Index: openacs-4/packages/acs-lang/tcl/localization-procs.tcl
===================================================================
RCS file: /usr/local/cvsroot/openacs-4/packages/acs-lang/tcl/localization-procs.tcl,v
diff -u -r1.29.2.7 -r1.29.2.8
--- openacs-4/packages/acs-lang/tcl/localization-procs.tcl	13 Dec 2019 18:26:40 -0000	1.29.2.7
+++ openacs-4/packages/acs-lang/tcl/localization-procs.tcl	16 Dec 2019 12:12:28 -0000	1.29.2.8
@@ -253,7 +253,15 @@
 } {
     Formats a time for the specified locale.
 
-    @param datetime Strictly one of the formats 'YYYY-MM-DD HH24:MI:SS' or 'YYYY-MM-DD'
+    @param datetime A time string in one of the following formats as
+                    from clock tcl command specifications: "%Y-%m-%d
+                    %H:%M:%S", "%Y-%m-%d %H:%M" and
+                    "%Y-%m-%d". Database timestamps such as
+                    "2019-12-16 12:50:14.049896+01" are also
+                    tolerated, by normalizing them to "2019-12-16
+                    12:50:14". Note that in this case all information
+                    about timetzone and fractions of second will be
+                    discarded.
     @param fmt             An ISO 14652 LC_TIME style formatting string.  The <b>highlighted</b> functions localize automatically based on the user's locale; other strings will use locale-specific text but not necessarily locale-specific formatting.
     <pre>
       %a           FDCC-set's abbreviated weekday name.
@@ -326,15 +334,22 @@
         set locale [ad_conn locale]
     }
 
-    if {[catch {
-        set date_clock [clock scan $datetime -format "%Y-%m-%d"]
-    }]} {
-        if {[catch {
-            set date_clock [clock scan $datetime -format "%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S"]
-        }]} {
-            error "Invalid date: $datetime"
+    set datetime [string range [string trim $datetime] 0 18]
+    foreach format {
+        "%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S"
+        "%Y-%m-%d %H:%M"
+        "%Y-%m-%d"
+    } {
+        set invalid_format_p [catch {
+            set date_clock [clock scan $datetime -format $format]
+        }]
+        if {!$invalid_format_p} {
+            break
         }
     }
+    if {$invalid_format_p} {
+        error "Invalid date: $datetime"
+    }
 
     set date_tokens [list]
     foreach token [clock format $date_clock -format "%Y %m %d %H %M %S %w"] {
Index: openacs-4/packages/acs-lang/tcl/test/acs-lang-localization-procs.tcl
===================================================================
RCS file: /usr/local/cvsroot/openacs-4/packages/acs-lang/tcl/test/acs-lang-localization-procs.tcl,v
diff -u -r1.4.2.2 -r1.4.2.3
--- openacs-4/packages/acs-lang/tcl/test/acs-lang-localization-procs.tcl	1 Jul 2019 16:26:56 -0000	1.4.2.2
+++ openacs-4/packages/acs-lang/tcl/test/acs-lang-localization-procs.tcl	16 Dec 2019 12:12:28 -0000	1.4.2.3
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@
       lang::catalog::import
       lang::system::locale_set_enabled
 
-    } lang_test__lc_numeric {
+    } lang_test__lc_procs {
 
     Minimal testset for localization functions. To be extended.
 
@@ -57,6 +57,37 @@
     aa_equals "asian time " [lc_time_utc_to_local "2013-09-21 23:11:22" "Asia/Tokyo"] "2013-09-22 08:11:22"
     aa_equals "local time " [lc_time_local_to_utc "2013-09-22 08:11:22" "Asia/Tokyo"] "2013-09-21 23:11:22"
 
+    set time [lc_time_fmt "2013-09-21 23:11:22" "%c" en_US]
+    aa_equals "format en_US time" [lrange $time 0 end-1] "Sat September 21, 2013 11:11 PM"
+
+    set time [lc_time_fmt "2013-09-21 23:11:22" "%c" de_DE]
+    aa_equals "format de_DE time" [lrange $time 0 end-1] "Sa, 21. September 2013 23:11"
+
+    set time [lc_time_fmt "2013-09-21 23:11:22" "%c" it_IT]
+    aa_equals "format it_IT time" [lrange $time 0 end-1] "Sab 21 Settembre 2013 23:11"
+
+    aa_equals "asian time " [lc_time_utc_to_local "2013-09-21 23:11:22" "Asia/Tokyo"] "2013-09-22 08:11:22"
+    aa_equals "local time " [lc_time_local_to_utc "2013-09-22 08:11:22" "Asia/Tokyo"] "2013-09-21 23:11:22"
+
+    set db_timestamp "2019-12-16 12:11:52.125541+01"
+    set time [lc_time_fmt $db_timestamp "%c" en_US]
+    aa_equals "format en_US time" [lrange $time 0 end-1] "Mon December 16, 2019 12:11 PM"
+
+    set time [lc_time_fmt $db_timestamp "%c" de_DE]
+    aa_equals "format de_DE time" [lrange $time 0 end-1] "Mo, 16. Dezember 2019 12:11"
+
+    set time [lc_time_fmt $db_timestamp "%c" it_IT]
+    aa_equals "format it_IT time" [lrange $time 0 end-1] "Lun 16 Dicembre 2019 12:11"
+
+    set short_timestamp "2019-12-16 12:11"
+    set time [lc_time_fmt $short_timestamp "%c" en_US]
+    aa_equals "format en_US time" [lrange $time 0 end-1] "Mon December 16, 2019 12:11 PM"
+
+    set time [lc_time_fmt $short_timestamp "%c" de_DE]
+    aa_equals "format de_DE time" [lrange $time 0 end-1] "Mo, 16. Dezember 2019 12:11"
+
+    set time [lc_time_fmt $short_timestamp "%c" it_IT]
+    aa_equals "format it_IT time" [lrange $time 0 end-1] "Lun 16 Dicembre 2019 12:11"
   }
 }