function epochObj = cdfepoch(varargin)
%CDFEPOCH Construct epoch object for CDF export.
%
%    E = CDFEPOCH(DATE) constructs a cdfepoch object where DATE is
%    a valid string (datestr) or number (datenum) representing a
%    date.  DATE may also be a cdfepoch object.
%
%    CDFEPOCH objects should be constructed to create EPOCH data in CDF's.
%    using CDFWRITE.  Note that a CDF epoch is the number of milliseconds
%    since 1-Jan-0000 and that MATLAB datenums are the number of days
%    since 0-Jan-0000.
%
%    See also CDFWRITE, DATENUM, CDFREAD, CDFINFO.

%    binky
%    Copyright 2001-2002 The MathWorks, Inc. 
%    $Revision: 1.1.6.2 $  $Date: 2004/02/01 22:03:31 $

if (nargin == 0)
    s.date = [];
    epochObj = class(s, 'cdfepoch');
    return;
elseif (nargin > 1)
    error('MATLAB:cdfepoch:cdfepoch:tooManyInputs', ...
          'Too many input arguments.');
else
    input = varargin{1};
end

if isa(input,'cdfepoch')
    epochObj = input;
    return;
end

if iscellstr(input)
    input = char(input);
end

if ~ischar(input) & ~isnumeric(input)
    error('MATLAB:cdfepoch:cdfepoch:badInputs', ...
          'Input must be a number, string, cellstr, or cdfepoch object.');
end

% Initialize in case passed empty
s.date = [];

if ischar(input)
    % If the input is a string, then you have to convert
    sz = size(input);
    cdfepochs = [];

    % Then go row by row.
    for i = 1:sz(1)
        % Convert to MATLAB datenum.  If this bombs out, an invalid
        % datestr was passed to datenum.
        n(i) = datenum(deblank(input(i,:)));
    end 
    n = n';
else
    % It's numeric, so if it's a matrix, go element by element
    % and convert each and then reshape.
    n = input(:);
end

for i = 1:length(n)
    % Subtract a day since CDF is from Jan 01 0000 and MATLAB is from
    % Jan 00 0000.  Then convert to milliseconds because CDFlib likes
    % it that way.

    s(i).date = (n(i) - 1) * 24 * 3600000;
end
s = s';

if isnumeric(input) & ~isempty(input)
    s = reshape(s, size(input));
end

epochObj = class(s, 'cdfepoch');