def dateVariables(self):  # seems to be okay
        """Get/Set DATE information. This function reports the Forecasting
        (Trends) date variable information, if any, in IBM SPSS Statistics
        data files. Entirely untested and not implemented in reader/writer"""
        # step 1: get array size
        nElements = c_int()
        func = self.spssio.spssGetDateVariables
        MAX_ARRAY_SIZE = 100
        dateInfoArr = (POINTER(c_long * MAX_ARRAY_SIZE))()
        retcode = func(c_int(self.fh), byref(nElements), byref(dateInfoArr))

        # step 2: get date info with array of proper size
        dateInfoArr = (POINTER(c_long * nElements.value))()
        retcode = func(c_int(self.fh), byref(nElements), byref(dateInfoArr))
        if retcode > 0:
            raise SPSSIOError("Error getting TRENDS information", retcode)

        # get array contents
        nElem = nElements.value
        if not nElem:
            return {}
        dateInfo = [dateInfoArr[0][i] for i in xrange(nElem)]
        fixedDateInfo = dateInfo[:6]
        otherDateInfo = [dateInfo[i: i + 3] for i in xrange(6, nElem, 3)]
        dateInfo = {"fixedDateInfo": fixedDateInfo,
                    "otherDateInfo": otherDateInfo}

        # clean up
        self.freeMemory("spssFreeDateVariables", dateInfoArr)

        return dateInfo
Get/Set DATE information. This function reports the Forecasting
        (Trends) date variable information, if any, in IBM SPSS Statistics
        data files. Entirely untested and not implemented in reader/writer
recipes/Python/577811_Pythreader__writer_spss_sav_files_Linux_Mac_/recipe-577811.py