FSM Mobile Enforces Strict Date/Time Formats and Adds Expression Helpers

Oracle's documentation codifies the exact string formats that FSM Mobile date, time, and datetime elements expect for the value, min, and max properties. Any configured property whose resolved value does not match the required format is silently ignored by FSM — no error is thrown, the property simply has no effect.

Required formats

• date — YYYY-MM-DD (e.g., 2026-07-14)
• timeofday — HH:mm:ss (e.g., 09:30:00)
• datetime — YYYY-MM-DD HH:mm:ss (e.g., 2026-07-14 09:30:00)

These formats apply to fixed values, template tags, expressions, and formula results. The stored value format is independent of whatever localized display format the mobile UI renders.

Default behavior when value is omitted

• date — auto-populates with the current date.
• timeofday — remains empty (no default).
• datetime — auto-populates with the current date and time.

Setting an element to blank

Use JSON null to explicitly leave an element empty:

"value": null

FSM also treats "" (empty string) and "null" (string literal) as blank, but Oracle now recommends against both forms in new configuration. If your expression has multiple code paths, every non-null branch must return the exact target format; return null when the element should have no value:

"value": "useCurrentDate.value ? now().date : null"

Expression helpers: now() and format()

now()

Returns the current date, time, or datetime in the correct format:

• now().date → YYYY-MM-DD
• now().time → HH:mm:ss
• now().datetime → YYYY-MM-DD HH:mm:ss

format()

Extracts and reformats a field value into the format required by the target property:

• format(field.value).date → YYYY-MM-DD
• format(field.value).time → HH:mm:ss
• format(field.value).datetime → YYYY-MM-DD HH:mm:ss

Both helpers work in any dynamic mobile resource block property, including value, min, and max. Use the helper member that matches the target element type.

What to do

1. Audit existing FSM Mobile configurations. Any value, min, or max property that resolves to a format other than the exact string listed above is being silently ignored. Search for date/time properties using locale-dependent formats (e.g., MM/DD/YYYY, DD-MM-YYYY) and rewrite them.
2. Replace empty-string and string-null blanks. Change "value": "" and "value": "null" to "value": null in your mobile resource JSON.
3. Use now() and format() instead of hand-built date strings. These helpers guarantee the output matches the required format and eliminate a class of silent-failure bugs.
4. Ensure all expression branches return the correct format or null. If a ternary or conditional expression has a path that returns a value, that value must be in the exact target format. Paths where no value is desired must return null, not an empty string.

Note: The source documentation does not specify whether these helpers and format requirements are newly introduced or newly documented. If your existing FSM Mobile configurations were working without these helpers, verify that your current format strings already match before making changes.