SysTime- Library

[Filippo]

Hi,

SysTime is a small library to get and set the current system time and system date.
There are two different dll's, one for the desktop and one for the device.

20.09.2009: Version 1.01


Ciao.
Filippo

[alfcen]

Ciao Filippo,
Execellent! Awesome!

Thanks to your DLL, I can set the clock with GPS date and time.
Here is the source for everybody. Perhaps someone can shorten it

'Requires Registry DLL (object reg), Bitwise DLL (object bit) and Filippo's SysTime DLL (object SysTime)

Sub Globals
  Dim zti(0) As Byte  'binary array for GetTimeZone
End Sub

Sub App_Start
  Reg.New1
  SysTime.New1
End Sub

Sub mnuSetSystemDateTime_Click
  If GPS.Status<>"A" Then Return    'Aborts if no stable GPS signal present
  'GPS.UTCDate and GPS.UTCTime available from Sub GPS_GPSDecoded. Please see gps.dll Help for details
  Dim x, y, i, zt
  zt = GetTimeZone
  x = DateParse(GPS2Date(GPS.UTCDate))
  y = TimeParse(GPS2Time(GPS.UTCTime)) + zt/24 * cTicksPerDay      'add your local time zone
  i = Msgbox("GPS date and time converted to local is " & CrLf & Date(x) & " " & Time(y) & CrLf & "Set the device?"," Confirmation",cMsgBoxYesNo,cMsgBoxQuestion)
  If i = cNo Then Return
  ErrorLabel(SetError)            'There is no success flag in the SysTime DLL
  SysTime.New1
  Systime.SetDate(DateMonth(x),DateDay(x),DateYear(x))
  Systime.SetTime(TimeHour(y),TimeMinute(y),TimeSecond(y))
  Msgbox("GPS Date and Time set."," GPS Date and Time",cMsgBoxNone,cMsgBoxAsterisk)    
  Return
SetError:
  Msgbox("Error setting Date and Time."," GPS Date and Time",cMsgBoxNone,cMsgBoxHand)
End Sub

Sub GPS2Time(x)
  Dim colon
  TimeFormat("HH:mm:ss")
  colon=SubString(x,0,6)
  colon=StrInsert(colon,2,":")
  colon=StrInsert(colon,5,":")
  x = TimeParse(colon)
  if chkAMPM.Checked=True Then TimeFormat("hh:mm:ss tt")  'A check box selects EU or US format
  Return Time(x)
End Sub

Sub GPS2Date(x)
  Dim dash
  DateFormat ("yyyy/mm/dd")
  dash="20" & SubString(x,4,2) & "/"
  dash=dash & SubString(x,2,2) & "/"
  dash=dash & SubString(x,0,2)
  x = DateParse(dash)
  if chkAMPM.Checked=false then    'A check box selects EU or US format
    DateFormat("dd/mm/yyyy")
  else
    DateFormat("mm/dd/yyyy")
  End if 
  Return Date(x)
End Sub

Sub GetTimeZone
  Dim m, i, b
  Reg.RootKey(Reg.rtLocalMachine)
  If cPPC = True Then
    zti()=Reg.GetValue("Time","TimeZoneInformation")
    For i = 3 To 0 Step -1
      m = m & bit.DecToHex(zti(i))
    Next
    m = bit.HexToDec(m) / 60 * (-1)
  Else
    m = Reg.GetValue("System\CurrentControlSet\Control\TimeZoneInformation","ActiveTimeBias")
    m = m  / 60 * (-1)
  End If
  If m > 0 Then m = "+" & m
  Return m    
End Sub

[alfcen]

Sorry gents,
There is an error in
mnuSetSystemDateTime_Click
which I have corrected as:

