JMP supports many date/time formats, but some less conventional (or downright esoteric) formats still crop up from time to time. To many users, converting an oddly formatted date/time from string to numeric form is a frustrating endeavor, requiring custom formulas and an assortment of seldom-used string and numeric operations. With the Custom Date Formula Writer, you can simply point-and-click your date/time troubles away, generating the necessary formula without writing code.
To begin, install the Data Table Tools Add-in and navigate to the formula writer:
Now the new date column is just four steps away:
- Choose the table and column containing the character date/time data.
- Point and click to delimit the "words" in the data.
- Specify the meaning of each word, and various options, using drop-down menus and radio buttons.
- Press the "Build formula column" button.
Here's what the process looks like:
Step 1: Choose the table and date/time column.
Step 2: Point and click the text to delimit the data, then press the "Apply delimiting and choose words" button.
Step 3: Complete the dialog using the radio buttons and drop-down menus to select options and word roles.
Step 4: Click the "Build Formula Column" button to write the new formula column to the data table.
The column formula is written automatically. Isn't that nice? Hopefully, your date worries are now a thing of the past.
This add-in, along with many others, is available for free on the JMP User Community's File Exchange.
I'll be blogging on more table tools in the future, so stay tuned!
Note: This blog post is first in a series exploring the various features of the Data Table Tools add-in.
