Check for incorrect argument data type or missing argument in call to function 'dateshift'.

I have a function that calculates left hours till noon

input time: 18:56:19

output hours till noon: 17:03:41

Rounded hours left till noon, output should be 17:00:00

dateshift('17:03:41', 'start', 'hour', 'nearest');

Output: 17:00:00

But when my input hours are less 12 hours it throughs an error:

input time: 06:01:31

output hours till noon: 05:58:29

Rounded hours left till noon, output should be 06:00:00

dateshift('06:01:31', 'start', 'hour', 'nearest');

Check for incorrect argument data type or missing argument in call to function 'dateshift'.

Error in hoursLeftTillNoon (line 64)

hoursLeft = dateshift(hoursLeft, 'start', 'hour', 'nearest');

hoursLeft = output hours till noon

Answer 1

[the cyclist]

I get the error from your first statement as well:

% This statement would give an error
% dateshift('17:03:41', 'start', 'hour', 'nearest')

But not if I use a datetime as input:

dateshift(datetime('17:03:41'), 'start', 'hour', 'nearest')

ans = datetime
   16-Nov-2021 17:00:00

[Palina Pauliuchenka]

yes, i have it in a datetime in my function.

time = datetime(time, 'Format', 'HH:mm:ss');
noon = datetime('12:00:00', 'Format', 'HH:mm:ss');
hoursLeft = noon - time;
hoursLeft = dateshift(hoursLeft, 'start', 'hour', 'nearest');

I get an error only when my hoursLeft are equal to '05:58:29' not when '17:03:41'. I was thinking that 0 upfront is causing an error.

[Stephen23]

time = datetime('now', 'Format', 'HH:mm:ss');
noon = datetime('12:00:00', 'Format', 'HH:mm:ss');
hoursLeft = noon - time;
hoursLeft = dateshift(hoursLeft, 'start', 'hour', 'nearest');

Check for incorrect argument data type or missing argument in call to function 'dateshift'.

Subtracting two DATETIME objects returns a DURATION object.

DATESHIFT is only defined for a DATETIME input argument, not a DURATION input argument.

Therefore as the error message correctly states, the input data type is incorrect.

You should make an enhancement request that DATESHIFT should accept DURATION objects (TIMESHIFT?).

[Palina Pauliuchenka]

But why it works when my time is 17:03:34 later rounded to 17:00:00 but not with 05:58:29? I don't understand.

[the cyclist]

I tried to replicate an example where hoursLeft is 17:03:01 using your code:

time1 = datetime('02:56:19', 'Format', 'HH:mm:ss');
time2 = datetime('20:00:00', 'Format', 'HH:mm:ss');
hoursLeft = time2 - time1;
hoursLeft = dateshift(hoursLeft, 'start', 'hour', 'nearest');

Check for incorrect argument data type or missing argument in call to function 'dateshift'.

I believe this fails because hoursLeft is a duration, not a datetime.

So, I'm sorry, but I'm still confused about the exact code that does work, and the code that does not. Can you please provide a complete example of each case, that we can run?