Plug In Thought: Date Format Transformer

[colinfrederickson]

Purpose:
To automatically transform a variety of date formats into a user-specified format upon import.

Description:
Users often upload data with dates in myriad formats. This plugin will detect these diverse formats and transform them into a user-specified date format, ensuring consistency and compatibility with systems that require specific date configurations.

Features:

Date Detection: The plugin will automatically detect various common date formats in the data.
Date Transformation: Upon detection, the plugin will convert the detected date format into the specified format.
Error Handling: If the plugin encounters an unrecognized date format, it will flag the record for manual review.
Configuration Options:
Specify desired date format (e.g., YYYY-MM-DD, MM-DD-YYYY, DD/MM/YYYY, etc.).
Specify expected incoming date formats to optimize the detection process.

Benefits:

Customization: Users can ensure all date data aligns with their specific system or preference.
Efficiency: Reduces the manual effort required to reformat dates post-import.
Flexibility: Can handle a wide range of date formats, making it versatile for various datasets.

Potential Challenges:

Ambiguity: Some dates can be ambiguous depending on the format. The plugin will need a strategy to handle these cases.

Inspiration can be found here: https://github.com/FlatFilers/hcm-show-config/blob/main/common/dateFormatting.ts