Inconsisten Time error handling

[acgc99]

Godot version

v4.1.stable.official [9704596]

System information

Godot v4.1.stable - Windows 10.0.22621 - Vulkan (Mobile) - dedicated NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 (NVIDIA; 31.0.15.3667) - Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-8300H CPU @ 2.30GHz (8 Threads)

Issue description

Error handling is not well implemented. Try this:

print("Invalid date")
print(Time.get_unix_time_from_datetime_string("1970-01-40"))
print("Unix 0")
print(Time.get_date_string_from_unix_time(0))
print("From string")
print(Time.get_unix_time_from_datetime_string("1970-01-01"))

You will get:

Invalid date
0
Unix 0
1970-01-01
From string
0

Furthermore, in the global scope, OK = 0.

Conclusion, you can't distinguish between an invalid date and date 1970-01-01.

Steps to reproduce

See "Issue description"

Minimal reproduction project

N/A

[AThousandShips]

Furthermore, in the global scope, OK = 0.

It doesn't return an error value so this isn't really relevant.

Since returning any other value would break compatibility (as it isn't necessarily clear that it is an error) I'd suggest documenting this detail

[acgc99]

I would suggest:

• To raise an error that stops execution when an invalid date is given.
• Implement a method that returns OK if the date is valid and FAILED otherwise.

The user would have the option to manage the error with these modifications.

[AThousandShips]

To raise an error that stops execution when an invalid date is given.

Would break compatibility

Implement a method that returns OK if the date is valid and FAILED otherwise.

Doesn't work since GDScript can't return by reference, so you can't return the value and the error

The current behavior is by design, see #60215, returning -1 if the format is wrong, and 0 if the date itself is invalid

[acgc99]

Doesn't work since GDScript can't return by reference, so you can't return the value and the error

The function that checks the date wouldn't have to raise any error, just determine if the date is valid. With this, the user can decide if to call other Time methods.

[AThousandShips]

That would be the area of a proposal, so please open one for that if you like (make sure you follow all the steps and fill in everything)

[acgc99]

I opened a bug because you can't distinguish between an invalid date and converting to unix 1970-01-01.

You can see my proposal here.

[AThousandShips]

Closing in favour of godotengine/godot-proposals#7414 (comment) as the current behaviour is by design (and would break compatibility)