This screen permits you to set a date format to determine how a general record date or time will appear on screens and reports.

 

You can set a custom date and time format for each of the two date fields available to you within your tab records. You do that on the 'Tab Data Fields Control Screen', not via this screen. This screen only provides you with the options that you can use on that screen.

 

You must be very careful and ensure that you only use valid abbreviations and separators when setting a date format. The valid entries are shown as help phrases in the lower section on the screen.

 

If you have entered a correct combination of characters, the result will show in the center of the screen as today's date in the format you entered. You can determine whether or not you entered a valid format combination by the result returned. If it does not look like a legitimate date, then you should change it or the screens and reports will display unpredictable results.

 

 

This feature permits you to display a date, a time of day, or a date and time in a format that is most applicable for a given situation. For example, if you are using a tab for credit cards and want to show an expiry date, an appropriate format would be just the month and the year, as that is how an expiry date normally appears on a credit card. If you wanted to display an anniversary date, the full date would be more appropriate. If you wanted to display an appointment, the the date and the time of day would be best. Finally, there are instances when only the year may be appropriate, for recording vacation experiences, for instance.

 

Note that when you specify a date format for a specific tab, that date format will apply to all the records stored under that tab.

 

Note also that the time will normally display in the 24 hour format, but the manner in which a date and time displays may be affected by your computer's international date and time settings.