User Guide

Table Of Contents

Data type conversion 61

Converting date and time data

To ensure that a date and time value is expressed as a real number, add zero to the variable. The

following example shows this:

Use cfoutput to display the result of the now function:<br>

<cfoutput>#mynow#</cfoutput><br>

Now add 0 to the result and display it again:<br>

<cfoutput>#mynow#</cfoutput>

At 1:06 PM on June 6, 2003, its output looked like this:

Use cfoutput to display the result of the now function:

{ts '2003-06-03 13:06:44'}

Now add 0 to the result and display it again:

37775.5463426

Converting numeric values

When ColdFusion evaluates an expression that includes both integers and real numbers, the result

is a real number. To convert a real number to an integer, use a ColdFusion function. The

Int,

Round, Fix, and Ceiling functions convert real numbers to integers, and differ in their treatment

of the fractional part of the number.

If you use a hidden form field with a name that has the suffix

_integer or _range to validate a

form input field, ColdFusion truncates real numbers entered into the field and passes the

resulting integer to the action page.

If you use a hidden form field with a name that has the suffix

_integer, _float, or _range to

validate a form input field, and the entered data contains a dollar amount (including a dollar sign)

or a numeric value with commas, ColdFusion considers the input to be valid, removes the dollar

sign or commas from the value, and passes the resulting integer or real number to the action page.

Evaluation and type conversion issues

The following sections explain several issues that you might encounter with type evaluation and

conversion.

Comparing variables to True or False

You might expect the following two cfif tag examples to produce the same results:

<cfoutput>myVariable equals #myVariable# and is True

</cfoutput>

</cfif>

<cfoutput>myVariable equals #myVariable# and is True

</cfoutput>

</cfif>