Dates-LE Sample Files

This directory contains sample files designed to demonstrate and test Dates-LE's date extraction capabilities across various formats and scenarios.

📁 Sample Files Overview

File	Format	Dates	Description
api-response.json	JSON	~50	API response with ISO 8601 timestamps, timezones
application.log	LOG	~50	Application log with various timestamp formats
schedule.csv	CSV	~45	Project schedule with date columns
config.yaml	YAML	~40	Configuration file with date/time settings

Total: ~185 dates across 4 files demonstrating multiple date formats.

🚀 Quick Start

1. Open any sample file in VS Code
2. Press Cmd+Alt+D (macOS) or Ctrl+Alt+D (Windows/Linux)
3. View extracted dates in a new editor tab

💡 First time? Try api-response.json first—it has clean, well-formatted ISO 8601 dates perfect for getting started!

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📋 Categorized Test Scenarios

1. Basic Date Extraction

Goal: Verify core date extraction functionality across supported formats.

• Test File: api-response.json
• Expected Result: ~50 dates extracted
• What to Look For:
  • ISO 8601 formats with various precisions
  • Timezone-aware timestamps (UTC, offset)
  • Date-only formats (YYYY-MM-DD)
  • Millisecond precision timestamps

2. Multiple Date Formats

Goal: Test extraction across different date representation styles.

• Test File: application.log
• Expected Result: ~50 dates extracted
• What to Look For:
  • Standard log timestamps (YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS.sss)
  • ISO 8601 formats
  • RFC 2822 formats (Mon, DD MMM YYYY HH:MM:SS GMT)
  • Unix-like timestamps
  • Mixed precision levels

3. Structured Data (CSV)

Goal: Verify date extraction from tabular data.

• Test File: schedule.csv
• Expected Result: ~45 dates extracted
• What to Look For:
  • Date columns (YYYY-MM-DD)
  • DateTime columns (YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS)
  • Multiple date columns per row
  • Consistent format across rows

4. Configuration Files (YAML)

Goal: Test extraction from YAML configuration files.

• Test File: config.yaml
• Expected Result: ~40 dates extracted
• What to Look For:
  • ISO 8601 timestamps in nested structures
  • Date ranges (start/end pairs)
  • Scheduled event timestamps
  • Metadata dates

5. Deduplication

Goal: Verify date deduplication functionality.

Steps:

1. Open api-response.json
2. Enable deduplication: Settings → dates-le.dedupeEnabled: true
3. Run extraction
4. Expected: Fewer dates if duplicates exist
5. Verify: No duplicate dates in output

6. Sorting & Organization

Goal: Verify date sorting and chronological organization.

• Test File: Any sample file
• Expected Result: Dates sorted chronologically
• What to Look For:
  • Earliest dates first
  • Consistent ordering
  • Proper timezone handling for sorting

7. Large File Warning

Goal: Test safety warnings for large files.

Steps:

1. Create a copy of application.log and duplicate its contents 100x
2. Open the large file
3. Run extraction
4. Expected: File size warning before processing
5. Verify: Can proceed or cancel

8. Side-by-Side Results

Goal: Verify side-by-side editor functionality.

Steps:

1. Enable: Settings → dates-le.openResultsSideBySide: true
2. Open any sample file
3. Run extraction
4. Expected: Results open in adjacent editor
5. Verify: Source file remains visible

9. Copy to Clipboard

Goal: Test automatic clipboard integration.

Steps:

1. Enable: Settings → dates-le.copyToClipboardEnabled: true
2. Open api-response.json
3. Run extraction
4. Expected: Results copied to clipboard
5. Verify: Paste results into another document

10. Notification Levels

Goal: Test notification system behavior.

