Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2018 March 6

= March 6 =

Is it me or is it them? They won't accept as valid their own date format!
This page keeps rejecting my date telling me the date I'm filling is invalid (when it's in fact a date that comes right out of their software; I'm only using their table). Am I doing something wrong? Or is their software broken? Can someone try and see if they get the same error? Thanks. Basemetal 13:56, 6 March 2018 (UTC)
 * Have you tried entering the date in US format ( month / day / year ) ? LongHairedFop (talk) 21:39, 6 March 2018 (UTC)
 * Well yes, of course. That's the format that they themselves generate. You don't get to input the date directly, you are given a calendar where you pick a date, and the date generated is indeed in US format. I forgot to mention that if you happen to leave the date and time fields blank then they will let you continue to the next stage of the report. I don't know yet if they will let you in the end complete the report. Another hysterical thing is: they also supply an email address (NFIBPhishing@city-of-london.pnn.police.uk) to forward the suspicious email to, except my email (from an address in the UK note) has been bouncing for the past week because (says postmaster) that address refuses the connection. That same email address was also supplied to me by Amazon.co.uk which is the site the suspicious email was spoofing. London Police hard at work fighting crime. Does everything in London work this well?  Basemetal  22:44, 6 March 2018 (UTC)
 * Can someone test that address (NFIBPhishing@city-of-london.pnn.police.uk) to see if their email too bounces? Thanks. Basemetal  22:44, 6 March 2018 (UTC)
 * The form seems to work for me using the date format the form is set up for which is American style. It doesn't even seem to have a sanity check that the date isn't in the future. Note that if you fail to properly enter the time, e.g. you try putting 24 hour time, or you don't put the minute or hour or to select AM or PM (all 3 of which are compulsory), or anything else it interprets as invalid (e.g. 60th minute) it will say 'Please enter a valid date' even if only the time is the problem. It seems the error message should say 'Please enter a valid date and time' since that's what it's for. Nil Einne (talk) 10:29, 7 March 2018 (UTC)
 * Thanks. I'll try that. I was indeed using a 24 hour time format. Good thing you thought of checking that. I'd never thought of that. That's what the RD is for, I guess. Basemetal  10:47, 7 March 2018 (UTC)
 * BTW, with those calendar date selection elements in forms, you can generally enter the date manually at least on desktops. If you type the date it will generally work. (Well provided you follow whatever they used exactly including spacing etc.) Sometimes you may have to move the cursor around before doing so but you don't seem to have to do so here. Nil Einne (talk) 10:57, 7 March 2018 (UTC)
 * Also if anyone does decide to offer feedback on the form, the text above it "You should use page" probably should say "You should use this page". Nil Einne (talk) 11:02, 7 March 2018 (UTC)
 * What is it with the police and dates?  This two year-old report is datelined 2019: . 79.73.134.66 (talk) 15:32, 7 March 2018 (UTC)
 * There's an old saying about police, IQs, and boot sizes. DuncanHill (talk) 16:04, 7 March 2018 (UTC)
 * I'm not sure police had much involvement in that. (Well discounting their role as a catalyst for the article.) It's likely either the Michigan Journal of Gender and Law or the author who is an Assistant Professor of Law at the University of Arkansas School of Law. Nil Einne (talk) 15:46, 8 March 2018 (UTC)