@Now (Formula Language)

Returns the current time-date.

Syntax

@Now( flags ; serverNames )

Note: The flags and serverNames parameters are new with Release 6.

Parameters

flags

Keyword or keyword list. Optional.

  • [SERVERTIME] gets the time-date from the server containing the database if serverNames is not specified or from serverNames ifserverNames is specified.
  • [LOCALTIMEONERROR] gets the time-date from the local computer if an error occurs getting it from a specified server.

serverNames

Text or text list. Optional. A server name or a list of server names. This parameter applies when [SERVERTIME] is specified.

Return value

now

Time-date or time-date list. The current time-date of the local computer, the server containing the current database, or one or more specified servers. See the "Usage" section that follows.

Usage

@Now gets the time-date of the local computer in the following cases:

  • No parameters are specified.
  • [SERVERTIME] is specified, but the database is local and serverNames is not specified.
  • [LOCALTIMEONERROR] is specified, serverNames is specified, and an error occurs getting the time-date from a server.

@Now gets the time-date of the server containing the current database if [SERVERTIME] is specified and serverNames is not specified.

@Now gets the time-date or time-dates of one or more specified servers if [SERVERTIME] and serverNames are specified.

An error occurs if @Now cannot get the time from a server specified in serverNames and [LOCALTIMEONERROR] is not specified.

Using @Now in column or selection formulas may impact the efficiency of your application. It also causes the view refresh indicator to display constantly.

The @Now function returns the current time with one hundredths of a second precision. However, if you use @Now to specify the current time in a computed field, the hundredths of a second value is always rounded up to the next second, which can result in the current time being one second fast. You can avoid this by replacing @Now with the following formula:

timenow := @Now;
@Date(@Year(timeNow);@Month(timeNow);@Day(timeNow);@Hour(timeNow);@Minute(timeNow);@Second(timeNow))

Examples

  1. This field value formula returns 01/21/96 7:30:45 AM at 7:30:45 A.M. on January 21, 1996. 
    @Now
  2. This agent displays the times on the two servers named Snapper and Tornado.
    @Prompt([Ok];
"Server time";
@Implode("Snapper" : "Tornado" + " " +
@Text(@Now([ServerTime] : [LocalTimeOnError];
"Snapper" : "Tornado")); @Char(13)))