Updated: 11 December 1998

OpenVMS Programming Concepts Manual

Example 6-1 calculates differences between the current time and a time input in absolute format, and then displays the result as delta time. If the input time is later than the current time, the difference is a negative value (delta time) and can be displayed directly. If the input time is an earlier time, the difference is a positive value (absolute time) and must be converted to delta time before being displayed. To change an absolute time to a delta time, negate the time array by subtracting it from 0 (specified as an integer array) using the LIB$SUBX routine, which performs subtraction on signed two's complement integers of arbitrary length. For the absolute or delta time format, see Section 6.1.1 and Section 6.1.2.

Example 6-1 Calculating and Displaying the Time

. . . ! Internal times ! Input time in absolute format, dd-mmm-yyyy hh:mm:ss.ss ! INTEGER*4 CURRENT_TIME (2), 2 PAST_TIME (2), 2 TIME_DIFFERENCE (2), 2 ZERO (2) DATA ZERO /0,0/ ! Formatted times CHARACTER*23 PAST_TIME_F CHARACTER*16 TIME_DIFFERENCE_F ! Status INTEGER*4 STATUS ! Integer functions INTEGER*4 SYS$GETTIM, 2 LIB$GET_INPUT, 2 SYS$BINTIM, 2 LIB$SUBX, 2 SYS$ASCTIM ! Get current time STATUS = SYS$GETTIM (CURRENT_TIME) IF (.NOT. STATUS) CALL LIB$SIGNAL (%VAL (STATUS)) ! Get past time and convert to internal format STATUS = LIB$GET_INPUT (PAST_TIME_F, 2 'Past time (in absolute format): ') IF (.NOT. STATUS) CALL LIB$SIGNAL (%VAL (STATUS)) STATUS = SYS$BINTIM (PAST_TIME_F, 2 PAST_TIME) IF (.NOT. STATUS) CALL LIB$SIGNAL (%VAL (STATUS)) ! Subtract past time from current time STATUS = LIB$SUBX (CURRENT_TIME, 2 PAST_TIME, 2 TIME_DIFFERENCE) IF (.NOT. STATUS) CALL LIB$SIGNAL (%VAL (STATUS)) ! If resultant time is in absolute format (positive value means ! most significant bit is not set), convert it to delta time IF (.NOT. (BTEST (TIME_DIFFERENCE(2),31))) THEN STATUS = LIB$SUBX (ZERO, 2 TIME_DIFFERENCE, 2 TIME_DIFFERENCE) END IF ! Format time difference and display STATUS = SYS$ASCTIM (, TIME_DIFFERENCE_F, 2 TIME_DIFFERENCE,) IF (.NOT. STATUS) CALL LIB$SIGNAL (%VAL (STATUS)) TYPE *, 'Time difference = ', TIME_DIFFERENCE_F END

If you are ignoring the time portion of date/time (that is, working just at the date level), the LIB$DAY routine might simplify your calculations. LIB$DAY returns to you the number of days from the base system date to a given date.

6.2.1.2 Obtaining Absolute Time with SYS$ASCTIM and SYS$BINTIM

The Convert Binary Time to ASCII String (SYS$ASCTIM) system service is the converse of the Convert ASCII String to Binary Time (SYS$BINTIM) system service. You provide the service with the time in the ASCII format shown in Section 6.3.2. The service then converts the string to a time value in 64-bit format. You can use this returned value as input to a timer scheduling service.

When you specify the ASCII string buffer, you can omit any of the fields, and the service uses the current date or time value for the field. Thus, if you want a timer request to be date independent, you could format the input buffer for the SYS$BINTIM service as shown in the following example. The two hyphens that are normally embedded in the date field must be included, and at least one blank must precede the time field.

#include <stdio.h> #include <descrip.h> /* Buffer to receive binary time */ struct { unsigned int buff1, buff2; }binary_noon; main() { unsigned int status; $DESCRIPTOR(ascii_noon,"-- 12:00:00.00"); /* noon (absolute time) */ /* Convert time */ status = SYS$BINTIM(&ascii_noon, /* timbuf - ASCII time */ &binary_noon); /* timadr - binary time */ }

When the SYS$BINTIM service completes, a 64-bit time value representing "noon today" is returned in the quadword at BINARY_NOON.

6.2.1.3 Obtaining Delta Time with SYS$BINTIM

The SYS$BINTIM system service also converts ASCII strings to delta time values to be used as input to timer services. The buffer for delta time ASCII strings has the following format:

dddd hh:mm:ss.cc

The first field, indicating the number of days, must be specified as 0 if you are specifying a delta time for the current day.

