OFF: Custom Date Type Property Displays Two-Digit Year

• Microsoft Office 97 for Windows
• Microsoft Office for Windows 95, version 7.0
• Microsoft Excel 97 for Windows
• Microsoft Excel for Windows 95, version 7.0
• Microsoft PowerPoint 97 for Windows
• Microsoft PowerPoint for Windows 95, version 7.0
• Microsoft Word 97 for Windows
• Microsoft Word for Windows 95, version 7.0

SYMPTOMS

When you add a custom property of Date type to a document in one of the Microsoft Office programs listed at the beginning of this article, the property value may be displayed with a two-digit year, even if you enter the date with a four-digit year. For example, if you enter the value 1/1/1895, the value may be displayed as 1/1/95.

CAUSE

This behavior occurs if the Short Date Style value in the Regional Settings Properties dialog box is set to a two-digit year style. For example, if the Short Date Style box contains the value MM/dd/yy, when you enter a date value for a custom property, the date is displayed in this format, even if you enter the date in a four-digit year style.

Note that the date value is stored correctly, because it is stored as a time value instead of a string. For example, if you enter the value 1/1/1895, the year is stored correctly as 1895, even if the value is displayed as 1/1/95.

RESOLUTION

To display a custom Date type property in a four-digit year format, you can change the Short Date Format value by doing the following:

1. On the taskbar, click Start. On the Settings menu, click Control Panel.

2. Double-click the Regional Settings icon. Click the Date tab.

3. In the Short Date Style list, click a style that has a 4-digit year, such as M/d/yyyy or MM/dd/yyyy.

4. Click OK, and then close the Control Panel.