# Ruby filter to convert date
**URL:** https://discuss.elastic.co/t/ruby-filter-to-convert-date/193295
**Category:** Logstash
**Created:** [August 1, 2019, 10:24am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/ruby-filter-to-convert-date/193295 "2019-08-01T10:24:29Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@HFolly](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/HFolly)
#### Post date: [August 1, 2019, 10:24am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/ruby-filter-to-convert-date/193295/1 "2019-08-01T10:24:29Z")
Hi there.
In my Logstash configuration I need a Ruby filter to convert date from a given collection of strings.
My collection uses an structure with 3 values containing a field name, it's value and it's data type:
```
"Colecs": [
{
"Value": {
"Value": "Tester"
},
"FieldName": {
"Value": "Name"
},
"Type": {
"Value": "String"
}
},
{
"Value": {
"Value": "7/17/2019 3:58:31 PM"
},
"FieldName": {
"Value": "DateOfBirth"
},
"Type": {
"Value": "DateTime"
}
}
],
```
This is my Ruby filter:
```
ruby{
code => "
require 'date'
require 'time'
event.get('[Colecs]').each do |item|
varValue = item['Value']['Value']
varFieldName = item['FieldName']['Value']
varType = item['Type']['Value']
if varType == 'Integer'
event.set( varFieldName, varValue.to_i)
elsif varType == 'Float'
event.set( varFieldName, varValue.to_f)
elsif varType == 'DateTime'
event.set( varFieldName, { 'date' => varValue} ) <--- This is where I convert dates
else
event.set( varFieldName, varValue.to_s)
end
end
"
}
```
Leaving the code as this will produce me the date as string. I could use the Logstash date filter to convert it to date but I don't know how I can do it because after running the Ruby filter what I get is a field with the FieldName, but it must be generic, I'll never know it's name.
Just to clarify, the above code will produce a field in the root of my JSON as:
```
"DateOfBirth": {
"date": "2019-07-17T15:58:31.000Z"
},
```
I don't know the "DateOfBirth" name to use it on date filter.
In the Ruby filter, I have tried to convert date as the following:
* * *
**.to\_datetime**
```
event.set( varFieldName, { 'date' => varValue.to_datetime} )
```
Result: I get this following error on Logstash log
```
[ERROR][logstash.filters.ruby] Ruby exception occurred: undefined method `to_datetime' for "7/17/2019 3:58:31 PM":String
```
* * *
**Using time conversion**
```
varDateStringToDate = Time.strptime(varValue, '%m/%d/%Y %H:%M:%S %P')
event.set( varFieldName, { 'date' => varDateStringToDate.to_datetime} )
```
Result: I get this following error on Logstash log
```
[ERROR][logstash.filters.ruby] Ruby exception occurred: Missing Converter handling for full class name=org.jruby.RubyObjectVar3, simple name=RubyObjectVar3
```
* * *
Can someone help me please?
---
### Author:  [@Badger](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Badger)
#### Post date: [August 1, 2019, 12:28pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/ruby-filter-to-convert-date/193295/2 "2019-08-01T12:28:48Z")
> [@HFolly](#):
>
> varDateStringToDate = Time.strptime(varValue, '%m/%d/%Y %H:%M:%S %P') event.set( varFieldName, { 'date' =\> varDateStringToDate.to\_datetime} )
I do not understand what you are trying to do with .to\_datetime. If you want it to be a LogStash::Timestamp you can just
```
event.set( varFieldName, { 'date' => varDateStringToDate} )
```
---
### Author:  [@HFolly](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/HFolly)
#### Post date: [August 1, 2019, 12:38pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/ruby-filter-to-convert-date/193295/3 "2019-08-01T12:38:01Z")
Thank you @Badger , it was just that simple.
Now it's working 🙂
---
### Author:  [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2019, 12:38pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/ruby-filter-to-convert-date/193295/4 "2019-08-29T12:38:08Z")
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