The following example shows how to use the SYS$BINTIM service to obtain a delta time in system format:

#include <stdio.h> #include <descrip.h> /* Buffer to receive binary time */ struct { unsigned int buff1, buff2; }btenmin; main() { unsigned int status; $DESCRIPTOR(atenmin,"0 00:10:00.00"); /* 10-min delta */ /* Convert time from ASCII to binary */ status = SYS$BINTIM(&atenmin, /* timbuf - time in ASCII */ &btenmin); /* timadr - binary time */ }

If you are programming in VAX MACRO, you can also specify approximate delta time values when you assemble a program, using two MACRO .LONG directives to represent a time value in 100-ns units. The arithmetic is based on the following formula:

1 second = 10 million * 100 ns

For example, the following statement defines a delta time value of 5 seconds:

FIVESEC: .LONG -10*1000*1000*5,-1 ; Five seconds

The value 10 million is expressed as 10*1000*1000 for readability. Note that the delta time value is negative.

If you use this notation, however, you are limited to the maximum number of 100-ns units that can be expressed in a longword. In time values this is slightly more than 7 minutes.

6.2.1.4 Obtaining Numeric and ASCII Time with SYS$NUMTIM

The Convert Binary Time to Numeric Time (SYS$NUMTIM) system service converts a time in the system format into binary integer values. The service returns each of the components of the time (year, month, day, hour, and so on) into a separate word of a 7-word buffer. The SYS$NUMTIM system service and the format of the information returned are described in the OpenVMS System Services Reference Manual.

You use the SYS$ASCTIM system service to format the time in ASCII for inclusion in an output string. The SYS$ASCTIM service accepts as an argument the address of a quadword that contains the time in system format and returns the date and time in ASCII format.

If you want to include the date and time in a character string that contains additional data, you can format the output string with the Formatted ASCII Output (SYS$FAO) system service. The SYS$FAO system service converts binary values to ASCII representations, and substitutes the results in character strings according to directives supplied in an input control string. Among these directives are !%T and !%D, which convert a quadword time value to an ASCII string and substitute the result in an output string. For examples of how to do this, see the discussion of $FAO in the OpenVMS System Services Reference Manual.

6.2.2 Date/Time Manipulation Routines

The run-time LIB$ facility provides several date/time manipulation routines. These routines let you add, subtract, and multiply dates and times. Use the LIB$ADDX and LIB$SUBX routines to add and subtract times, since the times are defined in integer arrays. Use LIB$ADD_TIMES and LIB$SUB_TIMES to add and subtract two quadword times. When manipulating delta times, remember that they are stored as negative numbers. For example, to add a delta time to an absolute time, you must subtract the delta time from the absolute time. Use LIB$MULT_DELTA_TIME and LIB$MULTF_DELTA_TIME to multiply delta times by scalar and floating scalar.

Table 6-2 lists all the LIB$ routines that perform date/time manipulation.

Table 6-2 Date/Time Manipulation Routines

Routine	Function
LIB$ADD_TIMES	Adds two quadword times
LIB$FORMAT_DATE_TIME	Formats a date and/or time for output
LIB$FREE_DATE_TIME_CONTEXT	Frees the date/time context
LIB$GET_MAXIMUM_DATE_LENGTH	Returns the maximum possible length of an output date/time string
LIB$GET_USERS_LANGUAGE	Returns the user's selected language
LIB$INIT_DATE_TIME_CONTEXT	Initializes the date/time context with a user-specified format
LIB$MULT_DELTA_TIME	Multiplies a delta time value by an integer scalar value
LIB$MULTF_DELTA_TIME	Multiplies a delta time value by an F-floating point scalar value
LIB$SUB_TIMES	Subtracts two quadword times

6.3 Timer Routines Used to Obtain and Set Current Time

This section presents information about getting the current date and time, and setting current time. The run-time library (LIB$) facility provides date/time utility routines for languages that do not have built-in time and date functions. These routines return information about the current date and time or a date/time specified by the user. You can obtain the current time by using the LIB$DATE_TIME routine or by implementing the SYS$GETTIM system service. To set the current time, use the SYS$SETTIME system service.

Table 6-3 describes the date/time routines.

