improved date-import parsing

src/app/core/basic-datatypes/date/date-import-config/date-import-config.component.html

@@ -2,18 +2,28 @@
   <mat-form-field>
     <mat-label i18n>Date format</mat-label>
     <input [formControl]="format" matInput />
-    <mat-hint i18n>
-      e.g. YYYY-MM-DD
-      <a
-        href="https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/Date#date_time_string_format"
-        target="_blank"
-        rel="noopener"
-        >(help)</a
-      >
+
+    <mat-hint>
+      <div i18n>
+        e.g. YYYY-MM-DD
+        <a
+          href="https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/Date#date_time_string_format"
+          target="_blank"
+          rel="noopener"
+          >(help)</a
+        >
+      </div>
+
+      @if (hasLowercaseMM) {
+        <div i18n>
+          Warning: "mm" is used for minutes, for months use "MM" instead.
+        </div>
+      }
+
+      @if (format.errors) {
+        <div class="warning" i18n>This format cannot parse all dates.</div>
+      }
     </mat-hint>
-    @if (format.errors) {
-      <mat-error i18n> Format cannot parse all dates </mat-error>
-    }
   </mat-form-field>
 
   <app-help-button

src/app/core/basic-datatypes/date/date-import-config/date-import-config.component.scss

@@ -6,3 +6,7 @@ mat-list-item {
   margin: 5px 0;
   border-radius: 5px;
 }
+
+.warning {
+  color: red;
+}

src/app/core/basic-datatypes/date/date-import-config/date-import-config.component.spec.ts

@@ -1,4 +1,9 @@
-import { ComponentFixture, TestBed } from "@angular/core/testing";
+import {
+  ComponentFixture,
+  fakeAsync,
+  TestBed,
+  tick,
+} from "@angular/core/testing";
 
 import { DateImportConfigComponent } from "./date-import-config.component";
 import { MappingDialogData } from "app/core/import/import-column-mapping/mapping-dialog-data";
@@ -37,41 +42,44 @@ describe("DateImportConfigComponent", () => {
     expect(component).toBeTruthy();
   });
 
-  it("should parse dates with entered format", () => {
-    component.format.setValue("d/m/yyyy");
+  it("should parse dates with entered format", fakeAsync(() => {
+    component.format.setValue("D/M/YYYY");
+    tick();
 
     //Tests may fail with moment.js > 2.29v
     expect(component.values.map(({ parsed }) => parsed)).toEqual([
       moment("2023-02-01").toDate(),
       moment("2023-04-14").toDate(),
       moment("2023-04-05").toDate(),
     ]);
-  });
+  }));
 
-  it("should sort dates that could not be parsed to top", () => {
-    component.format.setValue("dd/mm/yyyy");
+  it("should sort dates that could not be parsed to top", fakeAsync(() => {
+    component.format.setValue("DD/MM/YYYY");
+    tick();
 
     expect(component.values[0].value).toBe("5/4/2023");
     expect(component.values[0].parsed).toBeUndefined();
     expect(component.values[1].parsed).toBeDate("2023-02-01");
     expect(component.values[2].parsed).toBeDate("2023-04-14");
-  });
+  }));
 
-  it("should ask for confirmation on save if some dates could not be parsed", () => {
+  it("should ask for confirmation on save if some dates could not be parsed", fakeAsync(() => {
     const confirmationSpy = spyOn(
       TestBed.inject(ConfirmationDialogService),
       "getConfirmation",
     );
-    component.format.setValue("dd/mm/yyyy");
+    component.format.setValue("DD/MM/YYYY");
+    tick();
 
     component.save();
 
     expect(confirmationSpy).toHaveBeenCalled();
-  });
+  }));
 
   it("should set the format as additional on save", async () => {
     expect(data.col.additional).toBeUndefined();
-    component.format.setValue("d/m/yyyy");
+    component.format.setValue("D/M/YYYY");
     const closeSpy = spyOn(TestBed.inject(MatDialogRef), "close");
 
     await component.save();

src/app/core/basic-datatypes/date/date-import-config/date-import-config.component.ts

