XL: TEXT(MONTH(NOW()),"mmm") Always Returns "Jan"

Last reviewed: February 3, 1998
Article ID: Q129073
The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Excel for Windows, versions 2.x, 3.0, 4.0, 5.0, 5.0c
  • Microsoft Excel for the Macintosh, versions 2.x, 3.0, 4.0, 5.0, 5.0a
  • Microsoft Excel for the Power Macintosh, versions 5.0, 5.0a
  • Microsoft Excel for Windows NT, version 5.0
  • Microsoft Excel for Windows 95, versions 7.0, 7.0a
  • Microsoft Excel 97 for Windows
  • Microsoft Excel 98 Macintosh Edition

SYMPTOMS

When you nest the TEXT(), MONTH(), and NOW() functions as in the following example:

   =TEXT(MONTH(NOW()),"mmm")

Microsoft Excel will always return the result "Jan".

CAUSE

When a number is formatted using a date format (such as "mmm"), the number is interpreted as the serial representation of the date. The number returned by the MONTH() function will always be between 1 and 12, representing the months of the year.

In the following example, the current date is assumed to be February 1, 1995.

On a spreadsheet, type the following formula into a cell:

   =TEXT(MONTH(NOW()),"mmm")

If the current date is February 1, 1995, the function MONTH(NOW()) correctly returns the value of 2. This is equivalent to MONTH(34731) because 2/1/95 is the 34731st day after 1/1/1900. TEXT(MONTH(NOW()),"mmm") evaluates to the same value as TEXT(2,"mmm"), because 2 is the serial representation of 1/2/1900. Thus, it returns "Jan".

WORKAROUND

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   http://www.microsoft.com/support/supportnet/refguide/default.asp

To work around this problem, do not use the MONTH() function in the formula as illustrated in the following examples.

To enter the formula directly on a worksheet, type the following formula into a cell:

   =TEXT(NOW(),"mmm")

The text string "Feb" is returned.

To use the formula in a Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications procedure (this particular example illustrates how to display the current month as a text string in a message box), type the following Sub procedure in a module:

   Sub Date_Format()

      Test = Format(Date, "mmm")

      ' Returns the current month as a text string
      ' if the current date is 2/1/95, "Feb" (without the quotation marks).
      MsgBox Test

   End Sub


Additional query words: XL5 XL7 XL97 XL98
Keywords : kbcode kbprg SynFnc
Version : WINDOWS:2.x,3.0,4.0,5.0,5.0c,7.0,97; MACINTOSH:2.x,3.0,4.0,5.0,5.0a,98
Platform : MACINTOSH WINDOWS
Issue type : kbprb
Solution Type : kbworkaround


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Last reviewed: February 3, 1998
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