Date Format - U.S. Customary

goodwin2 · Post by **goodwin2** » 24 Aug 2007 22:55

I'm a bit frustrated since I am unable to get the date format mm/dd/yy to activate in my newly purchased, latest version of Family Historian.

While the preferences clearly give the option of date format for the U.S. - and yes, I said 'apply' - it doesn't work.

Is it my problem or is it a flaw in the program?

Any help REALLY appreciated.

Still learning and in transition.

ID:2471

JonAxtell · Post by **JonAxtell** » 24 Aug 2007 23:32

I suspect that since the date format is under the File Load/Save tab that it's only related to loading a file and how to recognise dates in imported GedComs.

To really change the way FH uses dates you enter you'll need to change Window's settings. This will affect all other programs as well. Go into the control panel and select Regional Options and set the language/location to United States.

HTH

goodwin2 · Post by **goodwin2** » 25 Aug 2007 02:49

Since I live in the US, my computer has always had the setting for here. Just checked - it's OK.

My point is that the option on the preferences tab does NOT change the format from dd/mm/yy to mm/dd/yy - whether I select that before or after I import my gedcom.

Having the International setting at English US [which was done right off] doesn't work for US date format.

It would appear that there is a flaw in the program.

Open to any suggestion that will work - and hoping there is a 'fix' for the program - maybe a 3.1.3?

Still frustrated as I can't input new data in a format that we use here. My 16,000 - mostly related folks - won't be getting any more cousins.

There are other 'it didn't come through' issues with FH as well but they are not as critical as being able to input dates in local format.

The query functions and sortability of FH is why I purchased the program. I would like to do a complete conversion but at the moment it looks like it will be used only for the those features. Bummer!

If it ain't me - perhaps one of the programmers might take a look at this.

YouTube · Post by **Jane** » 25 Aug 2007 08:38

A slight point, have you tried mm/dd/ccyy as you need to specify the century when entering dates.

If you drop a mail to support@family-historian.co.uk and see what they say, I don't really want to mess up my windows settings to check this.

goodwin2 · Post by **goodwin2** » 25 Aug 2007 09:43

Thanks for the thought. I've checked all the Windows XP settings and they are ALL standard for the US - dollars, decimal points, time, long and short date formats, etc. It doesn't appear that has any impact at all.

ALL the dates that come through the gedcom have the 8 Mar 1731 - 25 Apr 1802
format. About and before come through but I assume that is text allowed. Question marks with dates also come through which were not accepted in Family Treemaker.

I've uninstalled, reinstalled, re exported to gedcom format, renamed the gedcom file and so far nothing has worked. Re selected the date format, US setting, etc.

I've contacted the support folks and so far no other suggestions have worked.

I'm really delighted with all the things that I CAN do with FH that were impossible with FTM, but frustrated with trying to get this date format solved.

Hoping ----

YouTube · Post by **Jane** » 25 Aug 2007 09:50

My self I always enter dates for family history with the Month name, as thats the way they are stored in the file, but that is personal preference.

Do you get the month number wrong message, or another message?

TimTreeby · Post by **TimTreeby** » 25 Aug 2007 13:30

DateFormat works fine.
If windows set to UK settings and put in date as 2/3/1888 gives 2 MAR 1888 which is correct.
If change windows settings to US and put in exact same date of 2/3/1888 gives 3 FEB 1888 which is correct for US settings. So no problems with FH in recognising correct date formats.

Post by **nsw** » 25 Aug 2007 13:54

I'm a bit unclear about this. Is it entering dates that is the problem or is it the way dates are displayed in reports and queries? Or both?

goodwin2 · Post by **goodwin2** » 26 Aug 2007 02:57

I have used Family Treemaker for my 7 years of genealogy research - current version FT 16. All dates in that program are displayed in US customary format, i.e. Jan 1988, Jan 2, 1988, Abt. 1988, Before 1988, After 1988, etc. unless otherwise originally written in a different format.

All of the full dates imported to FH are displayed 2 Jan 1988. Newly input dates in properties will appear 'Jan 2, 1988' [since I think it created a text format that a date field will accept] but those dates do not appear at all in the records columns. The About, Before, After are fine.

All the reports and queries that I have checked also display the 2 Jan 1988 format in FH. Notes and text in areas such as sources, etc. do not appear to be affected or dates orginally input in the 2 Jan 1988 format.

The bottom line is that NONE of the dates that I would now put in FH will be orginally accepted in US format and/or be displayed and nothing that is converted from the .ftw to gedcom will come through with the US format.

REALLY hoping for an answer to this. I can't think of anything else to do. I HATE giving up.

Thanks ---
GSB
10th generation from Thomas Sherwood, b. 1586 in England, d. 1655 in CT.

RSellens · Post by **RSellens** » 26 Aug 2007 06:34

Have you looked at what the format is in the file actually exported from Family Treemaker ? (I assume it exports as a GEDCOM so you should be able to look at the file with a text editor).
I wonder if it is exporting them wrong rather than FH doing anything wrong as you say all newly entered dates work fine.

