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Usage
{{|string formatted as a valid date}}
Specify optional parameter {{{2}}} to get soft error rather than a hard {{error}}
{{|1999}}gives: 1999{{|1999-12-12}}gives: 1999{{|January 1999}}gives: 1999{{|1 January 1999}}gives: 1999{{|January 1, 1999}}gives: 1999{{|1-2-1990}}gives: 1990{{|1/2/1990}}gives: 1990{{|2239-10-23}}gives: 2239
Reports "Error" if given bad input:
{{|1-14-1990}}gives: Error
Reason for the error: there are not 14 months.{{|61 January 1999}}gives: Error
Reason for the error: no month has 61 days.{{|1 MyMonth 1999}}gives: Error
Reason for the error: there is no such month name.{{|some text which is not a date}}gives: Error
Reason for the error: no date information to parse.{{|on approximately 1999-12-12}}gives: Error
Reason for the error: includes extraneous content.
If used with a year range, it returns only the first match:
{{|1999-2001}}gives: 1999
This presently only works when the year range is specified with a hyphen; if correctly given with an en dash, it reports an error (this will probably not be fixed, because handling ranges is not the template's function; that it kinda-sorta works on something like 1999-2001 with a hyphen is basically just an accident):
{{|1999–2001}}gives: Error
If used without input, it simply outputs the current year:
{{}}gives: 2026
It can be cleanly substituted for this purpose. If fed invalid data when substituted, it produces a larger, red error.
See also
{{date}}– outputs the current date in various parameter-controlled formats{{DATE}}– a subst-only convenience template used inside cleanup/dispute templates;{{subst:DATE}}produces: date=June 2026- Category:Time, date and calendar templates – numerous date computing, formatting, annotating, and navigation templates
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