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| About the tool |
The Tool is a pure command line program.
It is made to perform actions that could not be performed with onboard functions of the command line, or only very inconveniently.
It was originally used to output time values in batch files, which is useful for log files generated by a batch file.
The formatting of the date and time output can be adapted as desired, which is also the actual reason for the tool to exist, since date /t and time /t are too inflexible, because converting their output via batch files is effortful.
Additional functions has been implemented such as start external commands and read back their returns, perform calculations and string operations, read system version information, make case distinctions, read and write text files, using script files and much more.
The tool can, of course, also be manually executed and used externally from batch files in an command prompt
and it can do more than just to tell how late it is.
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| System requirements |
- Windows XP or later
- .Net Framework 3.5
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| Installation |
An installation is not necessary.
The tool is a single exe file that can be executed directly.
"Pedate" is bilingual (English, German). The program language depends on the system language or on user specification.
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| Translation |
'Pedate' and this website was written natively in German.
My translation into English is probably deficient.
You are more than welcome, if you like to improve the translation or just reporting some failures.
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| Keyfeatures |
• a single, portable exe file, which supports English and German
• any desired date/time output formating
• current date/time or according to input
• Recognition of 'any' formatted date/time input
• Date/time in- and output in 'any desired' languages
• Date/time shifting and calculating
• Calculation of the Easter date (West and East) and the Advent date
• Start of external programs with optional utilization of the return
• Calculator (time span, nth root, exponent, circular functions, modulo, number systems and others)
• various string operations
• Case differentiation (If statements)
• Branches and loops per goto instructions
• freely assignable variables (memory function)
• read parameters from the console and/or from script file(s)
• read the contents of a text file
• Output into the console and/or into a text file
• Integration in batch files
• detailed version information of the current Windows version
• detailed version information of the installed .Net framework versions
• Output of the used and available storage space sizes of the hard disks
• Overview of the essential hardware components
• determine file properties
• detailed, internal help function
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| Concept |
Pedate primarily serves to generate output.
To customize the output, switches and placeholders in combination with free text can be specified as parameters.
All parameters are processed in the order left to right.
Control parameters (switches) usually start with /
Output parameters (placeholders) usually start with ~
All other parameters are treated as free text and output unchanged.
If no parameter is specified, a current time stamp is output.
Refer: Pedate ~time-stamp ?
Basics about output:: Pedate /clear ?
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| Exit codes |
Pedate sets an exit code (errorlevel) when finished:
0 = Run completed without detected error
1 = The help was called
2 = The /end switch has been applied
3 = Parameter error or error during execution
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| Using help |
The general help is with /? retrievable.
A detailed help on individual parameters is accessible by entering the parameter followed by a ?.
Examples:
Pedate /d ? => Help on switch /d
Pedate /l de /d ? => German help on switch /d
Pedate /l en /d ? => English help on switch /d
When the help is called by /? or ?, all other parameters (except /l de|en) will be ignored.
/? has priority over ? and the ? on the left have priority over the right.
This behavior is useful to be able to quickly insert a ? or /? in a command line at a suitable position and to get the desired help without executing the command line.
Examples:
Pedate /d 07.03.1966 The ~date was a ~dddd. => The 07.03.1966 was a Monday.
Pedate /d 07.03.1966 The ~date ? was a ~dddd. => Help for the placeholder ~date will be displayed
Pedate /d ? 07.03.1966 The ~date ? was a ~dddd. => Help for the switch /d will be displayed
Pedate /d ? 07.03.1966 The ~date /? was a ~dddd. => The generell help will be displayed
The complete internal help can be stored in a text file, which can be used as a manual.
This can be done by Pedate /helpfile
More about that with Pedate /helpfile ?
(This help file is also available as a download below.)
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| Case sensitive |
At free text the case keeps unchanged.
At placeholders, the case is largely ignored.
Exceptions: ~t, ~T, ~tt, ~TT, ~a, ~A, ~am, ~AM, ~p, ~P, ~pm, ~PM and all combinable placeholders, Ex.: ~ddMMyyyy
At switches, the case is ignored.
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| Application examples |
Application examples can be found in the respective, detailed help.
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| Error prevention |
To avoid errors, for more complex parameter sequences, /list can be used for diagnosis.
See: Pedate /list ?
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| Quick start |
1. Read the general help: Pedate /?
2. Look at the overview of all switches: Pedate / ?
3. Look at the overview of all placeholders: Pedate ~ ?
4. Use detailed help: Pedate /switch ? and Pedate ~placeholder ?
5. Create and read help file: Pedate /helpfile
6. Ask Pedant via e-mail
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| License |
'Pedate' is freeware and may be used without restriction.
I do not accept any liability for the use and its consequences.
The right to offer the tool for download, is exclusively mine.
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| Download |
Current version:
Pedate (Version 4.3) | Help file of version 4.3
Previous versions:
Pedate (Version 4.2)
Pedate (Version 4.1)
Pedate (Version 4.0)
Pedate (Version 3.2)
Pedate (Version 3.1)
Pedate (Version 3.0)
Pedate (Version 2.1)
Pedate (Version 2.0)
Zeitausgabe (Version 1.6)
Zeitausgabe (Version 1.5)
Zeitausgabe (Version 1.4)
Zeitausgabe (Version 1.3)
Zeitausgabe (Version 1.2)
Zeitausgabe (Version 1.0)
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| Changelog |
| Version 4.3: | Implementation of the parameter /fobj and the placeholders fobj... (Reading file properties (size and date)) • Some bugfixes |
| Version 4.2: | Implementation of the placeholders bios and biosversion (Information about the mainboard's bios) |
| Version 4.1: | Implementation of type of calculation c2i (character to interger), c2h (character to hexadecimal), i2c (interger to character) and h2c (hexadecimal to character) • Implementation of the parameter /vo as smaller variant of /v |
| Version 4.0: | New implemented: String operations • reading and writing text files • optional using of script files • branches and loops per /goto instructions
Changes: Renaming of \t to °t and \n to °n • code page changed for zavars.cmd at /v |
| Version 3.2: | Implementation of type of calculation s2d (string to decimal) and s2i (string to integer) in the calculator • Implementation of own exit codes (errorlevel) at /end code |
| Version 3.1: | Implementation of a timespan calculation in the calculator |
| Version 3.0: | Complete modification of the program sequence • Implementation of various new parameters and functions |
| Version 2.1: | Implementation of the parameter /u • Bugfix at the output of the placeholder ~unix |
| Version 2.0: | Renaming of the tool • Renaming of several placeholders, parameters and za-variables • Bilingualism (de/en) • Implementation of the parameter \t • Some bugfixes |
| Version 1.6: | Implementation of the placeholders usdatumzeit, usdatum and uszeit • Some bugfixes |
| Version 1.5: | Implementation of the parameters /dv and /zv and \n • Some bugfixes • More flexible format for specifying values via /d and /z |
| Version 1.4: | Changing of the output format of zeit-stempel: now yyyy-MM-dd_HHmmss (before yyyy-MM-dd-HHmmss) |
| Version 1.3: | Implementation of the parameter /b • Some small bugfixes • Renaming of the parameter for the time specification: now /z (before /t) |
| Version 1.2: | Implementation of the parameter /v |
| Version 1.0: | First release |
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| Known bugs in version 4.3 |
None yet
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