@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ import { MatListModule } from "@angular/material/list";
 import { MatButtonModule } from "@angular/material/button";
 import { HelpButtonComponent } from "../../../common-components/help-button/help-button.component";
 import { DynamicComponent } from "../../../config/dynamic-components/dynamic-component.decorator";
+import { DateDatatype } from "../date.datatype";
 
 /**
  * Configuration dialog for parsing date value of data imported from a file.
@@ -43,6 +44,12 @@ export class DateImportConfigComponent {
   valid = false;
   values: { value: string; parsed?: Date }[] = [];
 
+  /**
+   * The date formatting interprets lowercase "mm" as minutes instead of months,
+   * this may lead to misunderstandings, so we check for it and show a warning if detected.
+   */
+  hasLowercaseMM: boolean;
+
   constructor() {
     this.values = this.data.values
       .filter((val) => !!val)
@@ -51,18 +58,24 @@ export class DateImportConfigComponent {
     this.format.setValue(this.data.col.additional);
   }
 
-  checkDateValues() {
+  async checkDateValues() {
     this.format.setErrors(undefined);
-    this.values.forEach((val) => {
+    this.hasLowercaseMM = /mm/.test(this.format.value || "");
+    const dateType = new DateDatatype();
+    for (const val of this.values) {
       // TODO: check and improve the date parsing. Tests fail with moment.js > 2.29
-      const date = moment(val.value, this.format.value?.toUpperCase(), true);
-      if (date.isValid()) {
-        val.parsed = date.toDate();
+      const date = await dateType.importMapFunction(
+        val.value,
+        undefined, // the schema is not needed here, we can skip loading it
+        this.format.value,
+      );
+      if (date instanceof Date && !isNaN(date.getTime())) {
+        val.parsed = date;
       } else {
         delete val.parsed;
         this.format.setErrors({ parsingError: true });
       }
-    });
+    }
     // Sort unparsed dates to front
     this.values.sort((v1, v2) =>
       v1.parsed && !v2.parsed ? 1 : !v1.parsed && v2.parsed ? -1 : 0,
@@ -78,7 +91,7 @@ export class DateImportConfigComponent {
       ));
 
     if (confirmed) {
-      this.data.col.additional = this.format.value?.toUpperCase();
+      this.data.col.additional = this.format.value;
       this.dialog.close();
     }
   }

src/app/core/basic-datatypes/date/date.datatype.spec.ts

@@ -29,4 +29,29 @@ describe("Schema data type: date", () => {
     expect(result).toBeUndefined();
     expect(Logging.debug).toHaveBeenCalled();
   });
+
+  it("should parse dates with importMapFunction", async () => {
+    const datatype = new DateDatatype();
+
+    const validDate = await datatype.importMapFunction(
+      "2020-12-31",
+      null,
+      "YYYY-MM-DD",
+    );
+    expect(validDate).toEqual(new Date(2020, 11, 31));
+
+    const invalidDate = await datatype.importMapFunction(
+      "broken date",
+      null,
+      "YYYY-MM-DD",
+    );
+    expect(invalidDate).toBeUndefined();
+
+    const dateTime = await datatype.importMapFunction(
+      "01.01.2025 15:06",
+      null,
+      "DD.MM.YYYY HH:mm",
+    );
+    expect(dateTime).toEqual(new Date(2025, 0, 1, 15, 6));
+  });
 });

src/app/core/basic-datatypes/date/date.datatype.ts

@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ export class DateDatatype<DBFormat = string> extends DefaultDatatype<
 
   override async importMapFunction(
     val: any,
-    schemaField: EntitySchemaField,
+    schemaField?: EntitySchemaField | undefined,
     additional?: any,
   ) {
     const date = moment(val, additional, true);