Sub mnuSetSystemDateTime_Click
  If GPS.Status="A" Then
    Dim x, i
    x =DateParse(GPS2Time(GPS.UTCTime))   'addition of time zone must account for date change
    x = x - x Mod cTicksPerDay 
    x = x + TimeParse(GPS2Time(GPS.UTCTime)) + zt * cTicksPerHour
    i = Msgbox("GPS date and time converted to local is " & CrLf & Date(x) & " " & Time(x) & CrLF & "Set the device?"," Confirmation",cMsgBoxYesNo,cMsgBoxQuestion)
    If i = cNo Then Return
    ErrorLabel(SetError)
    SysTime.New1
    Systime.SetDate(DateMonth(x),DateDay(x),DateYear(x))
    Systime.SetTime(TimeHour(x),TimeMinute(x),TimeSecond(x))
    Msgbox("GPS Date and Time set."," GPS Date and Time",cMsgBoxNone,cMsgBoxAsterisk)    
    Return
SetError:
    Msgbox("Error setting Date and Time."," GPS Date and Time",cMsgBoxNone,cMsgBoxHand)
  Else
    Msgbox("GPS data unstable or not available."," GPS Status",cMsgBoxNone,cMsgBoxHand)
    Return
  End If        
End Sub

[Georg]

Hi

is there also an version for NET 1 compact?

[derez]

Thanks Filippo
It's already integrated and working in my navigation program.

[Zenerdiode]

Hi Filippo,

I think there is an error in your help file for SetDate

Syntax: SetDate(Day As Integer, Month As Integer, Year As Integer)

Its looking as if the Day and Month are swapped i.e. it should read:
Syntax: SetDate(Month As Integer, Day As Integer, Year As Integer)

Edit: "Does anyone know how to set the BIOS date & time in the Desktop?" I see that it does!

[mjcoon]

Originally Posted by alfcen

Sub mnuSetSystemDateTime_Click
...
    i = Msgbox("GPS date and time converted to local is " & CrLf & Date(x) & " " & Time(x) & CrLF & "Set the device?"," Confirmation",cMsgBoxYesNo,cMsgBoxQuestion)
...
    Return
nd Sub

It's not ideal to ask the user a question and then set the time to what was determined before asking the question.

In a Psion program that I wrote years ago to do this I showed the disparity when asking the question (as well as GPS and system times) and then if the user requested time alteration I adjusted the system time by the disparity amount. This is then independent of the user's decision time...

[mjcoon]

Originally Posted by Filippo

Hi,

SysTime is a small library to get and set the current system time and system date.
There are two different dll's, one for the desktop and one for the device.

Ciao.
Filippo

This looks jolly useful (surprising it is not already included in other libraries!).

But when I add the DLLs I get offered objects of type "SysTime" (as I expected) but also "SYSTEMTIME". What is the difference, please (and how to remember the distinction; it's not in the Help!).

Mike.

[mjcoon]

Originally Posted by alfcen

Ciao Filippo,
Execellent! Awesome!

Thanks to your DLL, I can set the clock with GPS date and time.
Here is the source for everybody. Perhaps someone can shorten it

...

Sub GetTimeZone
  Dim m, i, b
  Reg.RootKey(Reg.rtLocalMachine)
  If cPPC = True Then
    zti()=Reg.GetValue("Time","TimeZoneInformation")
    For i = 3 To 0 Step -1
      m = m & bit.DecToHex(zti(i))
    Next
    m = bit.HexToDec(m) / 60 * (-1)
  Else
    m = Reg.GetValue("System\CurrentControlSet\Control\TimeZoneInformation","ActiveTimeBias")
    m = m  / 60 * (-1)
  End If
  If m > 0 Then m = "+" & m
  Return m    
End Sub

I guess all that stuff with DecToHex and HexToDec is just to convert 4 bytes to a 32-bit integer. Which could be done with some *256 or neatly with the ByteConverter DLL using Int32FromBytes().

But reading the registry item separately on my PDA gives four zeroes (but lots of other following bytes; goodness knows what they mean!). This is fair enough since I am in Zulu time zone. But I am also in daylight saving time, so where would that other hour correction come from?

Mike.

[agraham]

Originally Posted by mjcoon

lots of other following bytes; goodness knows what they mean!

I suspect they contain the DST information for the time zone.

SYSTEMTIME

That is a struct definition that shouldn't really be visible. An instance of it is passed to the OS to set or get the time and date information. It is of no use as a Basic4ppc object.

@Filippo - how about hiding "SYSTEMTIME" by renaming it "_SYSTEMTIME" and providing the sources for merging?