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Ocean Color Browse : Help : Custom Date Ranges

This type of page allows you to specify one or more date ranges not otherwise available from the calendars on the top level search page. You get here by clicking on the date range on that page.

Click on the various parts of the sample page layout below for a description of the functions of the various components.



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Leave Comments / Ask Questions
This button will drop you into the Satellite Data Access section of the Ocean Color Forum where you may make any comments or suggestions about the ocean color browser or ask a question about something that is unclear to you. The members of the Ocean Color staff routinely read these postings and respond as appropriate.

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Help
This button takes you to the page you are currently reading.


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Current set of date ranges
You may see zero, one, or several of these date ranges when you load this page. Each row represents a starting date through an ending date, and each row has a checkbox to its right. The starting and ending dates are each composed of three fields -- day, month, and year -- that are also selection menus so that you can change the dates to the ranges you prefer. The example depicted here shows three date ranges representing the month of March in the year 2002, 2003, and 2004.

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Uncheck range to remove it
If you want to discard any data range in the current set then just unckeck the checkbox to its right before you click the continue button or the finished button.

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Blank fields for new date range
If you want to add a single new date range, you can use these blank selection menus to specify it. As long as you fill in all six fields, your new date range will be included with any others that have already been specified when you click the continue button or the finished button.

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Continue modifying date ranges
A click on this button will consolidate all the date ranges you have entered so far and put you back in this page with a new set of blank fields should you want to add more date ranges to your list. Any overlapping ranges that you may have specified will be combined. Any ranges that you unchecked will be discarded. Any invalid dates that you entered will be converted e.g. 31 Apr 2001 would become 1 May 2001.

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Return to top level with displayed date ranges set
A click on this button has the same effect as the continue button, except that you will be returned to the top level search page instead of staying in the custom date ranges page.


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Add or remove periodic intervals
The righthand portion of this page provides a shortcut method of specifying multiple date ranges that repeat from year to year. Just pick the desired range of years, check the desired months / seasons / days of the week, or fill in the custom date range, and then click add or remove.

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Choose a beginning and ending year for periodic date ranges
Use these selection menus to choose the range of years during which you would like your selected time periods to be repeated.

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Select one or more months to repeat
Any months checked here will be added to or removed from the current set of date ranges for all of the years from the start year through the stop year.

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Select one or more seasons to repeat
Any seasons checked here will be added to or removed from the current set of date ranges for all of the years from the start year through the stop year. The seasons here are boreal seasons defined as follows.

Spring:21 Mar - 20 Jun
Summer:21 Jun - 20 Sep
Autumn:21 Sep - 20 Dec
Winter:21 Dec - 20 Mar

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Select one or more days of the week to repeat
Any days of the week checked here will be added to or removed from the current set of date ranges for all of the years from the start year through the stop year. Please take note of the footnote marked by the asterisk. Since each day of the week occurs around 52 times every year, checking one or more of these days and then clicking add or remove can result in very many date ranges in the list your are constructing.

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Specify your own date range to repeat
You may use these four selection menus to specify your own range of dates (day month through day month) to be repeated across your chosen year range.

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Add periods to list
The add button takes the checked or selected date ranges above it for each of the specified years and adds them to the current list of date ranges -- merging any overlapping date ranges in the process.

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Remove periods from list
The remove button takes the checked or selected date ranges above it for each of the specified years and removes them from the current list of date ranges. Of course, if the current list does not include the date ranges you are trying to remove, then clicking this button will have no effect.


This information was last updated on 22 July 2004 by Norman Kuring.

Leave a comment user guide current date ranges blank date range fields checked means use this range continue adjusting date ranges finished specifying date ranges add or remove periodic intervals start and stop years months boreal seasons days of the week choose your own period add the selected periods subtract the selected periods