DateDiff problem on different servers

External Since: Sep 08, 2003 Posts: 34

I have an ASP page that lists files and folders in a directory. I'm using a
cookie to record the last time this page was visited, and I intend to show
links that are created/modified from that date minus 30mins to the
present... eg effectively new and modified files:

If DateDiff("n", subfolder.DateLastModified, sLastVisit ) < 30 Then.... etc

On my test machine this mechanism works OK, but on the live server (Win2k,
IIS5) I get some funny behaviour.

I create a new folder, and run the page. The value this expression returns
on XP is 0 and on Win2K is 43200. Refreshing every minute...on XP the value
increases, 1,2,3 etc... On Win2k, it decreases, 43200,43199,43198 etc....
Folders created days ago have values like 37415

The file list is similar:

If DateDiff("n", file.DateLastModified, sLastVisit ) < 30 Then etc....

On the Win2k m/c, a new file returns 43200 again...

Am I missing something?? Do the DateDiff functions behave differently on
different servers (ie different versions of IIS)?

Help!

Thanks

Chris

Bigger Code Snippet (some key settings are stored in an include file):

<%@ Language=VBScript %>
<%
Option Explicit
Response.Expires = 0

Dim folderspec, fso, fold, subfolder, files, file, subfld
Dim sFilter, sStartFolder, sStartPath, sTitle, sContact
Dim aDirs, i, j , sLink
Dim sLastVisit, sCookie, sDateClass, sMaxDiff

'Read LastVisit cookie
sLastVisit = Request.Cookies.Item("QADocs")("LastVisit")
If sLastVisit = "" Then
'sLastVisit = FormatDateTime(Now(),VBShortDate)
sLastVisit = Now()
End If

Response.Write sLastVisit
'Set/Update Cookie
'Response.Cookies("sCookie")("LastVisit") = FormatDateTime(Now(),
VBShortDate)
Response.Cookies.Item("QADocs")("LastVisit") = Now()

%>

<%

'Recover subfolder name if available
subfld = Request.Querystring("sub")
subfld = subfld & "/"

'create full folder path
folderspec = Replace(sStartPath & subfld, "/", "\")

%>
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN"
"http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/loose.dtd">
<html>
<head>
<title><%=sTitle%></title>
<link type='text/css' rel='stylesheet' href='Quality.css'>
</head>
<body>
<div id='header'>
<h2><%=sTitle%></h2>
</div>
<div id='outer'>
<p>Note: Files or folders that have been added or modified since your last
visit have their dates shown <span class="new">like this.</span></p>
<table id='tbls'>
<tr id="breadcrumbs">
<td colspan="2">
<%

Response.Write "<a href='./quality.asp'>" & sStartFolder & "</a>"

aDirs = Split(subfld,"/")
For i = 1 to UBound(aDirs)
Response.Write " > <a href='"

sLink = ""
For j = 1 to i
sLink=sLink & "/" & aDirs(j)
Next
Response.Write "./quality.asp?sub=" & sLink

Response.Write "'>" & aDirs(i) & "</a>"
Next

%>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>

<table class="fld">
<colgroup class="lhs" />
<colgroup class="rhs" />
<tr>
<td class="title">Folder Name</td>
<td class="title">Last Modified</td>
</tr>
<%

'Create FileSystemObject
Set fso = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")

'Loop through Folders
Set fold = fso.GetFolder(folderspec)
for each subfolder in fold.subFolders
'ignore system or hidden folders - signified by "_"
If Left(subfolder.name,1) <> "_" Then
If DateDiff("n", subfolder.DateLastModified, sLastVisit ) < sMaxDiff Then
sDateClass = "new"
Else
sDateClass = ""
End if
%>
<tr>
<td><a class="folder"
href='quality.asp?sub=<%=subfld &
subfolder.name%>'><%=subfolder.name%>...</a></td>
<td
class="<%=sDateClass%>"><%=FormatDateTime(subfolder.DateLastModified,
VBShortDate)%><%= "..." & DateDiff("n", subfolder.DateLastModified,
sLastVisit)%></td>
</tr>
<%
End if
next
%>
</table>
</td>
<td>

<table class="fil">
<colgroup class="lhs" />
<colgroup class="rhs" />
<tr>
<td class="title">File Name</td>
<td class="title">Last Modified</td>
</tr>
<%
'Loop through Files
set files = fold.files
for each file in files
If Instr(1, sFilter, lcase(right(file.name,3))) Then
If DateDiff("n", file.DateLastModified, sLastVisit ) < sMaxDiff Then
sDateClass = "new"
Else
sDateClass = ""
End if
%>
<tr>
<td><a class="file" href='.<%=subfld &
file.name%>'><%=file.name%></a></td>
<td
class="<%=sDateClass%>"><%=FormatDateTime(file.DateLastModified,
VBShortDate)%><%= "..." & DateDiff("n", file.DateLastModified,
sLastVisit )%></td>
</tr>
<%
End if
Next
%>

</table>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
</div>

<p>If you have any queries or you think this page is not functioning
correctly contact <%=sContact%>.</p>

</body>
</html>

External Since: Sep 08, 2003 Posts: 7

What does sLastVisit look like? This is one of the dangers of using
regional date formats, like dd/mm/yyyy or mm/dd/yyyy. When you run code
that relies on British format (dd/mm/yyyy) on a machine set up for US
English, you're going to get some funny behavior, for sure.

Wait until 2003-09-13, that's when code should start breaking on you. If
you want to fix it in the meantime, use an ISO standard date format instead
of a regional one.

