a decimal number (range `1' through
          `31').  Leading zeroes are permitted but not required.

    `%Od'
    `%Oe'
          Same as `%d' but using the locale's alternative numeric
          symbols.

          Leading zeroes are permitted but not required.

    `%D'
          Equivalent to `%m/%d/%y'.

    `%F'
          Equivalent to `%Y-%m-%d', which is the ISO 8601 date format.

          This is a GNU extension following an ISO C99 extension to
          `strftime'.

    `%g'
          The year corresponding to the ISO week number, but without
          the century (range `00' through `99').

          _Note:_ Currently, this is not fully implemented.  The format
          is recognized, input is consumed but no field in TM is set.

          This format is a GNU extension following a GNU extension of
          `strftime'.

    `%G'
          The year corresponding to the ISO week number.

          _Note:_ Currently, this is not fully implemented.  The format
          is recognized, input is consumed but no field in TM is set.

          This format is a GNU extension following a GNU extension of
          `strftime'.

    `%H'
    `%k'
          The hour as a decimal number, using a 24-hour clock (range
          `00' through `23').

          `%k' is a GNU extension following a GNU extension of
          `strftime'.

    `%OH'
          Same as `%H' but using the locale's alternative numeric
          symbols.

    `%I'
    `%l'
          The hour as a decimal number, using a 12-hour clock (range
          `01' through `12').

          `%l' is a GNU extension following a GNU extension of
          `strftime'.

    `%OI'
          Same as `%I' but using the locale's alternative numeric
          symbols.

    `%j'
          The day of the year as a decimal number (range `1' through
          `366').

          Leading zeroes are permitted but not required.

    `%m'
          The month as a decimal number (range `1' through `12').

          Leading zeroes are permitted but not required.

    `%Om'
          Same as `%m' but using the locale's alternative numeric
          symbols.

    `%M'
          The minute as a decimal number (range `0' through `59').

          Leading zeroes are permitted but not required.

    `%OM'
          Same as `%M' but using the locale's alternative numeric
          symbols.

    `%n'
    `%t'
          Matches any white space.

    `%p'

    `%P'
          The locale-dependent equivalent to `AM' or `PM'.

          This format is not useful unless `%I' or `%l' is also used.
          Another complication is that the locale might not define
          these values at all and therefore the conversion fails.

          `%P' is a GNU extension following a GNU extension to
          `strftime'.

    `%r'
          The complete time using the AM/PM format of the current
          locale.

          A complication is that the locale might not define this
          format at all and therefore the conversion fails.

    `%R'
          The hour and minute in decimal numbers using the format
          `%H:%M'.

          `%R' is a GNU extension following a GNU extension to
          `strftime'.

    `%s'
          The number of seconds since the epoch, i.e., since 1970-01-01
          00:00:00 UTC.  Leap seconds are not counted unless leap
          second support is available.

          `%s' is a GNU extension following a GNU extension to
          `strftime'.

    `%S'
          The seconds as a decimal number (range `0' through `60').

          Leading zeroes are permitted but not required.

          *Note:* The Unix specification says the upper bound on this
          value is `61', a result of a decision to allow double leap
          seconds.  You will not see the value `61' because no minute
          has more than one leap second, but the myth persists.

    `%OS'
          Same as `%S' but using the locale's alternative numeric
          symbols.

    `%T'
          Equivalent to the use of `%H:%M:%S' in this place.

    `%u'
          The day of the week as a decimal number (range `1' through
          `7'), Monday being `1'.

          Leading zeroes are permitted but not required.

          _Note:_ Currently, this is not fully implemented.  The format
          is recognized, input is consumed but no field in TM is set.

    `%U'
          The week number of the current year as a decimal number
          (range `0' through `53').

          Leading zeroes are permitted but not required.

    `%OU'
          Same as `%U' but using the locale's alternative numeric
          symbols.

    `%V'
          The ISO 8601:1988 week number as a decimal number (range `1'
          through `53').

          Leading zeroes are permitted but not required.

          _Note:_ Currently, this is not fully implemented.  The format
          is recognized, input is consumed but no field in TM is set.

    `%w'
          The day of the week as a decimal number (range `0' through
          `6'), Sunday being `0'.

          Leading zeroes are permitted but not required.

          _Note:_ Currently, this is not fully implemented.  The format
          is recognized, input is consumed but no field in TM is set.

    `%Ow'
          Same as `%w' but using the locale's alternative numeric
          symbols.

    `%W'
          The week number of the current year as a decimal number
          (range `0' through `53').

          Leading zeroes are permitted but not required.

