Need Query form to extract Min and Max DateList values for PlotRange from a Dataset

Question

(* SUMMARY - In a Dataset holding DateList entries, how do I extract a minimum and maximum DateList value to pass into DateListPlot's PlotRange specification? See QUESTION further below *)

(* Sample dataset. Actual dataset is much larger. My goal is to create a time series animation where the PlotRange has fixed dimensions for the X/Y axis *)

aDataSet =Dataset[{
<|"aDate"-> { 2015,4,3,2,36,"24." },"aDuration"->5|>,
<|"aDate"-> { 2014,3,2,1,36,"24." },"aDuration"->4|>,
<|"aDate"-> { 2013,2,2,0,36,"24." },"aDuration"->3|>
}];

(* PlotRange for aData *)

dateRange=Sort[aDataSet[[All,"aDate"]]]/@ {First,Last};

(* PlotRange for duration *)

durationRange = Sort[aDataSet[[All,"aDuration"]]]/@ {First,Last};

(* QUESTION - how should I compute dateRange such that it is a form that can be used in PlotRange for DateListPlot? Otherwise, the following will fail because the computed form of dateRange is a Dataset. DateListPlot is expecting a List whose values are the min and maximum dates for the x-axis *)

DateListPlot[aDataSet[[All,{"aDate", "aDuration"}]],Joined->False,
    PlotRange->{dateRange,durationRange}]

Answer 1

I think your running into trouble with those "24." as the last entry in your date list. That should be a number instead of a string.

aDataSet =Dataset[{
 <|"aDate"-> { 2015,4,3,2,36,24.},"aDuration"->5|>,
 <|"aDate"-> { 2014,3,2,1,36,24.},"aDuration"->4|>,
 <|"aDate"-> { 2013,2,2,0,36,24.},"aDuration"->3|>
}];

With it as a number then the following would work.

aDataSet[All, "aDate", DateObject][{Max, Min}] // Normal

It gets All of the "aDate" values and converts them into DateObjects. The gets the Min and Max and takes it out of the dataset and into a regular list.

Hope this helps.