Interactive Date Dynamic Input Struggle Bus

[Gr4c3Sult]

I am trying to build an App.. This is my first one so bare with me.  I am using the dynamic input tool to get the data directly from our DB.  However the date format needs to be changed to be updated in the SQL.  I have the action tool update the text input with the correct format using Date Time formula function (%d-%B-%Y) Then I use the Select tool to use AR dates and AP dates for each flow.  I am trying to use the filter tool to ensure the date range isn't too large and overwhelm our server.  ABS(DateTimeDiff([AR First Date],[AR Last Date],'days'))<50

Even if the dates are within the range, it gives me the error message from the message tool. I have a feeling it might have something to do with the data type.. but all the things I have tried isn't working 😕  Am I going about this wrong?  Is there an easier way?  If not, any ideas on how to fix it?

Appreciate any help!  Thank you!! 

Grace

[phottovy · Accepted solution]

Hi @Gr4c3Sult 

You really aren't that far off and your are correct about your data type assumption. By including your DATETIMEFORMAT formula in your action tools, you are replacing the dates in your text input with a string, which is causing the error in your filter. In the attached workflow, I removed that formula in your action tools and added a formula tool after the filters to give you dates that will work in your dynamic query. 

You might also try playing around with the "Error Message" interface tool. You might be able to check for an error directly from the interface tools instead of using a filter to identify them.

[phottovy]

I also recommend using the under utilized debugging tools in the "Interface Designer." Here is how I debugged your app: 

1. Open Interface Designer using  Ctrl+Alt+D or go to View>Interface Designer
2. Using the test view (second option from the top), select some values for your app. Finally, click open debug on the right side:
3. This will create a workflow with your selected values for you to test. In my case, I chose 5/1 for my starting dates and 6/1 for my ending dates. When I run the debug workflow, I get the following error:

ConvError: Filter (55): DATETIMEDIFF1: "01-May-2021" is not a valid Date or Time

I then took a look at the updated Text Input tool in the debug workflow which now looks like:

From there, I looked at your action tools and realized the DATETIMEFORMAT was causing the data type change in the text tool. Then, I just had to rearrange a few steps of your workflow to remove the error.

[Gr4c3Sult]

@phottovy 

Thank you!! That worked perfectly!!  I also appreciate the suggestion of playing with the interface error tool.  I will do that!! 

Best Regards,

Grace