---
name: "dp"
section: "8"
platform: "linux"
package: "nmh"
version: "1.5-release-0.2"
release: "Debian 7 (Wheezy)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/dp/8"
---

# dp(8)

parse dates 822-style

## NAME

dp - parse dates 822-style

## SYNOPSIS

**/usr/lib/mh/dp** \[**-form** *formatfile*\] \[**-format** *string*\] \[**-width** *columns*\] \[**-version**\] \[**-help**\] *dates* ...

## DESCRIPTION

**Dp** 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 [**ctime**(3)](/ctime/3.md). It is useful for seeing how **nmh** will interpret a date.

The **dp** 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 quotes for the shell.

To override the output format used by **dp**, 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 [**mh-format**(5)](/mh-format/5.md) for the details.

Here is the default format string used by **dp**:

%\<(nodate{text})error: %{text}%\|%(putstr(pretty{text}))%\>

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.

## FILES

```
^$HOME/.mh_profile~^The user profile
```

## PROFILE COMPONENTS

None

## SEE ALSO

[ap(8)](/ap/8.md), *Standard for the Format of ARPA Internet Text Messages* (RFC-822)

## DEFAULTS

```
`-format' default as described above
`-width' default to the width of the terminal
```

## CONTEXT

None

## BUGS

The argument to the **-format** switch must be interpreted as a single token by the shell that invokes **dp**. Therefore, one must usually place the argument to this switch inside quotes.