          _Note:_ Currently, this is not fully implemented.  The format
          is recognized, input is consumed but no field in TM is set.

    `%OW'
          Same as `%W' but using the locale's alternative numeric
          symbols.

    `%x'
          The date using the locale's date format.

    `%Ex'
          Like `%x' but the locale's alternative data representation is
          used.

    `%X'
          The time using the locale's time format.

    `%EX'
          Like `%X' but the locale's alternative time representation is
          used.

    `%y'
          The year without a century as a decimal number (range `0'
          through `99').

          Leading zeroes are permitted but not required.

          Note that it is questionable to use this format without the
          `%C' format.  The `strptime' function does regard input
          values in the range 68 to 99 as the years 1969 to 1999 and
          the values 0 to 68 as the years 2000 to 2068.  But maybe this
          heuristic fails for some input data.

          Therefore it is best to avoid `%y' completely and use `%Y'
          instead.

    `%Ey'
          The offset from `%EC' in the locale's alternative
          representation.

    `%Oy'
          The offset of the year (from `%C') using the locale's
          alternative numeric symbols.

    `%Y'
          The year as a decimal number, using the Gregorian calendar.

    `%EY'
          The full alternative year representation.

    `%z'
          The offset from GMT in ISO 8601/RFC822 format.

    `%Z'
          The timezone name.

          _Note:_ Currently, this is not fully implemented.  The format
          is recognized, input is consumed but no field in TM is set.

    `%%'
          A literal `%' character.

     All other characters in the format string must have a matching
     character in the input string.  Exceptions are white spaces in the
     input string which can match zero or more white space characters
     in the format string.

     The `strptime' function processes the input string from right to
     left.  Each of the three possible input elements (white space,
     literal, or format) are handled one after the other.  If the input
     cannot be matched to the format string the function stops.  The
     remainder of the format and input strings are not processed.

     The function returns a pointer to the first character it was
     unable to process.  If the input string contains more characters
     than required by the format string the return value points right
     after the last consumed input character.  If the whole input
     string is consumed the return value points to the `NULL' byte at
     the end of the string.  If an error occurs, i.e. `strptime' fails
     to match all of the format string, the function returns `NULL'.

   The specification of the function in the XPG standard is rather
vague, leaving out a few important pieces of information.  Most
importantly, it does not specify what happens to those elements of TM
which are not directly initialized by the different formats.  The
implementations on different Unix systems vary here.

   The GNU libc implementation does not touch those fields which are not
directly initialized.  Exceptions are the `tm_wday' and `tm_yday'
elements, which are recomputed if any of the year, month, or date
elements changed.  This has two implications:

   * Before calling the `strptime' function for a new input string, you
     should prepare the TM structure you pass.  Normally this will mean
     initializing all values are to zero.  Alternatively, you can set
     all fields to values like `INT_MAX', allowing you to determine
     which elements were set by the function call.  Zero does not work
     here since it is a valid value for many of the fields.

     Careful initialization is necessary if you want to find out
     whether a certain field in TM was initialized by the function call.

   * You can construct a `struct tm' value with several consecutive
     `strptime' calls.  A useful application of this is e.g. the parsing
     of two separate strings, one containing date information and the
     other time information.  By parsing one after the other without
     clearing the structure in-between, you can construct a complete
     broken-down time.

   The following example shows a function which parses a string which is
contains the date information in either US style or ISO 8601 form:

     const char *
     parse_date (const char *input, struct tm *tm)
     {
       const char *cp;
     
       /* First clear the result structure.  */
       memset (tm, '\0', sizeof (*tm));
     
       /* Try the ISO format first.  */
       cp = strptime (input, "%F", tm);
       if (cp == NULL)
         {
           /* Does not match.  Try the US form.  */
           cp = strptime (input, "%D", tm);
         }
     
       return cp;
     }


File: libc.info,  Node: General Time String Parsing,  Prev: Low-Level Time String Parsing,  Up: Parsing Date and Time

A More User-friendly Way to Parse Times and Dates
.................................................

   The Unix standard defines another function for parsing date strings.
The interface is weird, but if the function happens to suit your
application it is just fine.  It is problematic to use this function in
multi-threaded programs or libraries, since it returns a pointer to a
static variable, and uses a global variable and global state (an
environment variable).

 - Variable: getdate_err
     This variable of type `int' contains the error code of the last
     unsuccessful call to `getdate'.  Defined values are:

    1
          The environment variable `DATEMSK' is not defined or null.

    2
          The template file denoted by the `DATEMSK' environment
          variable cannot be opened.

    3
          Information about the template file cannot retrieved.

    4
          The template file is not a regular file.

    5
          An I/O error occurred while reading the template file.

    6
          Not enough memory available to execute the function.

    7
          The template file contains no matching template.

    8
          The input date is invalid, but would match a template
          otherwise.  This includes dates like February 31st, and dates
          which cannot be represented in a `time_t' variable.

