GNU bug report logs - #14545
date --iso-8601 should use colon in time zone offset

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Message #5 received at submit <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Jordon Kalilich <jordon <at> theworldofstuff.com>
To: bug-coreutils <at> gnu.org
Subject: date --iso-8601 should use colon in time zone offset
Date: Sun, 02 Jun 2013 21:13:55 -0700

date uses an inconsistent format when the options
--iso-8601=[hours|minutes|seconds|ns] are specified. Example:

$ date --iso-8601=seconds
2013-06-02T20:07:03-0700

The output mostly follows the ISO 8601:2004 extended format but fails to include
a colon in the time zone offset, as required by section 4.3.2 "Complete
representations" and section 4.3.3 "Representations other than complete."

In this example, date should print the date as 2013-06-02T20:07:03-07:00 and
should likewise include a colon in the time zone offset with the "hours,"
"minutes," and "ns" options.

This is based on my use of date 8.20, as packaged with Ubuntu 13.04. I didn't
see anything about this in the shortlog of changes in coreutils 8.21.

Jordon Kalilich

Message #8 received at 14545 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Paul Eggert <eggert <at> cs.ucla.edu>
To: Jordon Kalilich <jordon <at> theworldofstuff.com>
Cc: 14545 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#14545: date --iso-8601 should use colon in time zone offset
Date: Tue, 04 Jun 2013 00:10:12 -0700

On 06/02/2013 09:13 PM, Jordon Kalilich wrote:
> The output mostly follows the ISO 8601:2004 extended format but fails to include
> a colon in the time zone offset, as required by section 4.3.2 "Complete
> representations" and section 4.3.3 "Representations other than complete."

If memory serves the --iso-8601 option conformed to ISO 8601
a while ago, but the ISO standard changed.  At any rate, the
--iso-8601 option has been deprecated since 2005.  Hmm, I
see that this has not been reflected in the documentation, so
perhaps that's the next step to take for this option, on its
way out the door.

You can get the effect you want, with the command

date +'%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%S.%N%:z'

Message #11 received at 14545 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Jordon Kalilich <jordon <at> theworldofstuff.com>
To: Paul Eggert <eggert <at> cs.ucla.edu>
Cc: 14545 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#14545: date --iso-8601 should use colon in time zone offset
Date: Tue, 04 Jun 2013 08:55:39 -0700

Thus spake Paul Eggert on 06/04/2013 12:10 AM:
> At any rate, the --iso-8601 option has been deprecated since 2005.

Why is it deprecated? I don't recall seeing it in the man page until recently,
and I've noticed an increase in the use of ISO 8601 over the past few years.
This option seems like it could be useful for a lot of people.

Message #14 received at 14545 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Jim Meyering <jim <at> meyering.net>
To: Paul Eggert <eggert <at> cs.ucla.edu>
Cc: Jordon Kalilich <jordon <at> theworldofstuff.com>, 14545 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#14545: date --iso-8601 should use colon in time zone offset
Date: Tue, 04 Jun 2013 18:12:43 +0200

Paul Eggert wrote:

> On 06/02/2013 09:13 PM, Jordon Kalilich wrote:
>> The output mostly follows the ISO 8601:2004 extended format but
>> fails to include
>> a colon in the time zone offset, as required by section 4.3.2 "Complete
>> representations" and section 4.3.3 "Representations other than complete."
>
> If memory serves the --iso-8601 option conformed to ISO 8601
> a while ago, but the ISO standard changed.  At any rate, the
> --iso-8601 option has been deprecated since 2005.  Hmm, I
> see that this has not been reflected in the documentation, so
> perhaps that's the next step to take for this option, on its
> way out the door.
>
> You can get the effect you want, with the command
>
> date +'%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%S.%N%:z'

It was undocumented until late 2011's v8.14-17-g2f1384b,
when I undeprecated it.  Here's the commit log entry:

    date: reinstate the --iso-8601 (-I) option

    We deprecated and undocumented the --iso-8601 (-I) option mostly
    because date could not parse that particular format.  Now that
    it can, it's time to restore the documentation.
    * src/date.c (usage): Document it.
    * doc/coreutils.texi (Options for date):
    Reinstate documentation.
    Reported by Hubert Depesz Lubaczewski in http://bugs.gnu.org/7444.

Now that we know the standard has evolved, I'm inclined to conform.

Message #17 received at 14545 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Eric Blake <eblake <at> redhat.com>
To: Jordon Kalilich <jordon <at> theworldofstuff.com>
Cc: Paul Eggert <eggert <at> cs.ucla.edu>, 14545 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#14545: date --iso-8601 should use colon in time zone offset
Date: Tue, 04 Jun 2013 10:13:33 -0600

[Message part 1 (text/plain, inline)]

On 06/04/2013 09:55 AM, Jordon Kalilich wrote:
> Thus spake Paul Eggert on 06/04/2013 12:10 AM:
>> At any rate, the --iso-8601 option has been deprecated since 2005.
> 
> Why is it deprecated? I don't recall seeing it in the man page until recently,
> and I've noticed an increase in the use of ISO 8601 over the past few years.
> This option seems like it could be useful for a lot of people.

It was undeprecated in Oct 2011 with commit 2f1384b:

    date: reinstate the --iso-8601 (-I) option

    We deprecated and undocumented the --iso-8601 (-I) option mostly
    because date could not parse that particular format.  Now that
    it can, it's time to restore the documentation.
    * src/date.c (usage): Document it.
    * doc/coreutils.texi (Options for date): Reinstate documentation.
    Reported by Hubert Depesz Lubaczewski in http://bugs.gnu.org/7444.

-- 
Eric Blake   eblake redhat com    +1-919-301-3266
Libvirt virtualization library http://libvirt.org

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Message #20 received at 14545 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Assaf Gordon <assafgordon <at> gmail.com>
To: 14545 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#14545: date --iso-8601 should use colon in time zone offset
Date: Thu, 18 Oct 2018 18:44:42 -0600

tags 14545 fixed
close 14545
stop

(triaging old bugs)

This was fixed in:
https://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/coreutils.git/commit/?id=17bbf6ce44eb543a95695fa9d2cbd70fb52c6f42

Marking as "fixed" and closing.

-assaf

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