compare dates(if)...anyone know how to use this

---- baseportal documentation--- (in single quotes)

'If you want to compare a date in the database with the current date, this can be achieved by using the command:

      if($Date lt date ("now", "internal")) { ... }

A date can only be compared by using text comparison.'



Question: this is the "lt" ? in the code above ?right?

-------baseportal documentation continues--

'The comparison can also be made using a while... loop in perl. Since loop converts the $Date in the right format automatically, the hash %_raw must be used in order to enable a comparison.'




<loop code=perl>

if($_raw(date) lt date ("now", "internal"))
{
            ...
            }


</loop>'


Question: can you explain this with and example page?

also i don't see a hash % character in the above code.

Thanks