The Timestamp data
type
A Timestamp value represents a specific point in time. The Timestamp data type can be one single point
or any point within a given range, depending on the number of specified parameters. Timestamp values that include a default parameter represents an infinite range of
either positive or negative Timestamps. A Timestamp value can be specified
with strings or numbers in various forms.
Parameters
The full signature
for Timestamp is:
Timestamp[ (<TIMESTAMP VALUE>, (<RANGE LIMIT>)) ]The type takes up to two parameters, and defaults to an infinite range to the past and future. A
Timestamp with one parameter represents a single
point in time, while two parameters represent a range of Timestamps,
with the first parameter being the from value and the second
being the to value.
| Position | Parameter | Data type | Default value | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Timestamp value | String, Float,
Integer, or default |
default (negative infinity in a range) |
Point in time if passed alone,
or from value in a range if passed with a
second parameter. |
| 2 | Range limit | String, Float,
Integer, or default |
default (positive infinity), or none if only
one value is passed |
The to value in a range. |
Timestamp that is defined as a single point in
time (one parameter) matches exactly that point.
A Timestamp that is defined as a range (two parameters)
matches any point in time within that range. If either end of a range is defined
as default (infinity), it is an open range,
while any other range is a closed range. The range is inclusive.
So, Timestamp['2000-01-01T00:00:00.000'] matches 0:00 UTC on 1
January, 2000, while Timestamp['2000-01-01T00:00:00.000',
'2001-01-01T00:00:00.000] matches Timestamp values
from that point in time to a point in time one year later, inclusive.
Timestamp values are interpreted depending on their format.
For information about converting values of other types to Timestamp
using the new function, or for converting a Timespan
to a String using the strftime function, see the function reference documentation.
Examples:
Timestamp['2000-01-01T00:00:00.000', default]Timestamps from the start
of the 21st century to an infinite point in the future. Timestamp['2012-10-10']Timestamp 2012-10-10T00:00:00.0
UTC. Timestamp[default, 1433116800]Timestamps from an
infinite point in the past to 2015-06-01T00:00:00 UTC, here expressed as
seconds since the Unix epoch. Timestamp['2010-01-01', '2015-12-31T23:59:59.999999999']Timestamps between the
start of 2010 and the end of 2015.