Custom Import - Parse String to Date Format

The following script adds dashes to a date format. This solution uses string parsing. In computing, a string is a series of Unicode characters.

Overview:
In the course of creating a new custom census import, the date data provided may import like this: 01012011 - without slashes. This date value needs to be converted to: 01/01/2011.

Solution 1 -
This can be done in the spreadsheet, with an Excel formula:

VALUE(LEFT(CELL,2)&"/"&MID(CELL,3,2)&"/"&RIGHT(CELL,4))

Solution 2 -
But more efficiently, this can be done via script in a custom import field.

Example:

Custom Field for DOB (Date of Birth) -- the value is 04161985
You need it to be parsed to 04/16/1985

The following script creates the slashes between the numbers:

var sDate = Event.Value; if (sDate) Event.Value = sDate.substr(0, 2) + '/' + sDate.substr(2, 2) + '/' + sDate.substr(4, 4);

Explanation:
The script is saying, "Take a part of the string, starting at the first string character, count 2 places, then add a "/"; then, from the next string character in line (the 3rd string character) count the next 2 places, then add a "/"; then, from the 5th string character count the next 4 string characters."

Note: In programming, the first character starts at 0, not 1. So, for the first two characters you would count 0, 1. For the third and fourth characters, you would count as 2 and 3, and so forth.