How to pass date value to an UDF

Question

Hi,
I am working in SDK UI. I have created a form. In this form there is a edit text box. I have to pass a date value to that object. I have taken a variable and pass a date value in "yyyy/mm/dd" format. When I am assign this variable to the object to pass the date value to that object then I am getting an error. The error is "Unable to cast object of type 'system.string' to 'system.IFormatProvider' ".
I have written the code like this :------>
Dim AtenDate As String   
AtenDate = '2007/08/01'    ' format "yyyy/mm/dd"
Dim txtEditDt As SAPbouiCOM.EditText
oItem = oForm.Items.Item("11")
txtEditDt = oItem.Specific
txtEditDt.String = AtenDate.ToString("dd/MM/yyyy")
After the last line the error is getting fire.
Please help me how I can pass the date value to that object.
Please help me. It is very urgent.

Answer 1

Date and Double conversion is really a confusing thing in B1-SDK programming in the beginning.
But once you got it it's okay.
When working with date-time and doubles (System and SBO-Price/SBO-Quantity),  you should always take care about the language of...
...system (windows)
...SBO User Interface
These two formats could make trouble when the programming has been made only for a specific configuration of these two.
The third format for SDK-Programming is
...the SBO-DB-Format, which is language-independent and always a String
Here are some rules:
<b>EditText.String</b> ALWAYS returns the value you see on the SBO GUI. It depends on the SBO Date, Price etc.-Format the USER has configured in the Administration. Consider that the user has (for example) the possibility to choose a "#" (or whatever) as decimal-seperator. Direct (implicit) conversion of such a string to a double will fail at the latest now.
The savest way to get a .NET-Double or DateTime- Value from EditText.String are the conversion methods of  SBOBobs-Object (see SDK-help -> BoBridge, Format_MoneyToString...etc.).
I think it's a good idea to write some wrapper functions for that methods, cause they always need a recordset which blows up the code too much.
<b>EditText.Value</b> always (system/sbo-language independent) returns the value as a String in DB-Format (Double as "12345.126700" and date as "20070930".
For that you must asure that the EditText is bounded to a format-corresponding datasource. Price, Quantitiy.... if you need a double.
If your "price"-field would be bound to ShortText and the user wants (assuming the example from above) a "#" for decimal-point, then a GUI-seen value like "12,421#12" is also returned as "12,421#12" by EditText.Value. But If bound to Price-DataSource it's "12421.120000"
=> So always do a DataBind to the Data - Type which is needed is recommended for this to work!
In my case EditText.String and -Value is mostly (only...? needed for B1-System-Forms where using of DataSources is restricted.
The prefered way of read/write values is the
<b>UserDataSource.ValueEx and DBDataSource.GetValue/SetValue</b>-method. It's also always in DB-Format as EditText.Value before, but gives much more performance.
Once you got some conversion-functions for "DB-Format-String" to ".NET-DataType" and vice verca (I've defined some .NET - System.Globalization.XXXFormatInfo-Objects for that) all of your problems are things of the past
Regards,
Roland
null
Message was edited by:
        Roland Toschek
Edited by: Roland Toschek on Jan 22, 2008 5:32 PM
Trying to clarify a sentence