Investment Studio > Expressions > Functions > Date & Time > DATEVALUE

date datevalue(string argument)

Returns the date (a float interpreted as a calendar date, sometimes also referred to as a "serial number") specified by the argument string.

The string must contain two or three numbers, separated by the system-defined date separator character. The order of month, day, and year is determined by the system-defined short date format; possible combinations are m/d/y, d/m/y, and y/m/d (see the Regional Settings applet in the Windows Control Panel).

If the string contains only two numbers, it is interpreted as a date (m/d or d/m) in the current year (obtained from the computer's built-in clock). Time information in the string is ignored.

Note that automatic type conversion often makes the use of this function redundant.

Example

With standard US date format settings, June 15, 1998 is

=datevalue("6/15/1998")

which, if interpreted as a plain float, equals 35961.

See also date, day, month, now, timevalue, today, value, year.