"CJM" <cjmwork DeleteThis @yahoo.co.uk> wrote in message
news:eWPET2hdDHA.3332@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...
> I have an ASP page that lists files and folders in a directory. I'm using
a
> cookie to record the last time this page was visited, and I intend to show
> links that are created/modified from that date minus 30mins to the
> present... eg effectively new and modified files:
>
> If DateDiff("n", subfolder.DateLastModified, sLastVisit ) < 30 Then....
etc
>
> On my test machine this mechanism works OK, but on the live server (Win2k,
> IIS5) I get some funny behaviour.
>
> I create a new folder, and run the page. The value this expression returns
> on XP is 0 and on Win2K is 43200. Refreshing every minute...on XP the
value
> increases, 1,2,3 etc... On Win2k, it decreases, 43200,43199,43198 etc....
> Folders created days ago have values like 37415
>
> The file list is similar:
>
> If DateDiff("n", file.DateLastModified, sLastVisit ) < 30 Then etc....
>
> On the Win2k m/c, a new file returns 43200 again...
>
> Am I missing something?? Do the DateDiff functions behave differently on
> different servers (ie different versions of IIS)?
>
> Help!
>
> Thanks
>
> Chris
>
>
>
>
> Bigger Code Snippet (some key settings are stored in an include file):
>
> <%@ Language=VBScript %>
> <%
> Option Explicit
> Response.Expires = 0
>
> Dim folderspec, fso, fold, subfolder, files, file, subfld
> Dim sFilter, sStartFolder, sStartPath, sTitle, sContact
> Dim aDirs, i, j , sLink
> Dim sLastVisit, sCookie, sDateClass, sMaxDiff
>
> 'Read LastVisit cookie
> sLastVisit = Request.Cookies.Item("QADocs")("LastVisit")
> If sLastVisit = "" Then
> 'sLastVisit = FormatDateTime(Now(),VBShortDate)
> sLastVisit = Now()
> End If
>
> Response.Write sLastVisit
> 'Set/Update Cookie
> 'Response.Cookies("sCookie")("LastVisit") = FormatDateTime(Now(),
> VBShortDate)
> Response.Cookies.Item("QADocs")("LastVisit") = Now()
>
> %>
> 
> <%
>
> 'Recover subfolder name if available
> subfld = Request.Querystring("sub")
> subfld = subfld & "/"
>
> 'create full folder path
> folderspec = Replace(sStartPath & subfld, "/", "\")
>
> %>
> <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN"
> "http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/loose.dtd">
> <html>
> <head>
> <title><%=sTitle%></title>
> <link type='text/css' rel='stylesheet' href='Quality.css'>
> </head>
> <body>
> <div id='header'>
> <h2><%=sTitle%></h2>
> </div>
> <div id='outer'>
> <p>Note: Files or folders that have been added or modified since your
last
> visit have their dates shown <span class="new">like this.</span></p>
> <table id='tbls'>
> <tr id="breadcrumbs">
> <td colspan="2">
> <%
>
> Response.Write "" & sStartFolder & ""
>
> aDirs = Split(subfld,"/")
> For i = 1 to UBound(aDirs)
> Response.Write " > <a href='"
>
> sLink = ""
> For j = 1 to i
> sLink=sLink & "/" & aDirs(j)
> Next
> Response.Write "./quality.asp?sub=" & sLink
>
> Response.Write "'>" & aDirs(i) & "</a>"
> Next
>
> %>
> </td>
> </tr>
> <tr>
> <td>
> 
> <table class="fld">
> <colgroup class="lhs" />
> <colgroup class="rhs" />
> <tr>
> <td class="title">Folder Name</td>
> <td class="title">Last Modified</td>
> </tr>
> <%
>
> 'Create FileSystemObject
> Set fso = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
>
> 'Loop through Folders
> Set fold = fso.GetFolder(folderspec)
> for each subfolder in fold.subFolders
> 'ignore system or hidden folders - signified by "_"
> If Left(subfolder.name,1) <> "_" Then
> If DateDiff("n", subfolder.DateLastModified, sLastVisit ) < sMaxDiff
Then
> sDateClass = "new"
> Else
> sDateClass = ""
> End if
> %>
> <tr>
> <td><a class="folder"
> href='quality.asp?sub=<%=subfld &
> subfolder.name%>'><%=subfolder.name%>...</a></td>
> <td
> class="<%=sDateClass%>"><%=FormatDateTime(subfolder.DateLastModified,
> VBShortDate)%><%= "..." & DateDiff("n", subfolder.DateLastModified,
> sLastVisit)%></td>
> </tr>
> <%
> End if
> next
> %>
> </table>
> </td>
> <td>
> 
> <table class="fil">
> <colgroup class="lhs" />
> <colgroup class="rhs" />
> <tr>
> <td class="title">File Name</td>
> <td class="title">Last Modified</td>
> </tr>
> <%
> 'Loop through Files
> set files = fold.files
> for each file in files
> If Instr(1, sFilter, lcase(right(file.name,3))) Then
> If DateDiff("n", file.DateLastModified, sLastVisit ) < sMaxDiff Then
> sDateClass = "new"
> Else
> sDateClass = ""
> End if
> %>
> <tr>
> <td><a class="file" href='.<%=subfld &
> file.name%>'><%=file.name%></a></td>
> <td
> class="<%=sDateClass%>"><%=FormatDateTime(file.DateLastModified,
> VBShortDate)%><%= "..." & DateDiff("n", file.DateLastModified,
> sLastVisit )%></td>
> </tr>
> <%
> End if
> Next
> %>
>
> </table>
> </td>
> </tr>
> </table>
> </div>
>
> <p>If you have any queries or you think this page is not functioning
> correctly contact <%=sContact%>.</p>
>
> </body>
> </html>
>
>
>
>