Function replaceDateVariableInString

src/formatters/formatter.ts:1242–1380

(input: string)

	): Promise<string | string[]>;

	protected async replaceDateVariableInString(input: string) {
		// Scan with a GLOBAL regex + accumulator (mirrors replaceFieldVarInString)
		// so a malformed/empty-name {{VDATE:}} token is skipped (left literal) and
		// every LATER valid {{VDATE}} is still prompted. The previous in-place
		// while-loop `break`ed the entire scan on the first empty-name match, which
		// silently dropped all subsequent date prompts. The accumulator also never
		// re-scans a replacement, so a stored value re-containing the token can't
		// loop.
		const regex = new RegExp(DATE_VARIABLE_REGEX.source, "gi");
		let output = "";
		let lastIndex = 0;
		let match: RegExpExecArray | null;

		while ((match = regex.exec(input)) !== null) {
			output += input.slice(lastIndex, match.index);
			lastIndex = match.index + match[0].length;

			const variableName = match[1]?.trim();
			// Empty/incomplete token (e.g. {{VDATE:}} or {{VDATE:,YYYY}}): leave it
			// literal and keep scanning so a later valid token still resolves.
			if (!variableName) {
				output += match[0];
				continue;
			}

			const { defaultValue, optional, withTime, snap } = parseVDateOptions(match[3]);
			// A |time/|datetime token with no explicit format gets a datetime
			// default so the rendered value carries the picked time.
			const dateFormat =
				match[2]?.trim() || (withTime ? "YYYY-MM-DD HH:mm" : "YYYY-MM-DD");

			const existingValue = this.variables.get(variableName);

			// Check if we already have this date variable stored.
			// Only `undefined` counts as unset — null and "" are intentional
			// values (same contract as VALUE variables, see #872), so a
			// script-set "" renders empty instead of re-prompting.
			if (existingValue === undefined) {
				// Prompt for date input with VDATE context
				const dateInput = await this.promptForVariable(
					variableName,
					{ type: "VDATE", dateFormat, defaultValue, optional, withTime }
				);
				if (optional && !dateInput?.trim()) {
					// Optional date left blank or skipped: answered-empty.
					this.variables.set(variableName, "");
				} else if (dateInput?.startsWith("@date:")) {
					this.variables.set(variableName, dateInput);
				} else {
					if (!this.dateParser)
						throw new Error("Date parser is not available");

					const aliasMap = settingsStore.getState().dateAliases;
					const normalizedInput = normalizeDateInput(
						dateInput,
						aliasMap,
					);
					const parseAttempt = this.dateParser.parseDate(normalizedInput);