# Funny date parsing

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/funny-date-parsing/133905>\
**Category:** Ruby\
**Created:** [April 4, 2008, 8:47pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/funny-date-parsing/133905 "2008-04-04T20:47:37Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Junkone](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/e274bd/32.png) [@Junkone](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Junkone)\
**Post date:** [April 4, 2008, 8:47pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/funny-date-parsing/133905/1 "2008-04-04T20:47:37Z")

</div>

i enter 2008 and it becomes 0008

irb(main):009:0\> Date.parse(“04-Feb-08”).strftime(’%Y-%m-%d’)  
=\> “0008-02-04”

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Junkone](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/e274bd/32.png) [@Junkone](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Junkone)\
**Post date:** [April 4, 2008, 8:51pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/funny-date-parsing/133905/2 "2008-04-04T20:51:43Z")

</div>

Hi –

On Sat, 5 Apr 2008, Junkone wrote:

> i enter 2008 and it becomes 0008
> 
> irb(main):009:0\> Date.parse(“04-Feb-08”).strftime(’%Y-%m-%d’)  
> =\> “0008-02-04”

You’ve entered 08, not 2008.

David

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Junkone](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/e274bd/32.png) [@Junkone](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Junkone)\
**Post date:** [April 4, 2008, 9:01pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/funny-date-parsing/133905/3 "2008-04-04T21:01:13Z")

</div>

On Apr 4, 2:51 pm, “David A. Black” [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote:

> David
> 
> –  
> Rails training from David A. Black and Ruby Power and Light:  
> ADVANCING WITH RAILS April 14-17 New York City  
> INTRO TO RAILS June 9-12 Berlin  
> ADVANCING WITH RAILS June 16-19 Berlin  
> Seehttp://www.rubypal.comfor details and updates!

oh ok. but all my date formats are like that and i am trying to import  
it. is n’t there a y2k rule somewhere on detecting 08 as 2008. i could  
be wrong. can someone give me a workaround there.

seede

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Junkone](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/e274bd/32.png) [@Junkone](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Junkone)\
**Post date:** [April 4, 2008, 9:11pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/funny-date-parsing/133905/4 "2008-04-04T21:11:11Z")

</div>

On Apr 4, 3:03 pm, Chris S. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote:

> > > On Sat, 5 Apr 2008, Junkone wrote:  
> > > Rails training from David A. Black and Ruby Power and Light:
> 
> - Show quoted text -

thanks for the info

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Junkone](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/e274bd/32.png) [@Junkone](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Junkone)\
**Post date:** [April 4, 2008, 9:05pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/funny-date-parsing/133905/5 "2008-04-04T21:05:55Z")

</div>

On Apr 4, 12:55 pm, Junkone [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote:

> > > =\> “0008-02-04”  
> > > Seehttp://www.rubypal.comfordetails and updates!
> 
> oh ok. but all my date formats are like that and i am trying to import  
> it. is n’t there a y2k rule somewhere on detecting 08 as 2008. i could  
> be wrong. can someone give me a workaround there.
> 
> seede

Date.parse has an optional second argument for handling near-2000 two-  
digit years.

001:0\> Date.parse(‘04-Feb-08’, true).strftime(‘%Y-%m-%d’)  
“2008-02-04”

See documentation here:  
[http://www.ruby-doc.org/core/classes/Date.html#M000656](http://www.ruby-doc.org/core/classes/Date.html#M000656)

HTH,  
Chris