---
title: "system.db.dateFormat"
description: "This function is used to format Dates nicely as strings."
---

# system.db.dateFormat

> This function is used to format Dates nicely as strings.

This function is used in **Python Scripting**.

## Description

This function is used to format dates nicely as strings. It uses a format string to guide its formatting behavior.

## Client Permission Restrictions

This scripting function has no Client Permission restrictions.

## Syntax

`system.db.dateFormat(date, formatPattern)`

### Parameters
Type | Parameter | Description 
------- | ------- | -----
Date| `date` | The Date object that you'd like to format
String| `formatPattern` | A format pattern string to apply. Refer to Data Type Formatting Reference for a table of acceptable symbols.

### Returns
**String** - The date as a string formatted according to the format pattern.

### Scope
Gateway, Vision Client, Perspective Session

## Code Examples

```python
# This example displays a message box on a button press that displays the selected date (without the time)
# from a Calendar component, in a format like "Feb 3, 2009"
date = event.source.parent.getComponent("Calendar").latchedDate
toDisplay = system.db.dateFormat(date, "MMM d, yyyy")
system.gui.messageBox("The date you selected is: %s" % toDisplay)
```

```python
# This example does the same as the one above, but also displays the time, in a format like: "Feb 3, 2009 8:01pm"
date = event.source.parent.getComponent("Calendar").latchedDate
toDisplay = system.db.dateFormat(date, "MMM d, yyyy hh:mm a")
system.gui.messageBox("The date you selected is: %s" % toDisplay)
```

```python
# This example takes two dates from two Popup Calendar components, formats them in a manner that the database understands,
# and then uses them in a SQL query to limit the results to a certain date range.
startDate = event.source.parent.getComponent("StartDate").date
endDate = event.source.parent.getComponent("EndDate").date
startDate = system.db.dateFormat(startDate, "yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss")
endDate = system.db.dateFormat(endDate, "yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss")
query = ("SELECT * FROM mytable WHERE t_stamp >= '%s' AND t_stamp <= '%s'" % (startDate, endDate))
results = system.db.runQuery(query)
event.source.parent.getComponent("Table").data = results
```