HOWTO: Setting the System Date and Time Programmatically

MORE INFORMATION

Sample Code

   SET CENTURY ON

   * Save the current date and time, reset it at the end.
   m.olddate = DATE()
   m.oldtime = TIME(1)

   * Set the system time arbitrarily to 10:30:15 AM on 06/30/2001.
   m.updtdate = {06/30/2001}
   m.updttime = "10:30:15.00"
   =setsystime(m.updtdate, m.updttime)

   =MESSAGEBOX("Old date: " + DTOC(m.olddate) + CHR(13) + ;
      "Old time: " + m.oldtime + CHR(13) + ;
      "New system date: " + DTOC(DATE()) + CHR(13) + ;
      "New system time: " + TIME(1), ;
      0 + 64 + 0, ;
      "SetLocalTime()")

   * Now, reset it to its original value.
   m.updtdate = m.olddate
   m.updttime = m.oldtime
   =setsystime(m.updtdate, m.updttime)


   * Function setsystime.
   * Parameters: date, character time in the form HH:MM:SS:hh.
   * Returns: nothing.
   FUNCTION setsystime

   PARAMETERS m.updtdate, m.updttime

   DECLARE SHORT SetLocalTime IN win32api STRING SystemTime

   * Use SendMessage to tell everybody that we've changed the system time.
   DECLARE INTEGER SendMessage IN win32api ;
      INTEGER WindowHandle, ;
      INTEGER MESSAGE, ;
      STRING Param1, ;
      STRING Param2

   * SendMessage constants.
   #DEFINE HWND_BROADCAST 65535
   #DEFINE WM_TIMECHANGE 30

   m.SystemTime = word2str(YEAR(m.updtdate)) + ;
      word2str(MONTH(m.updtdate)) + ;
      word2str(DOW(m.updtdate) - 1) + ;
      word2str(DAY(m.updtdate)) + ;
      word2str(VAL(LEFT(m.updttime, 2))) + ;
      word2str(VAL(SUBSTR(m.updttime, 4, 2))) + ;
      word2str(VAL(SUBSTR(m.updttime, 7, 2))) + ;
      word2str(VAL(RIGHT(m.updttime, 2)))

   m.retval = SetLocalTime(m.SystemTime)

   * Send the message that the time has changed.
   m.retval = SendMessage(HWND_BROADCAST, WM_TIMECHANGE, "", "")

   * Function word2str.
   * Parameters: 16-bit value.
   * Returns: low-high format string for use in structures
   * requiring a WORD value.
   FUNCTION word2str

   PARAMETERS m.wordval

   PRIVATE i, m.retstr

   m.retstr = ""
   FOR i = 8 TO 0 STEP -8
      m.retstr = CHR(INT(m.wordval/(2^i))) + m.retstr
      m.wordval = MOD(m.wordval, (2^i))
   NEXT
   RETURN m.retstr