Test Sequence:

A. Silent Mode (default):

• Settings → dates-le.notificationsLevel: "silent"
• Run extraction on api-response.json
• Expected: No notifications (except errors)

B. Important Mode:

• Settings → dates-le.notificationsLevel: "important"
• Run extraction on very large file
• Expected: Warnings only

C. All Mode:

• Settings → dates-le.notificationsLevel: "all"
• Run extraction on schedule.csv
• Expected: Success notification with count

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🔍 Edge Cases & Advanced Testing

Empty File

• Action: Create empty file empty.json
• Expected: No dates found, graceful handling
• Error: None

No Dates

{
  "name": "Test",
  "count": 42,
  "enabled": true
}

• Expected: "No dates found" message
• Error: None

Invalid JSON/YAML/CSV

{
  "broken": "json"
  "missing": "comma"
}

• Expected: Parse error (if showParseErrors enabled)
• Error: Graceful error handling, no crash

Mixed Valid/Invalid Dates

• File: Create JSON with mix of valid ISO dates and invalid strings
• Expected: Only valid dates extracted
• Error: None (invalid dates skipped)

Very Large Output

• Action: Create file with 100,000+ dates
• Expected: Warning before opening results
• Prompt: "Output size (100,000 lines) exceeds threshold. Continue?"

Timezone Edge Cases

{
  "utc": "2025-10-13T12:00:00Z",
  "offset_positive": "2025-10-13T12:00:00+05:30",
  "offset_negative": "2025-10-13T12:00:00-08:00",
  "no_timezone": "2025-10-13T12:00:00"
}

• Expected: All dates extracted with timezone info preserved

Date Ranges

maintenance:
  start: '2025-10-14T02:00:00Z'
  end: '2025-10-14T04:00:00Z'

• Expected: Both dates extracted separately

Null Dates

{
  "shippedDate": null,
  "deliveredDate": null
}

• Expected: Null dates ignored (not extracted)

String Dates vs Numeric Timestamps

{
  "isoString": "2025-10-13T12:00:00Z",
  "unixTimestamp": 1728824400000,
  "version": "1.0.0"
}

• Expected: ISO string extracted, numbers (version/timestamp) may be filtered

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⚡ Performance Testing Guidelines

Small Files (< 1KB)

• Test File: Create minimal JSON with 5 dates
• Expected: < 100ms extraction time
• Verify: No performance warnings

Medium Files (1KB - 1MB)

• Test Files: All provided samples
• Expected: < 1 second extraction time
• Verify: Smooth, responsive extraction

Large Files (1MB - 50MB)

• Action: Duplicate application.log 100x
• Expected: < 5 seconds extraction time
• Verify: Progress indicator shown

Very Large Files (> 50MB)

• Action: Create/open file exceeding safety threshold
• Expected: Safety warning before processing
• Verify: Can cancel operation

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🐛 Troubleshooting

No Dates Extracted

Possible Causes:

1. File format not supported (only JSON, YAML, CSV)
2. File not saved with correct extension
3. No valid date formats in file
4. Parse error (enable showParseErrors)

Solution:

• Check file extension (.json, .yaml, .yml, .csv)
• Verify file contains valid date strings
• Check Output panel → "Dates-LE" for errors

Performance Issues

Symptoms: Slow extraction, high memory usage

Solutions:

1. Enable safety warnings: dates-le.safety.enabled: true
2. Reduce file size threshold: dates-le.safety.fileSizeWarnBytes: 500000
3. Split large files into smaller chunks
4. Close other extensions temporarily

Unexpected Results

Example: Expected 50 dates, got 48

Debugging:

1. Check if deduplication is enabled
2. Verify date formats are recognized
3. Look for null values or invalid formats
4. Enable telemetry: dates-le.telemetryEnabled: true
5. Check Output panel for warnings

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📚 Additional Resources

• Documentation: See /docs directory
• Configuration: Check CONFIGURATION.md
• Performance: Read PERFORMANCE.md
• Troubleshooting: Review TROUBLESHOOTING.md

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🎯 Coverage Summary

These sample files comprehensively test:

✅ Date Formats:

• ISO 8601 (various precisions)
• RFC 2822
• Simple dates (YYYY-MM-DD)
• DateTime strings (YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS)
• Unix timestamps

✅ File Formats:

• JSON (nested structures, arrays)
• YAML (configurations, hierarchies)
• CSV (tabular data)
• LOG (mixed formats)

✅ Edge Cases:

• Null values
• Timezones (UTC, offsets)
• Millisecond precision
• Date ranges
• Large files
• Empty files

✅ Features:

• Deduplication
• Sorting
• Side-by-side view
• Clipboard copy
• Safety warnings
• Notification levels

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Happy Testing! 🚀

If you discover any issues or have suggestions for additional test cases, please open an issue.