## D.1.1 DATE Subroutine

The DATE subroutine obtains the current date as set within the system. The call to DATE takes the following form:

    CALL DATE (buf)

buf
  Is a 9-byte variable, array, array element, or character substring.

  The date is returned as a 9-byte ASCII character string taking the following form:

      dd-mmm-yy

  dd
    Is the 2-digit date.
  mmm
    Is the 3-letter month specification.
  yy
    Is the last two digits of the year.

If buf is numeric type and smaller than 9 bytes, data corruption can occur.

If buf is character type, its associated length is passed to the subroutine. If buf is smaller than 9 bytes, the subroutine truncates the date to fit in the specified length. Note that if a CHARACTER array is passed, the subroutine stores the date in the first array element, using the element length-not the length of the entire array. For example, consider the following:

    CHARACTER*1 DAY(9)

     . . .

    CALL DATE(DAY)

The length of the first array element in CHARACTER array DAY is passed to the DATE subroutine. The subroutine then truncates the date to fit into the one-character element, producing an incorrect result.

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