Amphibous SPL call

Is it supposed to do this? create function myfunc( DATE ) etc create function myfunc( DATETIME YEAR TO FRACTON(3) ) etc Call myfunc("31/05/2005") and I get a 9700 amphibous function. I didn't think there were implicit casts between these types but do forget things -- Paul Watson # Oninit Ltd # Growing old is mandatory Tel: +44 1436 672201 # Growing up is optional Fax: +44 1436 678693 # Mob: +44 7818 003457 # www.oninit.com #

Paul Watson wrote: > Is it supposed to do this? > > create function myfunc( DATE ) etc > create function myfunc( DATETIME YEAR TO FRACTON(3) ) etc> > Call myfunc("31/05/2005") > > and I get a 9700 amphibous function. I didn't think there were implicit > casts between these types but do forget things The trouble is that there's a cast from string to DATE and a cast from string to DATETIME - assuming the FRACTON is only a typo in the posting - and that the server has no basis on which to choose either as the preferred function, so it can't make its mind up whether to call the frog or the toad. (Err...is CALL supported?) So: CALL MYFUNC(DATE("31/05/2005")) will work in the UK but not the US (in general). CALL MYFUNC(EXTEND("31/05/2005", YEAR TO FRACTION(3))) will probably work - I haven't formally tested it. You probably can't use DATETIME("31/05/2005") YEAR TO FRACTION(3) because the data in the parentheses is not allowed to be anything very different from DATETIME(2005-05-31 00:00:00.000) YEAR TO FRACTION(3). Suggestion: don't take up C++ coding just yet - the ambiguities will get you into bigger trouble there. -- Jonathan Leffler #include <disclaimer.h> Email: jleffler@earthlink.net, jleffler@us.ibm.com Guardian of DBD::Informix v2005.01 -- http://dbi.perl.org/

Fixed by call myfunc("31/5/2005"::DATE) call myfunc("2005-05-31 12:00:00.000"::DATETIME YEAR TO FRACTION(3)) just forgot about the implicit casts - long day Jonathan Leffler wrote: > Paul Watson wrote: > >> Is it supposed to do this? >> >> create function myfunc( DATE ) etc >> create function myfunc( DATETIME YEAR TO FRACTON(3) ) etc>> >> Call myfunc("31/05/2005") >> >> and I get a 9700 amphibous function. I didn't think there were >> implicit casts between these types but do forget things > > > The trouble is that there's a cast from string to DATE and a cast from > string to DATETIME - assuming the FRACTON is only a typo in the posting > - and that the server has no basis on which to choose either as the > preferred function, so it can't make its mind up whether to call the > frog or the toad. (Err...is CALL supported?) > > So: > > CALL MYFUNC(DATE("31/05/2005")) will work in the UK but not the US (in > general). > > CALL MYFUNC(EXTEND("31/05/2005", YEAR TO FRACTION(3))) will probably > work - I haven't formally tested it. > > You probably can't use DATETIME("31/05/2005") YEAR TO FRACTION(3) > because the data in the parentheses is not allowed to be anything very > different from DATETIME(2005-05-31 00:00:00.000) YEAR TO FRACTION(3). > > Suggestion: don't take up C++ coding just yet - the ambiguities will get > you into bigger trouble there. > -- Paul Watson # Oninit Ltd # Growing old is mandatory Tel: +44 1436 672201 # Growing up is optional Fax: +44 1436 678693 # Mob: +44 7818 003457 # www.oninit.com #