Total N00b needs help with dates

[Blagmeister]

Please excuse the ignorance on my part but I am a total n00b as far as FM and databases are concerned.

I have just created a flatfile database which contains data on clients [Contact data etc,] and also membership and contract records [licence No.s and Contract refs together with the associated inception and expiry dates.]

My question is this: If I enter a date in one field, can I apply a calculation on it amounting to a fixed period of time [such as eg. xx/xx/xxxx plus 4 weeks or xx/xx/xxxx plus 12 months] and then have the results appear in another field?

I have managed to get a few other more simple calculations to behave like this with basic numbers, but I am at a loss as to what caluculation fucntion to apply in this instance as dates are involved.

Any help would be most appreciated.

[comment]

See FMP Help > Functions reference > Date functions.

[Blagmeister]

See FMP Help > Functions reference > Date functions.

Thanks for the prompt response however, having already viewed that section of the Help section, it made little sense apart from litsting the functions available to me. My problem lies in knowing HOW to apply the functions. As I explained in my opening post, I am totally new to Filemaker and databases in general other than using Excel at a fundamental level which is a different logicset.

I understand the functions listed perform an action on the data contained within the field, [at least I think thats what it means!], but I still cannot understand how those functions will allow me to apply the calculation I am trying to achieve.

The specific issue is that I have 2 fields: Start of Free Period Date and End of Free Period Date, where the free period is 4 weeks duration. I enter a date in the first field and the calculation then computes the date in the second field. Only trouble is, I dont know which calculation to use!!!

HELP!

[comment]

My Help appears to be better than yours - it has examples, some of them nearly identical to your questions.

Anyway:

To add exactly 4 weeks, i.e. 28 days:

End of Free Period Date =

Start of Free Period Date + 28

 

To add 1 month:

End of Free Period Date = 

Date ( 

Month ( Start of Free Period ) + 1 ; 

Day ( Start of Free Period ) ; 

Year ( Start of Free Period ) 

)

 

To add 1 year:

End of Free Period Date = 

Date ( 

Month ( Start of Free Period ) ; 

Day ( Start of Free Period ) ; 

Year ( Start of Free Period ) + 1

)

Hopefully that makes the pattern clear. Remember to set the calculation result to date.

[Blagmeister]

Many thanks! An example was what I needed! I appreciate the help.