From: Jos Backus <jos@...>
Date: 2007-02-03T03:23:28+09:00
Subject: Re: What's up with Time.local ?

On Sat, Feb 03, 2007 at 02:58:59AM +0900, Peter Bailey wrote:
> I need to check some file dates against the budgetary periods of our
> company, to determine where those files get placed. I'm playing with the
> Time.local object. I've proven that I can denote which budget period I'm
> in by using the .between? method. But, I get this weird "octal digit"
> error with some of my date entries.
> 
> irb(main):001:0> t = Time.local(2007,09,09,00,00)
> SyntaxError: compile error
> (irb):1: Illegal octal digit
> t = Time.local(2007,09,09,00,00)

Numeric literals starting with `0' are interpreted as octal numbers. Try
dropping the leading `0''s.

>                       ^
> (irb):1: Illegal octal digit
> t = Time.local(2007,09,09,00,00)
>                          ^
> 
> I don't get the error when I specify the following date. It doesn't seem
> to like the month of September. (-;
> 
> irb(main):005:0> t = Time.local(2007,01,01,00,00)
> => Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0500 2007
 
That's because there is no `9' in the base-8 number system, just like there is
no `A' in the regular base-10 number system (but there is in the base-16
system a.k.a. hexadecimal).

Hth,
-- 
Jos Backus
jos at catnook.com