Customizing Date and Time End-User Formats

The GLS locales define end-user formats for dates and times, which you do not usually need to change. However, you can customize end-user formats for DATE and DATETIME values (for example, 10-27-97 for the date 10/27/97) with the following environment variables.

A date or time end-user format string specifies a format for the manipulation of internal DATE or DATETIME values as a literal string.

The GL_DATE and GL_DATETIME environment variables support formatting directives that allow you to specify an end-user format. A formatting directive has the form %x (where x is one or more conversion characters).

Era-Based Date and Time Formats

The GL_DATE and GL_DATETIME environment variables provide support for alternative dates and times such as era-based (Asian) formats. These alternative formats support dates such as the Taiwanese Ming Guo year and the Japanese Imperial-era dates.

To specify era-based formats for DATE and DATETIME values, use the E conversion modifier, as follows:

• For either GL_DATE or GL_DATETIME, E can appear in several formatting directives.

  For a list of valid formatting conversions for eras, see Alternative Time Formats.

• For DBDATE, E can appear in the format specification.

Date and Time Precedence

IBM Informix products use the following precedence to determine the end-user format for an internal DATE value:

1. DBDATE
2. GL_DATE
3. Information defined in the client locale (if CLIENT_LOCALE is set)
4. Default date format is %m/%d/%iy (if DBDATE and GL_DATE are not set, and no locale is specified)

IBM Informix products use the following precedence to determine the end-user format for an internal DATETIME value:

1. DBDATE and DBTIME
2. GL_DATETIME
3. Information that the client locale defines (CLIENT_LOCALE, if it is set)
4. Default DATETIME format is %iY-%m-%d %H:%M:%S (if CLIENT_LOCALE, DBTIME and GL_DATETIME are not set)

For more information on these formatting directives, see GL_DATE and GL_DATETIME.