Table 6-3 Timer RTLs and System Services

Routine	Function
Timer Run-Time Library (LIB$) Routines
LIB$DATE_TIME	Returns, using a string descriptor, the operating system date and time in the semantics of a string that the user provides.
LIB$DAY	Returns the number of days since the system zero date of November 17, 1858. This routine takes one required argument and two optional arguments: The address of a longword to contain the number of days since the system zero date (required) A quadword passed by reference containing a time in system time format to be used instead of the current system time (optional) A longword integer to contain the number of 10-millisecond units since midnight (optional)
LIB$DAY_OF_WEEK	Returns the numeric day of the week for an input time value. If the input time value is 0, the current day of the week is returned. The days are numbered 1 through 7: Monday is day 1 and Sunday is day 7.
System Service Routine
SYS$SETIME	Changes the value of or recalibrates the system time.

6.3.1 Obtaining Current Time and Date with LIB$DATE_TIME

The LIB$DATE_TIME routine returns a character string containing the current date and time in absolute time format. The full string requires a declaration of 23 characters. If you specify a shorter string, the value is truncated. A declaration of 16 characters obtains only the date. The following example displays the current date and time:

! Formatted date and time CHARACTER*23 DATETIME ! Status and library procedures INTEGER*4 STATUS, 2 LIB$DATE_TIME EXTERNAL LIB$DATE_TIME STATUS = LIB$DATE_TIME (DATETIME) IF (.NOT. STATUS) CALL LIB$SIGNAL (%VAL (STATUS)) TYPE *, DATETIME

6.3.2 Obtaining Current Time and Date with SYS$GETTIM

/* Buffer to receive the binary time */ struct { unsigned int buff1, buff2; }time; . . . main() { unsigned status;

This call to SYS$GETTIM returns the current date and time in system format in the quadword buffer TIME.

The Convert Binary Time to ASCII String (SYS$ASCTIM) system service converts a time in system format to an ASCII string and returns the string in a 23-byte buffer. You call the SYS$ASCTIM system service as follows:

#include <stdio.h> #include <descrip.h> struct { unsigned int buff1, buff2; }time_value; main() { unsigned int status; char timestr[23]; $DESCRIPTOR(atimenow, timestr); /* Get binary time */ status = SYS$GETTIM(&time_value); if ((status & 1) != 1) LIB$SIGNAL( status ); /* Convert binary time to ASCII */ status = SYS$ASCTIM(0, /* timlen - Length of ASCII string */ &atimenow, /* timbuf - ASCII time buffer */ &time_value, /* timadr - Binary time */ 0); /* cvtflags - Conversion indicator */ if ((status & 1) != 1) LIB$SIGNAL( status ); }

Because the address of a 64-bit time value is not supplied, the default value, 0, is used.

The string the service returns has the following format:

dd-MMM-yyyy hh:mm:ss.cc

dd	Day of the month
MMM	Month (a 3-character alphabetic abbreviation)
yyyy	Year
hh:mm:ss.cc	Time in hours, minutes, seconds, and hundredths of a second

6.3.3 Setting the Current Time with SYS$SETIME

The Set System Time (SYS$SETIME) system service allows a user with the operator (OPER) and logical I/O (LOG_IO) privileges to set the current system time. You can specify a new system time (using the timadr argument), or you can recalibrate the current system time using the processor's hardware time-of-year clock (omitting the timadr argument). If you specify a time, it must be an absolute time value; a delta time (negative) value is invalid.

The system time is set whenever the system is bootstrapped. Normally you do not need to change the system time between system bootstrap operations; however, in certain circumstances you may want to change the system time without rebooting. For example, you might specify a new system time to synchronize two processors, or to adjust for changes between standard time and Daylight Savings Time. Also, you may want to recalibrate the time to ensure that the system time matches the hardware clock time (the hardware clock is more accurate than the system clock).

The DCL command SET TIME calls the SYS$SETIME system service.

If a process issues a delta time request and then the system time is changed, the interval remaining for the request does not change; the request executes after the specified time has elapsed. If a process issues an absolute time request and the system time is changed, the request executes at the specified time, relative to the new system time.

The following example shows the effect of changing the system time on an existing timer request. In this example, two set timer requests are scheduled: one is to execute after a delta time of 5 minutes and the other specifies an absolute time of 9:00.