Richard

JonAxtell · Post by **JonAxtell** » 26 Aug 2007 08:05

I think I see the problem. When you complain about the lack of US date format support, you are mainly talking about the DISPLAY of dates. The format FH uses all the time is 26 Aug 1988, whilst the US format as you state is Aug 26, 1988. FH doesn't seem to honour the Windows system setting and just uses one format for output. It has no support for modifying the date format in reports to a user's perference either.

If I am wrong and you are talking about the entry of dates as well, then you have to enter dates in the numeric format only, ie. MM/DD/YYYY, for FH to accept them in a US setting. Using month names means that you have to use the UK format of DD MMM YYYY.

Checking the control panel in XP shows that the long date format for the US is Sunday, August 26, 2007 and that for the UK is 26 August 2007.

HTH

goodwin2 · Post by **goodwin2** » 26 Aug 2007 09:02

Perhaps there is something in how Family Treemaker, converts its files to a gedcom. It does say it uses 5.5 format.

I also don't know how to view a gedcom with a text editor.

I did see somewhere a person who had done the 'choose US' in FH and it apparently worked for him so that his dates came through OK. He didn't say what genealogy program he had used, however.

Again, FH does not convert dates to US format and any it does put in a date field [with quotes] do not show up in any of the records columns, thus making it impossible to do queries or sort with dates.

I've just tried other gedcoms that were not necessarily created by Family Treemaker and I have the same results.

Guess it is categorized as the ONGOING PUZZLE.

Thanks folks for all the suggestions.

GSB

YouTube · Post by **Jane** » 26 Aug 2007 09:05

If you can edit the original file with a text editor (notepad will do) and find some of the problem dates on import it's possible they have been output in an odd format, for instance having no century which could be sorted with a search and replace outside of FH, just post some samples and more experienced users may be able to help

pricero1 · Post by **pricero1** » 26 Aug 2007 14:38

I think the issue for goodwin2 is that if he inputs dates into the dialog box as 'Sep 21 1891', FH does does not recognize the date as being equivalent to '21 Sep 1891'. Of course, the US norm would be to add the date as 'Sep 21 1891'. They would also expect to see 'Sep 21 1891' in the dialog box.

What FH doesdo is allow the above date to be entered as '09/21/1891' if the US settings are used. However, the display remains as '21 Sep 1891'.

JonAxtell · Post by **JonAxtell** » 26 Aug 2007 23:52

Robin's saying the same thing as me. Entry of dates in the US format of Aug 26, 2007 is not accepted by FH. Entry of dates in FH in the US format is only allowed in the numeric only format of 08/26/2007. So if you have any dates in your Gedcom file that were exported from FTM you need to make sure that they were exported in numeric format. Having just checked on my version of FTM, it seems that it always exports dates in the format 26 Aug 2007 when exporting to Gedcom 5.5, but that might because I imported them in that format as well so ICBW.

goodwin2, to edit your signature select My Profile on the right side of the web page under Members Only, then select Edit Profile from the next page.

HTH

goodwin2 · Post by **goodwin2** » 27 Aug 2007 01:27

OK, so now I think I GET it. I ASSUMED that by choosing US and the mm/dd/yy format in the file/save area that dates would be DISPLAYED in that format. So, it takes me a while. Thanks to all for your help and patience. Still wish that were the case.

My daughter stopped by and was able to get the diagrams to display in US format so, perhaps there is a way to do the same for some of the reports. I guess that will go into the learning curve for this program - advanced stage.

In the meantime, there are so many more features and so much more flexibility in FH that are not in my current Family Treemaker program that I will just have to ADJUST to the one area. [Daughter says: 'Mom, use the different format'.]

Thanks again,
GSB

jmurphy · Post by **jmurphy** » 29 Sep 2007 17:58

After I had read most of the entries in this thread but not the one immediately above, I did a little testing with my copy of FTM 2006, and looked about in FH, and confirmed that while you can warn FH you will be entering dates in US mm/dd/yyyy format, on screen FH will show you the date as dd month yyyy after you have entered it.

I looked through the help files for 'date format' and I did see that you can change the date displays in reports.

Since I correspond with people in the UK and Europe as part of my work, I started using the format dd mon yyyy in my letters to make it less confusing for both of us. They did not have to second-guess whether I was using their format or my own -- with the month spelled out they can see at a glance which date is meant. So while I still use the standard US format 9/29/07 in things like spreadsheets, I am familiar enough with the 29 Sep 2007 format that it's not confusing for me to switch back and forth or to use both at the same time.

I even have an Excel spreadsheet with my check register which has the check date as 9/27/07, but in the date cleared column I use the format which reads 30-Sep.

As long as the month is spelled out for the date that is not in US-standard format, I don't have any trouble.

I tested at least half-a-dozen programs before settling on Family Historian and am very happy with it. Great users' group, too. [wink]

Jan

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