 - Function: struct tm * getdate (const char *STRING)
     The interface to `getdate' is the simplest possible for a function
     to parse a string and return the value.  STRING is the input
     string and the result is returned in a statically-allocated
     variable.

     The details about how the string is processed are hidden from the
     user.  In fact, they can be outside the control of the program.
     Which formats are recognized is controlled by the file named by
     the environment variable `DATEMSK'.  This file should contain
     lines of valid format strings which could be passed to `strptime'.

     The `getdate' function reads these format strings one after the
     other and tries to match the input string.  The first line which
     completely matches the input string is used.

     Elements not initialized through the format string retain the
     values present at the time of the `getdate' function call.

     The formats recognized by `getdate' are the same as for
     `strptime'.  See above for an explanation.  There are only a few
     extensions to the `strptime' behavior:

        * If the `%Z' format is given the broken-down time is based on
          the current time of the timezone matched, not of the current
          timezone of the runtime environment.

          _Note_: This is not implemented (currently).  The problem is
          that timezone names are not unique.  If a fixed timezone is
          assumed for a given string (say `EST' meaning US East Coast
          time), then uses for countries other than the USA will fail.
          So far we have found no good solution to this.

        * If only the weekday is specified the selected day depends on
          the current date.  If the current weekday is greater or equal
          to the `tm_wday' value the current week's day is chosen,
          otherwise the day next week is chosen.

        * A similar heuristic is used when only the month is given and
          not the year.  If the month is greater than or equal to the
          current month, then the current year is used.  Otherwise it
          wraps to next year.  The first day of the month is assumed if
          one is not explicitly specified.

        * The current hour, minute, and second are used if the
          appropriate value is not set through the format.

        * If no date is given tomorrow's date is used if the time is
          smaller than the current time.  Otherwise today's date is
          taken.

     It should be noted that the format in the template file need not
     only contain format elements.  The following is a list of possible
     format strings (taken from the Unix standard):

          %m
          %A %B %d, %Y %H:%M:%S
          %A
          %B
          %m/%d/%y %I %p
          %d,%m,%Y %H:%M
          at %A the %dst of %B in %Y
          run job at %I %p,%B %dnd
          %A den %d. %B %Y %H.%M Uhr

     As you can see, the template list can contain very specific
     strings like `run job at %I %p,%B %dnd'.  Using the above list of
     templates and assuming the current time is Mon Sep 22 12:19:47 EDT
     1986 we can obtain the following results for the given input.

     Input          Match        Result
     Mon            %a           Mon Sep 22 12:19:47 EDT 1986
     Sun            %a           Sun Sep 28 12:19:47 EDT 1986
     Fri            %a           Fri Sep 26 12:19:47 EDT 1986
     September      %B           Mon Sep 1 12:19:47 EDT 1986
     January        %B           Thu Jan 1 12:19:47 EST 1987
     December       %B           Mon Dec 1 12:19:47 EST 1986
     Sep Mon        %b %a        Mon Sep 1 12:19:47 EDT 1986
     Jan Fri        %b %a        Fri Jan 2 12:19:47 EST 1987
     Dec Mon        %b %a        Mon Dec 1 12:19:47 EST 1986
     Jan Wed 1989   %b %a %Y     Wed Jan 4 12:19:47 EST 1989
     Fri 9          %a %H        Fri Sep 26 09:00:00 EDT 1986
     Feb 10:30      %b %H:%S     Sun Feb 1 10:00:30 EST 1987
     10:30          %H:%M        Tue Sep 23 10:30:00 EDT 1986
     13:30          %H:%M        Mon Sep 22 13:30:00 EDT 1986

     The return value of the function is a pointer to a static variable
     of type `struct tm', or a null pointer if an error occurred.  The
     result is only valid until the next `getdate' call, making this
     function unusable in multi-threaded applications.

     The `errno' variable is _not_ changed.  Error conditions are
     stored in the global variable `getdate_err'.  See the description
     above for a list of the possible error values.

     _Warning:_ The `getdate' function should _never_ be used in
     SUID-programs.  The reason is obvious: using the `DATEMSK'
     environment variable you can get the function to open any
     arbitrary file and chances are high that with some bogus input
     (such as a binary file) the program will crash.

