allow users to enter dates in fields without manually entering the "/" symbol

[confianza]

I have a form in which assistants take down prospective client information for my insurance agency. There are several different dates that need to be entered. Some of my employees use the mouse to select the proper date, my most prefer to type it in. The problem is not everyone enters dates exactly the same way and we've been spoiled by online forms and spreadsheets that accept many different ways of entering dates. Right now, in order to successfully enter the date users must strictly enter the data in the format the field accepts. For example, if the chosen date format is m/d/yy users must strictly enter only a single digit for the month, then a "/" then a single digit for the day, another "/", then two digits for the year.

Is there a way to set up a field on a form so that users enter just the numbers for the date (again, foregoing the "/") and have some sort of data validation (a java script?) parse the data and display it in a uniform manner, similarly to how many online forms accept data?

[Will - Tracker Supp]

Hi confianza,

Thanks for the post - This is likely set by the form field itself, so I'll need to take a look at the date script in the form. If this is the same form as in your previous topic, let me know and I'll check this as well as the issue in the previous topic.

Cheers,

[confianza]

Hey there, Will! I'm sure you're right, the data format is specified by the form field itself. What I was hoping for was some sort of data tool that could parse the different ways users have of entering the date. It seems like different users have different tendencies. Some would enter May 21st of 2019 this way, "52119" and others might enter it in this way, "05212019". These online forms often don't require users to enter the "/", nor do they seem picky about users entering a two-digit day or month, and yet they manage to correctly display the entered date regardless.

I have almost zero experience with Java scripts or similar tools, but assuming a script is what I think it is, (a short piece of code that gives instructions for handling specified data?) I was wondering if the right way to handle it might not be to have the field Format Value Category set to "None" and use the Value Validation feature (or Value Calculation, I don't really understand the difference between them) to figure things out?

[TrackerSupp-Daniel]

Hello confianza,
You are correct in your assumption of how a script works, however I must apologize for being unable to assist in this regard.
The javascript functionality included in the Editor is an advanced feature that may often require some prior knowledge to effectively use. In cases like this the script would need to be setup in a way to read every possible combination of date values, be it something like 14/02/1996, or feb-14-96, or as you mentioned before, 21496 with no punctuation.
As such this would require prior knowledge of javascript, this JS reference may help to create one of these scripts, but I feel the simplest method would be to ask your users to use the dropdown. https://www.adobe.com/content/dam/acom/ ... erence.pdf

In regards to the value validation / Calculation options. Validation will ensure that the value adheres to a specific standard (IE: 14/02/1996) and give a warning that the value does not match. Calculation on the other hand will take input from other fields and fill the selected field with the results of that, as an example, you can have a "total" field that is comprised of the sum of 3 "price" fields

[confianza]

Daniel,

Thank you so much. I think I understand a bit better what I need to do and what is reasonable to hope for. Meaning, I totally understand why you don't want to become my free javascript specialist.

I'm actually very pleased with the speed of response and help from Tracker Software.

Thanks again

[TrackerSupp-Daniel]