Nepali dates in SMS

Users
1

I have a question about using the Nepali calendar. If we implement that calendar using the instructions provided just for our Nepal region, it says the dates are still stored in Gregorian Calendar. We use SMS from CommCare that generates the dates of the next visit and sends reminder SMS messages to our patients. Is there a way to make that date show using the Nepali Calendar for our users in Nepal, or since it's stored in Gregorian will it still show up that way in the SMS?

2

Hi Hailey,

You can store the result of the format-date-for-calendar() function in a case property directly if you want to retain a copy of the date in another calendar.

That value can then be included in an SMS.

3

Hi Clayton! Thank you! Looking at the documentation I have two clarifying questions:

  1. If i have a space for the clinic worker to input the date of next visit using the nepali calendar, and then on another screen I have the date of next visit displayed, do I use the format-date-for-calendar() function and call the date they entered using the nepali calendar? The documentation says "The first argument to the function should be a standard date" so I'm not sure.

  2. What is the best way to store that date in the nepali calendar? Using a hidden calculation with the format-date-for-calendar() function?

4

Hi,

  1. Yes. The output from the Nepali calendar will be an ISO8601 formatted gregorian date (what the documentation refers to as a 'standard' date), so if you want to display a Nepali date back to the user, you should first format it through the format-date-for-calendar function.

  2. Exactly. That should give you a value that contains the Nepali formatted date as a raw string which you can reference elsewhere.

-Clayton