 - Function: int getdate_r (const char *STRING, struct tm *TP)
     The `getdate_r' function is the reentrant counterpart of
     `getdate'.  It does not use the global variable `getdate_err' to
     signal an error, but instead returns an error code.  The same error
     codes as described in the `getdate_err' documentation above are
     used, with 0 meaning success.

     Moreover, `getdate_r' stores the broken-down time in the variable
     of type `struct tm' pointed to by the second argument, rather than
     in a static variable.

     This function is not defined in the Unix standard.  Nevertheless
     it is available on some other Unix systems as well.

     The warning against using `getdate' in SUID-programs applies to
     `getdate_r' as well.


File: libc.info,  Node: TZ Variable,  Next: Time Zone Functions,  Prev: Parsing Date and Time,  Up: Calendar Time

Specifying the Time Zone with `TZ'
----------------------------------

   In POSIX systems, a user can specify the time zone by means of the
`TZ' environment variable.  For information about how to set
environment variables, see *Note Environment Variables::.  The functions
for accessing the time zone are declared in `time.h'.

   You should not normally need to set `TZ'.  If the system is
configured properly, the default time zone will be correct.  You might
set `TZ' if you are using a computer over a network from a different
time zone, and would like times reported to you in the time zone local
to you, rather than what is local to the computer.

   In POSIX.1 systems the value of the `TZ' variable can be in one of
three formats.  With the GNU C library, the most common format is the
last one, which can specify a selection from a large database of time
zone information for many regions of the world.  The first two formats
are used to describe the time zone information directly, which is both
more cumbersome and less precise.  But the POSIX.1 standard only
specifies the details of the first two formats, so it is good to be
familiar with them in case you come across a POSIX.1 system that doesn't
support a time zone information database.

   The first format is used when there is no Daylight Saving Time (or
summer time) in the local time zone:

     STD OFFSET

   The STD string specifies the name of the time zone.  It must be
three or more characters long and must not contain a leading colon,
embedded digits, commas, nor plus and minus signs.  There is no space
character separating the time zone name from the OFFSET, so these
restrictions are necessary to parse the specification correctly.

   The OFFSET specifies the time value you must add to the local time
to get a Coordinated Universal Time value.  It has syntax like
[`+'|`-']HH[`:'MM[`:'SS]].  This is positive if the local time zone is
west of the Prime Meridian and negative if it is east.  The hour must
be between `0' and `23', and the minute and seconds between `0' and
`59'.

   For example, here is how we would specify Eastern Standard Time, but
without any Daylight Saving Time alternative:

     EST+5

   The second format is used when there is Daylight Saving Time:

     STD OFFSET DST [OFFSET]`,'START[`/'TIME]`,'END[`/'TIME]

   The initial STD and OFFSET specify the standard time zone, as
described above.  The DST string and OFFSET specify the name and offset
for the corresponding Daylight Saving Time zone; if the OFFSET is
omitted, it defaults to one hour ahead of standard time.

   The remainder of the specification describes when Daylight Saving
Time is in effect.  The START field is when Daylight Saving Time goes
into effect and the END field is when the change is made back to
standard time.  The following formats are recognized for these fields:

`JN'
     This specifies the Julian day, with N between `1' and `365'.
     February 29 is never counted, even in leap years.

`N'
     This specifies the Julian day, with N between `0' and `365'.
     February 29 is counted in leap years.

`MM.W.D'
     This specifies day D of week W of month M.  The day D must be
     between `0' (Sunday) and `6'.  The week W must be between `1' and
     `5'; week `1' is the first week in which day D occurs, and week
     `5' specifies the _last_ D day in the month.  The month M should be
     between `1' and `12'.

   The TIME fields specify when, in the local time currently in effect,
the change to the other time occurs.  If omitted, the default is
`02:00:00'.

   For example, here is how you would specify the Eastern time zone in
the United States, including the appropriate Daylight Saving Time and
its dates of applicability.  The normal offset from UTC is 5 hours;
since this is west of the prime meridian, the sign is positive.  Summer
time begins on the first Sunday in April at 2:00am, and ends on the
last Sunday in October at 2:00am.

     EST+5EDT,M4.1.0/2,M10.5.0/2

   The schedule of Daylight Saving Time in any particular jurisdiction
has changed over the years.  To be strictly correct, the conversion of
dates and times in the past should be based on the schedule that was in
effect then.  However, this format has no facilities to let you specify
how the schedule has changed from year to year.  The most you can do is
specify one particular schedule--usually the present day schedule--and
this is used to convert any date, no matter when.  For precise time zone
specifications, it is best to use the time zone information database
(see below).

   The third format looks like this:

     :CHARACTERS

   Each operating system interprets this format differently; in the GNU
C library, CHARACTERS is the name of a file which describes the time
zone.

