OFF: Error Modifying File Properties with Long Date Format

• Microsoft Excel 97 for Windows
• Microsoft Word 97 for Windows
• Microsoft PowerPoint 97 for Windows
• Microsoft Office 97 for Windows
• Microsoft Project 98

SYMPTOMS

In the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article, you may receive the following message when you add or modify a custom property in the Properties dialog box:

   The value entered does not match the specified type. The value will be
   stored as text.

CAUSE

This behavior may occur if both of the following conditions are true for the custom property you are adding or modifying:

• You set Type to Date on the Custom tab.

      -and-
  

• You used a long date format (for example 10-December-96, which is formatted with the dd-MMM-yy number format).

WORKAROUND

To add or modify a custom property that uses a long date format, click OK when you receive the message. If you click OK, the date will be stored as text.

If you do not want to change the custom property to text, use a short date format in the "Value:" box on the Custom tab.

NOTE: The short date format must match the "Short date style" that you specify on the Date tab of the Regional Settings Properties dialog box.

To access the Date tab of the Regional Settings Properties dialog box, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.

2. In Control Panel, double-click the Regional Settings icon.

3. Click the Date tab.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.

MORE INFORMATION

You can type property information for a document to make it easier to find the file and information about it. Properties can include a descriptive title, the name of the author, the subject, and the keywords that identify topics or other important information. You can also create your own custom properties and link a custom property to specific content in the file. Statistics, such as the file size and the dates on which you create and last modify files, are automatically maintained for you. It is also possible to include a date in the file as a custom property as long as the date does not use a long date format.