NAME

       DateTime::TimeZone::Tzfile - tzfile (zoneinfo) timezone files

SYNOPSIS

               use DateTime::TimeZone::Tzfile;

               $tz = DateTime::TimeZone::Tzfile->new(
                       name => "local timezone",
                       filename => "/etc/localtime");
               $tz = DateTime::TimeZone::Tzfile->new("/etc/localtime");

               if($tz->is_floating) { ...
               if($tz->is_utc) { ...
               if($tz->is_olson) { ...
               $category = $tz->category;
               $tz_string = $tz->name;

               if($tz->has_dst_changes) { ...
               if($tz->is_dst_for_datetime($dt)) { ...
               $offset = $tz->offset_for_datetime($dt);
               $abbrev = $tz->short_name_for_datetime($dt);
               $offset = $tz->offset_for_local_datetime($dt);

DESCRIPTION

       An instance of this class represents a timezone that was encoded in a file in the
       tzfile(5) format.  These can express arbitrary patterns of offsets from Universal Time,
       changing over time.  Offsets and change times are limited to a resolution of one second.

       This class implements the DateTime::TimeZone interface, so that its instances can be used
       with DateTime objects.

CONSTRUCTOR

       DateTime::TimeZone::Tzfile->new(ATTR => VALUE, ...)
           Reads and parses a tzfile(5) format file, then constructs and returns a
           DateTime-compatible timezone object that implements the timezone encoded in the file.
           The following attributes may be given:

           name
               Name for the timezone object.  This will be returned by the "name" method
               described below, and will be included in certain error messages.

           category
               The string or "undef" that will be returned by the "category" method described
               below.  Default "undef".

           is_olson
               The truth value that will be returned by the "is_olson" method described below.
               Default false.

           filename
               Name of the file from which to read the timezone data.  The filename must be
               understood by IO::File.

           filehandle
               An IO::Handle object from which the timezone data can be read.  This does not need
               to be a regular seekable file; it is read sequentially.  After the constructor has
               finished, the handle can still be used to read any data that follows the timezone
               data.

           Either a filename or filehandle must be given.  If a timezone name is not given, then
           the filename is used instead if supplied; a timezone name must be given explicitly if
           no filename is given.

       DateTime::TimeZone::Tzfile->new(FILENAME)
           Simpler way to invoke the above constructor in the usual case.  Only the filename is
           given; this will also be used as the timezone name.

METHODS

       These methods are all part of the DateTime::TimeZone interface.  See that class for the
       general meaning of these methods; the documentation below only comments on the specific
       behaviour of this class.

   Identification
       $tz->is_floating
           Returns false.

       $tz->is_utc
           Returns false.

       $tz->is_olson
           Returns the truth value that was provided to the constructor for this purpose, default
           false.  This nominally indicates whether the timezone data is from the Olson database.
           The files interpreted by this class are very likely to be from the Olson database, but
           there is no explicit indicator for this in the file, so this information must be
           supplied to the constructor if required.

       $tz->category
           Returns the value that was provided to the constructor for this purpose, default
           "undef".  This is intended to indicate the general region (continent or ocean) in
           which a geographical timezone is used, when the timezone is named according to the
           hierarchical scheme of the Olson timezone database.

       $tz->name
           Returns the timezone name.  Usually this is the filename that was supplied to the
           constructor, but it can be overridden by the constructor's name attribute.

   Offsets
       $tz->has_dst_changes
           Returns a truth value indicating whether any of the observances in the file are marked
           as DST.  These DST flags are potentially arbitrary, and don't affect any of the zone's
           behaviour.

       $tz->offset_for_datetime(DT)
           DT must be a DateTime-compatible object (specifically, it must implement the
           "utc_rd_values" method).  Returns the offset from UT that is in effect at the instant
           represented by DT, in seconds.

       $tz->is_dst_for_datetime(DT)
           DT must be a DateTime-compatible object (specifically, it must implement the
           "utc_rd_values" method).  Returns a truth value indicating whether the timezone's
           observance at the instant represented by DT is marked as DST.  This DST flag is
           potentially arbitrary, and doesn't affect anything else.

       $tz->short_name_for_datetime(DT)
           DT must be a DateTime-compatible object (specifically, it must implement the
           "utc_rd_values" method).  Returns the abbreviation used to label the time scale at the
           instant represented by DT.  This abbreviation is potentially arbitrary, and does not
           uniquely identify either the timezone or the offset.

       $tz->offset_for_local_datetime(DT)
           DT must be a DateTime-compatible object (specifically, it must implement the
           "local_rd_values" method).  Takes the local time represented by DT (regardless of what
           absolute time it also represents), and interprets that as a local time in the timezone
           of the timezone object (not the timezone used in DT).  Returns the offset from UT that
           is in effect at that local time, in seconds.

           If the local time given is ambiguous due to a nearby offset change, the numerically
           lowest offset (usually the standard one) is returned with no warning of the situation.
           (Equivalently: the latest possible absolute time is indicated.)  If the local time
           given does not exist due to a nearby offset change, the method "die"s saying so.

SEE ALSO

       DateTime, DateTime::TimeZone, DateTime::TimeZone::Olson, Time::OlsonTZ::Data,
       Time::OlsonTZ::Download, tzfile(5)

AUTHOR

       Andrew Main (Zefram) <zefram@fysh.org>

COPYRIGHT

       Copyright (C) 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 Andrew Main (Zefram) <zefram@fysh.org>

LICENSE

       This module is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same
       terms as Perl itself.