Date/Time Picker Output Help

Question

In my Flex 3.6 app, I have a set of controls that allow the user to pick the date/time.  The user does this by selecting a date from a DateInput, an hour, minutes and AM/PM through three ComboBox.  I then combine the selections into a string and output in a Label control.
I now need to compare the date/time selected to a set of date/times that are allowed.  I keep running into the error "1067: Implicit coercion of a value of type String to an unrelated type Date."
How can I convert my date/time string into a valid date object so I can compare it with other date objects?
Thanks!
Lee
Below is the code:
DateTimePicker.mxml
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<mx:Application xmlns:mx="http://www.adobe.com/2006/mxml"
                                        layout="absolute"
                                        minWidth="955"
                                        minHeight="600">
          <mx:Script>
                    <![CDATA[
                              [Bindable]
                              private var todayDate:Date=new Date();
                              [Bindable]
                              private var earliestTime:Date=new Date(todayDate.getTime() + 3 * 60 * 60 * 1000);
                              [Bindable]
                              private var latestTime:Date=new Date(todayDate.getTime() + 12 * 60 * 60 * 1000);
                    ]]>
          </mx:Script>
          <!--Data-->
          <mx:XML id="hoursXML"
                              source="assets/hours.xml"/>
          <mx:XMLListCollection source="{hoursXML.hour}"
                                                              id="xmllcHours"/>
          <mx:XML id="minutesXML"
                              source="assets/minutes.xml"/>
          <mx:XMLListCollection source="{minutesXML.minute}"
                                                              id="xmllcMinutes"/>
          <mx:DateFormatter id="dfd"
                                                    formatString="MM/DD/YYYY"/>
          <mx:Label x="10"
                                y="10"
                                text="Date/Time"/>
          <mx:DateField x="82"
                                          y="10"
                                          id="dfExpectedDate"
                                          text="{dfd.format(todayDate)}"
                                          selectableRange="{{rangeStart: this.earliestTime,rangeEnd: this.latestTime}}"
                                          visible="true"
                                          width="100"/>
          <mx:ComboBox x="200"
                                         y="10"
                                         id="cbExpectedHour"
                                         fontWeight="normal"
                                         width="80"
                                         text="Hour"
                                         selectedIndex="-1"
                                         dataProvider="{xmllcHours}">
          </mx:ComboBox>
          <mx:ComboBox x="300"
                                         y="10"
                                         width="80"
                                         id="cbExpectedMinute"
                                         fontWeight="normal"
                                         selectedIndex="-1"
                                         text="Minute"
                                         dataProvider="{xmllcMinutes}">
          </mx:ComboBox>
          <mx:ComboBox x="400"
                                         y="10"
                                         width="80"
                                         id="cbExpectedTimeRange"
                                         fontWeight="normal"
                                         selectedIndex="-1"
                                         text="AM/PM">
                    <mx:ArrayCollection>
                              <mx:Object label="a.m."
                                                     data="AM"/>
                              <mx:Object label="p.m."
                                                     data="PM"/>
                    </mx:ArrayCollection>
          </mx:ComboBox>
          <mx:Text x="10"
                               y="38"
                               text="{this.dfExpectedDate.text} {this.cbExpectedHour.text}:{this.cbExpectedMinute.text}:00 {this.cbExpectedTimeRange.selectedItem.data}"
                               id="tExpectedLandingDateTime"
                               visible="true"/>
</mx:Application>
hours.xml
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<hours>
          <hour>12</hour>
          <hour>01</hour>
          <hour>02</hour>
          <hour>03</hour>
          <hour>04</hour>
          <hour>05</hour>
          <hour>06</hour>
          <hour>07</hour>
          <hour>08</hour>
          <hour>09</hour>
          <hour>10</hour>
          <hour>11</hour>
</hours>
minutes.mxml
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<minutes>
          <minute>00</minute>
          <minute>01</minute>
          <minute>02</minute>
          <minute>03</minute>
          <minute>04</minute>
          <minute>05</minute>
          <minute>06</minute>
          <minute>07</minute>
          <minute>08</minute>
          <minute>09</minute>
          <minute>10</minute>
          <minute>11</minute>
          <minute>12</minute>
          <minute>13</minute>
          <minute>14</minute>
          <minute>15</minute>
          <minute>16</minute>
          <minute>17</minute>
          <minute>18</minute>
          <minute>19</minute>
          <minute>20</minute>
          <minute>21</minute>
          <minute>22</minute>
          <minute>23</minute>
          <minute>24</minute>
          <minute>25</minute>
          <minute>26</minute>
          <minute>27</minute>
          <minute>28</minute>
          <minute>29</minute>
          <minute>30</minute>
          <minute>31</minute>
          <minute>32</minute>
          <minute>33</minute>
          <minute>34</minute>
          <minute>35</minute>
          <minute>36</minute>
          <minute>37</minute>
          <minute>38</minute>
          <minute>39</minute>
          <minute>40</minute>
          <minute>41</minute>
          <minute>42</minute>
          <minute>43</minute>
          <minute>44</minute>
          <minute>45</minute>
          <minute>46</minute>
          <minute>47</minute>
          <minute>48</minute>
          <minute>49</minute>
          <minute>50</minute>
          <minute>51</minute>
          <minute>52</minute>
          <minute>53</minute>
          <minute>54</minute>
          <minute>55</minute>
          <minute>56</minute>
          <minute>57</minute>
          <minute>58</minute>
          <minute>59</minute>
</minutes>