#include <stdio.h> #include <descrip.h> #include <ssdef.h> #include <stdlib.h> void gemini (int x); unsigned int status; /* Buffers to receive binary times */ struct { unsigned int buff1, buff2; }abs_binary, delta_binary; main() { $DESCRIPTOR(abs_time,"-- 19:37:00.00"); /* 9 am absolute time */ $DESCRIPTOR(delta_time,"0 :00:30"); /* 5-min delta time */ /* Convert ASCII absolute time to binary format */ status = SYS$BINTIM( &abs_time, /* ASCII absolute time */ &abs_binary); /* Converted to binary */ if (status == SS$_NORMAL) { status = SYS$SETIMR(0, /* efn - event flag */ &abs_binary, /* daytim - expiration time */ &gemini, /* astadr - AST routine */ 1, /* reqidt - timer request id */ 0); /* flags */ if (status == SS$_NORMAL) printf("Setting system timer A\n"); } else LIB$SIGNAL( status ); /* Convert ASCII delta time to binary format */ status = SYS$BINTIM( &delta_time, /* ASCII delta time */ &delta_binary); /* Converted to binary */ if (status == SS$_NORMAL) { printf("Converting delta time to binary format\n"); status = SYS$SETIMR(0, /* efn - event flag */ &delta_binary, /* daytim - expiration time */ &gemini, /* astadr - AST routine */ 2, /* reqidt - timer request id */ 0); /* flags */ if (status == SS$_NORMAL) printf("Setting system timer B\n"); else LIB$SIGNAL( status ); } else LIB$SIGNAL( status ); status = SYS$HIBER(); } void gemini (int reqidt) { unsigned short outlen; unsigned int cvtflg=1; char timenow[12]; char fao_str[80]; $DESCRIPTOR(nowdesc, timenow); $DESCRIPTOR(fao_in, "Request ID !UB answered at !AS"); $DESCRIPTOR(fao_out, fao_str); /* Returns and converts the current time */ status = SYS$ASCTIM( 0, /* timlen - length of ASCII string */ &nowdesc, /* timbuf - receives ASCII string */ 0, /* timadr - time value to convert */ cvtflg); /* cvtflg - conversion flags */ if ((status & 1) != 1) LIB$SIGNAL( status ); /* Receives the formatted output string */ status = SYS$FAO(&fao_in, /* srcstr - control FAO string */ &outlen, /* outlen - length in bytes */ &fao_out, /* outbuf - output buffer */ reqidt, /* p1 - param needed for 1st FAO dir */ &nowdesc); /* p2 - param needed for 2nd FAO dir */ if ((status & 1) != 1) LIB$SIGNAL( status ); status = LIB$PUT_OUTPUT( &fao_out ); return; }

The following example shows the output received from the preceding program. Assume the program starts execution at 8:45. Seconds later, the system time is set to 9:15. The timer request that specified an absolute time of 9:00 executes immediately, because 9:00 has passed. The request that specified a delta time of 5 minutes times out at 9:20.

$ SHOW TIME 30-DEC-1993 8:45:04.56 +----------------------+ $ RUN SCORPIO | operator sets system | <-----------------------------------------------| time to 9:15 | Request ID number 1 executed at 09:15:00.00 +----------------------+ Request ID number 2 executed at 09:20:00.02 $

6.4 Routines Used for Timer Requests

This section presents information about setting and canceling timer requests, and scheduling and canceling wakeups. Since many applications require the scheduling of program activities based on clock time, the operating system allows an image to schedule events for a specific time of day or after a specified time interval. For example, you can use timer system services to schedule, convert, or cancel events. For example, you can use the timer system services to do the following:

• Schedule the setting of an event flag or the queuing of an asynchronous system trap (AST) for the current process, or cancel a pending request that has not yet been processed
• Schedule a wakeup request for a hibernating process, or cancel a pending wakeup request that has not yet been processed
• Set or recalibrate the current system time, if the caller has the proper user privileges

Table 6-4 describes system services that set, cancel, and schedule timer requests.

Table 6-4 Timer System Services

Timer System Service Routine	Function
SYS$SETIMR	Sets the timer to expire at a specified time. This service sets a per-thread timer.
SYS$CANTIM	Cancels all or a selected subset of the Set Timer requests previously issued by the current image executing in a process. This service cancels all timers associated with the process.
SYS$SCHDWK	Schedules the awakening (restarting) of a kernel thread that has placed itself in a state of hibernation with the Hibernate (SYS$HIBER) service.
SYS$CANWAK	Removes all scheduled wakeup requests for a process from the timer queue, including those made by the caller or by other processes. The Schedule Wakeup ($SCHDWK) service makes scheduled wakeup requests.

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