Change date format

[steve5504]

Is there a way to simply change the date format from mm-dd-yyyy to yyyy-mm-dd? Thanks

[Steve Martino]

What's the reason?  Maybe a custom function.

https://www.briandunning.com/cf/597

[AHunter3]

I need to ask whether you are referring to the display format (which is effortlessly easy to change) or the input format (which is not).

 

If you want a given date field to display as yyyy-mm-dd, go into layout mode and format it to do that.  Done.

 

If you want to be able to click into a field and ENTER (for example)  2020-03-28 and have FileMaker recognize that as meaning today's date...  

First you need to export all the records from all the tables in your existing file.  Export in FileMaker native format.

Then you need to open your operating system's date preferences and convince it that the way to deal with dates is yyyy-mm-dd.  In my edition of MacOS it does appear that it will let you do that if you click the Advanced tab.  Suffice it to say, however, that this not a typical setting.  Be that as it may, let's assume you've done that.  Now you need to go to the File menu and invoke Save A Copy As.  Save an empty clone.  It is my recollection that the empty clone will inherit the date format that the operating system considers native.  

 

Once having done so, you can change your operating system's date format back to what it was, assuming you don't wish yyy-mm-dd to be your default for everything you do.

Import your data.  Since you exported to FmPro's native format, the dates are stored at a low level as serial numbers so you don't have to worry about formats.

 

I haven't messed with this in a long time and when last I did, it was just to move from mm-dd-yyyy to dd-mm-yyyy (American to European format in other words).  But it should work.

 

 

[Techphan]

If it is for display only then a simple calculated field will do with a TEXT result:  Year(Date) & "-" &  Right ("0" & Month(Date) ;2) & "-" & Right ("0" & Day(Date);2)

 

If you are using FileMaker date (and manipulating system date -  either Mac or Windows) you can "force" FileMaker to pad the left zero in the Month and Day display by going into the properties of the date field in Layout mode.