Answer 1

In my Flex 3.6 app, I have a set of controls that allow the user to pick the date/time.  The user does this by selecting a date from a DateInput, an hour, minutes and AM/PM through three ComboBox.  I then combine the selections into a string and output in a Label control.
I now need to compare the date/time selected to a set of date/times that are allowed.  I keep running into the error "1067: Implicit coercion of a value of type String to an unrelated type Date."
How can I convert my date/time string into a valid date object so I can compare it with other date objects?
Thanks!
Lee
Below is the code:
DateTimePicker.mxml
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<mx:Application xmlns:mx="http://www.adobe.com/2006/mxml"
                                        layout="absolute"
                                        minWidth="955"
                                        minHeight="600">
          <mx:Script>
                    <![CDATA[
                              [Bindable]
                              private var todayDate:Date=new Date();
                              [Bindable]
                              private var earliestTime:Date=new Date(todayDate.getTime() + 3 * 60 * 60 * 1000);
                              [Bindable]
                              private var latestTime:Date=new Date(todayDate.getTime() + 12 * 60 * 60 * 1000);
                    ]]>
          </mx:Script>
          <!--Data-->
          <mx:XML id="hoursXML"
                              source="assets/hours.xml"/>
          <mx:XMLListCollection source="{hoursXML.hour}"
                                                              id="xmllcHours"/>
          <mx:XML id="minutesXML"
                              source="assets/minutes.xml"/>
          <mx:XMLListCollection source="{minutesXML.minute}"
                                                              id="xmllcMinutes"/>
          <mx:DateFormatter id="dfd"
                                                    formatString="MM/DD/YYYY"/>
          <mx:Label x="10"
                                y="10"
                                text="Date/Time"/>
          <mx:DateField x="82"
                                          y="10"
                                          id="dfExpectedDate"
                                          text="{dfd.format(todayDate)}"
                                          selectableRange="{{rangeStart: this.earliestTime,rangeEnd: this.latestTime}}"
                                          visible="true"
                                          width="100"/>
          <mx:ComboBox x="200"
                                         y="10"
                                         id="cbExpectedHour"
                                         fontWeight="normal"
                                         width="80"
                                         text="Hour"
                                         selectedIndex="-1"
                                         dataProvider="{xmllcHours}">
          </mx:ComboBox>
          <mx:ComboBox x="300"
                                         y="10"
                                         width="80"
                                         id="cbExpectedMinute"
                                         fontWeight="normal"
                                         selectedIndex="-1"
                                         text="Minute"
                                         dataProvider="{xmllcMinutes}">
          </mx:ComboBox>
          <mx:ComboBox x="400"
                                         y="10"
                                         width="80"
                                         id="cbExpectedTimeRange"
                                         fontWeight="normal"
                                         selectedIndex="-1"
                                         text="AM/PM">
                    <mx:ArrayCollection>
                              <mx:Object label="a.m."
                                                     data="AM"/>
                              <mx:Object label="p.m."
                                                     data="PM"/>
                    </mx:ArrayCollection>
          </mx:ComboBox>
          <mx:Text x="10"
                               y="38"
                               text="{this.dfExpectedDate.text} {this.cbExpectedHour.text}:{this.cbExpectedMinute.text}:00 {this.cbExpectedTimeRange.selectedItem.data}"
                               id="tExpectedLandingDateTime"
                               visible="true"/>
</mx:Application>
hours.xml
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<hours>
          <hour>12</hour>
          <hour>01</hour>
          <hour>02</hour>
          <hour>03</hour>
          <hour>04</hour>
          <hour>05</hour>
          <hour>06</hour>
          <hour>07</hour>
          <hour>08</hour>
          <hour>09</hour>
          <hour>10</hour>
          <hour>11</hour>
</hours>
minutes.mxml
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<minutes>
          <minute>00</minute>
          <minute>01</minute>
          <minute>02</minute>
          <minute>03</minute>
          <minute>04</minute>
          <minute>05</minute>
          <minute>06</minute>
          <minute>07</minute>
          <minute>08</minute>
          <minute>09</minute>
          <minute>10</minute>
          <minute>11</minute>
          <minute>12</minute>
          <minute>13</minute>
          <minute>14</minute>
          <minute>15</minute>
          <minute>16</minute>
          <minute>17</minute>
          <minute>18</minute>
          <minute>19</minute>
          <minute>20</minute>
          <minute>21</minute>
          <minute>22</minute>
          <minute>23</minute>
          <minute>24</minute>
          <minute>25</minute>
          <minute>26</minute>
          <minute>27</minute>
          <minute>28</minute>
          <minute>29</minute>
          <minute>30</minute>
          <minute>31</minute>
          <minute>32</minute>
          <minute>33</minute>
          <minute>34</minute>
          <minute>35</minute>
          <minute>36</minute>
          <minute>37</minute>
          <minute>38</minute>
          <minute>39</minute>
          <minute>40</minute>
          <minute>41</minute>
          <minute>42</minute>
          <minute>43</minute>
          <minute>44</minute>
          <minute>45</minute>
          <minute>46</minute>
          <minute>47</minute>
          <minute>48</minute>
          <minute>49</minute>
          <minute>50</minute>
          <minute>51</minute>
          <minute>52</minute>
          <minute>53</minute>
          <minute>54</minute>
          <minute>55</minute>
          <minute>56</minute>
          <minute>57</minute>
          <minute>58</minute>
          <minute>59</minute>
</minutes>