Here is some code from a very old version of a CGI/Mysql timesheet system I wrote. I used both Date::Manip and SQL date calculation commands. Maybe it will help.

The program basically lets you record how many hours a day you spend on any of your clients, in a view which covers all clients for a 1 week period. Due to user requests, a function was later added which let them log in to past weeks (to make up for unrecorded hours) by selecting a pulldown menu at login time which had items such as "2 weeks ago". So I think your idea was completely valid.

I can tell you that Date::Manip is great, but is also one of the two or three biggest modules on CPAN, if memory matters. As for quoting, maybe DATE_ADD will solve it for you? 

Some Date::Manip (mainly used for day of the week type stuff):

  $companystartdate = &ParseDate("today"); # returns 2000082415:40:44 
+format
  $companystartdate =~ s/^(....)(..).+/$1-$2-01/; # build 2000-08-01

Some SQL:

my $statement = "select * from charges where 
   (UserId='$userhash{'UserId'}' AND 
   (Date BETWEEN '$start' AND 
         DATE_ADD('$start', interval 6 day)
    )
   ) order by ClientGroupId,ClientId,Date";

and

my $monthstart = substr($sqlstartdate,0,8) . "01"; # 2000-08-01
my $monthend = "DATE_SUB(
  ( DATE_ADD('$monthstart',interval 1 month) ),
             Interval 1 day)"; # 1mo less 1dy. too many parens?
my $statement="select sum(Hours) from charges where 
  (UserId='$userhash{'UserId'}'
   and ClientId='$client' 
   and FeeType='$fee'
   and Date between '$monthstart' and $monthend
   ) group by UserId";

[download]

By the way regarding list values, why the "world of pain"? Are you creating columns all over the place? You probably know it, but CGI.pm can freeze into a string joined by nulls. Not that DBI might like it any.

Hope this helps.

In reply to Re: DBI quoting when I don't want it to by mattr
in thread DBI quoting when I don't want it to by Tardis

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