   If the `TZ' environment variable does not have a value, the
operation chooses a time zone by default.  In the GNU C library, the
default time zone is like the specification `TZ=:/etc/localtime' (or
`TZ=:/usr/local/etc/localtime', depending on how GNU C library was
configured; *note Installation::).  Other C libraries use their own
rule for choosing the default time zone, so there is little we can say
about them.

   If CHARACTERS begins with a slash, it is an absolute file name;
otherwise the library looks for the file
`/share/lib/zoneinfo/CHARACTERS'.  The `zoneinfo' directory contains
data files describing local time zones in many different parts of the
world.  The names represent major cities, with subdirectories for
geographical areas; for example, `America/New_York', `Europe/London',
`Asia/Hong_Kong'.  These data files are installed by the system
administrator, who also sets `/etc/localtime' to point to the data file
for the local time zone.  The GNU C library comes with a large database
of time zone information for most regions of the world, which is
maintained by a community of volunteers and put in the public domain.


File: libc.info,  Node: Time Zone Functions,  Next: Time Functions Example,  Prev: TZ Variable,  Up: Calendar Time

Functions and Variables for Time Zones
--------------------------------------

 - Variable: char * tzname [2]
     The array `tzname' contains two strings, which are the standard
     names of the pair of time zones (standard and Daylight Saving)
     that the user has selected.  `tzname[0]' is the name of the
     standard time zone (for example, `"EST"'), and `tzname[1]' is the
     name for the time zone when Daylight Saving Time is in use (for
     example, `"EDT"').  These correspond to the STD and DST strings
     (respectively) from the `TZ' environment variable.  If Daylight
     Saving Time is never used, `tzname[1]' is the empty string.

     The `tzname' array is initialized from the `TZ' environment
     variable whenever `tzset', `ctime', `strftime', `mktime', or
     `localtime' is called.  If multiple abbreviations have been used
     (e.g. `"EWT"' and `"EDT"' for U.S. Eastern War Time and Eastern
     Daylight Time), the array contains the most recent abbreviation.

     The `tzname' array is required for POSIX.1 compatibility, but in
     GNU programs it is better to use the `tm_zone' member of the
     broken-down time structure, since `tm_zone' reports the correct
     abbreviation even when it is not the latest one.

     Though the strings are declared as `char *' the user must refrain
     from modifying these strings.  Modifying the strings will almost
     certainly lead to trouble.


 - Function: void tzset (void)
     The `tzset' function initializes the `tzname' variable from the
     value of the `TZ' environment variable.  It is not usually
     necessary for your program to call this function, because it is
     called automatically when you use the other time conversion
     functions that depend on the time zone.

   The following variables are defined for compatibility with System V
Unix.  Like `tzname', these variables are set by calling `tzset' or the
other time conversion functions.

 - Variable: long int timezone
     This contains the difference between UTC and the latest local
     standard time, in seconds west of UTC.  For example, in the U.S.
     Eastern time zone, the value is `5*60*60'.  Unlike the `tm_gmtoff'
     member of the broken-down time structure, this value is not
     adjusted for daylight saving, and its sign is reversed.  In GNU
     programs it is better to use `tm_gmtoff', since it contains the
     correct offset even when it is not the latest one.

 - Variable: int daylight
     This variable has a nonzero value if Daylight Saving Time rules
     apply.  A nonzero value does not necessarily mean that Daylight
     Saving Time is now in effect; it means only that Daylight Saving
     Time is sometimes in effect.


File: libc.info,  Node: Time Functions Example,  Prev: Time Zone Functions,  Up: Calendar Time

Time Functions Example
----------------------

   Here is an example program showing the use of some of the calendar
time functions.

     #include <time.h>
     #include <stdio.h>
     
     #define SIZE 256
     
     int
     main (void)
     {
       char buffer[SIZE];
       time_t curtime;
       struct tm *loctime;
     
       /* Get the current time. */
       curtime = time (NULL);
     
       /* Convert it to local time representation. */
       loctime = localtime (&curtime);
     
       /* Print out the date and time in the standard format. */
       fputs (asctime (loctime), stdout);
     
       /* Print it out in a nice format. */
       strftime (buffer, SIZE, "Today is %A, %B %d.\n", loctime);
       fputs (buffer, stdout);
       strftime (buffer, SIZE, "The time is %I:%M %p.\n", loctime);
       fputs (buffer, stdout);
     
       return 0;
     }

   It produces output like this:

     Wed Jul 31 13:02:36 1991
     Today is Wednesday, July 31.
     The time is 01:02 PM.

