Received Date Format can't do ISO Dates

[Jamoross]

Hi.

I've read quite a few threads here about getting Outlook to use
a specific date format. Mostly, the responses say to set the
format desired in the Regional Options control panel and it
will then appear as an option in the Format Columns dialog.
Or it will just be picked up and used automatically by Outlook.

Neither of these work for me. I want to use ISO 8601 dates
(yyyy-mm-dd HH:mm). Windows 2k seems to be doing fine
with "yyyy-MM-dd" set as the short date format and has for
several years now. Recently we moved to Office 2003 and
now I can't get Outlook to use that format.

I've even tried setting both the short and long date formats in
Windows to the same thing ("yyyy-MM-dd") but Outlook refuses
to offer that option. Out of 15 selections, only one has the year
on the left and doesn't include the time. ( yyyy-mm-dd ddd )

How can I get Outlook to use ISO dates?

- jam

 

[Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]]

Have you tried overtyping the default selections?

--
Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]

Post all replies to the group to keep the discussion intact. All
unsolicited mail sent to my personal account will be deleted without
reading.

After furious head scratching, Jamoross asked:

| Hi.
|
| I've read quite a few threads here about getting Outlook to use
| a specific date format. Mostly, the responses say to set the
| format desired in the Regional Options control panel and it
| will then appear as an option in the Format Columns dialog.
| Or it will just be picked up and used automatically by Outlook.
|
| Neither of these work for me. I want to use ISO 8601 dates
| (yyyy-mm-dd HH:mm). Windows 2k seems to be doing fine
| with "yyyy-MM-dd" set as the short date format and has for
| several years now. Recently we moved to Office 2003 and
| now I can't get Outlook to use that format.
|
| I've even tried setting both the short and long date formats in
| Windows to the same thing ("yyyy-MM-dd") but Outlook refuses
| to offer that option. Out of 15 selections, only one has the year
| on the left and doesn't include the time. ( yyyy-mm-dd ddd )
|
| How can I get Outlook to use ISO dates?
|
| - jam

 

[Jamoross]

Have you tried overtyping the default selections?

Thought I had tried that but just to be sure I just tried
again. No go. Trying to type 'y' in the 'Format:" dropbox
on the Format Columns dialog had no effet (not even an
error beep) and trying '2' (as in 2006-...) merely chose
the only selection starting with 2. The available choices
were not affected.

But perhaps I'm assuming too much. Where did you intend
that try overtyping on the default selections? If not in the
Format Columns dialog, maybe somewhere else?

(OS: Win2k Office: 2003)

- jam

 

[Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]]

Control Panel->Regional Settings->Customize->Date tab->Long Date Format.

--
Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]

Post all replies to the group to keep the discussion intact. All
unsolicited mail sent to my personal account will be deleted without
reading.

After furious head scratching, Jamoross asked:

| "Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]" wrote:
|
|| Have you tried overtyping the default selections?
|
| Thought I had tried that but just to be sure I just tried
| again. No go. Trying to type 'y' in the 'Format:" dropbox
| on the Format Columns dialog had no effet (not even an
| error beep) and trying '2' (as in 2006-...) merely chose
| the only selection starting with 2. The available choices
| were not affected.
|
| But perhaps I'm assuming too much. Where did you intend
| that try overtyping on the default selections? If not in the
| Format Columns dialog, maybe somewhere else?
|
| (OS: Win2k Office: 2003)
|
| - jam

 

[Pat Willener]

My Outlook 2003 displays date/time exactly the way I have specified it
in (WinXP) Regional options: 2006/08/03 14:56.

Same on my home PC with Win2K and OL2K.

 

[Jamoross]

My Outlook 2003 displays date/time exactly the way I have specified it
in (WinXP) Regional options: 2006/08/03 14:56.

Same on my home PC with Win2K and OL2K.

It works for me too at home. But not on my company machine. It used
to work until we moved from Office2k to Office2003. Hmm, I can't find a
way to add a screen shot or I'd show you my Regional Options with both
the "Short date" and "Long date" set to "yyyy-MM-dd" alongside Outlook
with the Format Columns dialog open and no such option available.

(I did have some fun trying other possibilites. Try setting your Long date
format to " yyyy-MM-dd '('ddd')' " and see how Outlook mangles it!)

Could this be an issue with locale settings?

- jam

 

[Jamoross]

Okay, I haven't solved this, but I have bracketed it a bit. It has to
do with the "Your locale (location)" setting, the System Locale, or
the default code page. It is hard to tell exactly which is the critical
factor because they are all interlocked through the Regional Settings
Control Panel. (If you change the System Locale, the "Your locale"
setting follows suit, as does the Default Code Page or whatever the
proper nomenclature is for that in a Windows 2000 context.)

It's a bit frustrating because I am physically in Japan and the usual
way to write dates here is almost exactly ISO style. The only
difference is that most people would use slashes ( / ) instead of
hyphens ( - ) between the numbers. (But don't usually notice if
I set their systems to use hyphens.)

Now, if I set my System Locale to English (United States) then
set a custom Long Date format (yyyy-MM-dd) Outlook follows
along and offers several appropriate (nearly ISO) formats in the
Format Columns dialog for the Received field. BUT! those options
disappear (and the field reverts to "Best Fit") if I change back to
"Japanese". Even though the *default* date format here has the
same arrangement as ISO 8601! (yr/mo/dy)

Other people can write their dates in Klingon for all I care, but an
international standard that has been around for almost twenty
years (since 1988) shouldn't be excluded as a result of bilingual
system settings.

Rant finished (maybe). I'll try to cool down now.

- jam