.\"
.\" %nmhwarning%
.\" $Id$
.\"
.\" include the -mh macro file
.so %etcdir%/tmac.h
.\"
.TH DP %manext8% MH.6.8 [%nmhversion%]
.SH NAME
dp \- parse dates 822-style
.SH SYNOPSIS
.in +.5i
.ti -.5i
%libdir%/dp
\%[\-form\ formatfile]
.br
\%[\-format\ string]
\%[\-width\ columns]
dates\ ...
.br
\%[\-version]
\%[\-help]
.in -.5i
.SH DESCRIPTION
\fIDp\fR is a program that parses dates according to the ARPA Internet
standard.
It also understands many non\-standard formats,
such as those produced by TOPS\-20 sites and some UNIX sites using
\fIctime\fR(3).
It is useful for seeing how \fInmh\fR will interpret a date.

The \fIdp\fR program treats each argument as a single date,
and prints the date out in the official 822\-format.
Hence, it is usually best to enclose each argument in double\-quotes for the
shell.

To override the output format used by \fIdp\fR,
the `\-format\ string' or `\-format\ file' switches are used.
This permits individual fields of the address to be extracted with ease.
The string is simply a format string and the file is simply a format file.
See \fImh\-format\fR(5) for the details.

Here is the default format string used by \fIdp\fR:

.nf
.ti +.5i
%<(nodate{text})error: %{text}%|%(putstr(pretty{text}))%>
.fi

which says that if an error was detected, print the error, a `:',
and the date in error.
Otherwise, output the 822\-proper format of the date.
.Fi
^$HOME/\&.mh\(ruprofile~^The user profile
.Pr
None
.Sa
ap(8)
.br
\fIStandard for the Format of ARPA Internet Text Messages\fR (RFC\-822)
.De
`\-format' default as described above
.Ds
`\-width' default to the width of the terminal
.Co
None
.Bu
The argument to the `\-format' switch must be interpreted as a single token
by the shell that invokes \fIdp\fR.
Therefore,
one must usually place the argument to this switch inside double\-quotes.
.En