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[Solved] Dates pre 1800 display as 01/01/1800
Posted: Sun Jan 12, 2020 8:14 pm
by rhammer54
How do I configure my forms to display dates pre-1800. The table (external MySQL) has the dates formatted correctly and display correctly in Base. But when I create a form the dates pre-1800 are all displayed as 01/01/1800.
Re: Dates pre 1800 display as 01/01/1800
Posted: Sun Jan 12, 2020 8:22 pm
by UnklDonald418
Open the Properties Date Field dialog for the form control.
On the General tab change Date min to include your dates.
Be aware there are some inconsistencies in early dates.
Re: Dates pre 1800 display as 01/01/1800
Posted: Sun Jan 12, 2020 8:36 pm
by rhammer54
Thanks for the quick reply. I have managed to get the date down to 01/01/1600 minimum and this works, however I have dates in the 1500's I need to display. The database I am working on is for genealogical / historical records. Is there any way to get around the minimum 1600 limitation?
Re: Dates pre 1800 display as 01/01/1800
Posted: Sun Jan 12, 2020 8:48 pm
by Villeroy
Replace the date control with a formatted control and apply some date format. This behaves similar to a spreadsheet cell.
Re: Dates pre 1800 display as 01/01/1800
Posted: Sun Jan 12, 2020 8:55 pm
by RoryOF
Add remember the shift between Julian calendar and Gregorian calendar.
Re: Dates pre 1800 display as 01/01/1800
Posted: Sun Jan 12, 2020 9:02 pm
by UnklDonald418
I seem to recall a discussion of the issue here on the Forum, but it was some time ago and I haven't been able to locate it.
There is a discussion of some of the issues surrounding dates in
Chapter 6.6. Problems with dates of Andrew Pitonyak's book "OpenOffice.org Macros Explained OOME Fourth Edition" which can be downloaded from
http://www.pitonyak.org/oo.php
The database is storing an ISO date, but in 1582 many countries switched from a Julian to a Gregorian calendar, which confuses the ISO dating system.
If you don't need to do any date calculations, it might be easier to save those dates as text.
Re: Dates pre 1800 display as 01/01/1800
Posted: Sun Jan 12, 2020 9:05 pm
by RoryOF
UnklDonald418 wrote:
The database is storing an ISO date, but in 1582 many countries switched from a Julian to a Gregorian calendar, which confuses the ISO dating system.
If you don't need to do any date calculations, it might be easier to save those dates as text.
And there is considerable variation in the adoption date - England/Wales 1752 and Russia 1918.
Re: Dates pre 1800 display as 01/01/1800
Posted: Sun Jan 12, 2020 9:08 pm
by Villeroy
RoryOF wrote:Add remember the shift between Julian calendar and Gregorian calendar.
Dates between 1582-10-05 and 1582-10-14 are invalid. 1582-10-04 is followed by 1582-10-15. This was the Vatican's implementation of the new Gregorian Calendar.
Re: Dates pre 1800 display as 01/01/1800
Posted: Sun Jan 12, 2020 9:10 pm
by RoryOF
Protestant England/Wales didn't change until 1752, as the calendar shift was regarded as "a fiendish Popish plot"!
Re: Dates pre 1800 display as 01/01/1800
Posted: Sun Jan 12, 2020 9:17 pm
by Villeroy
I think it was the only time in history that the Vatican was avantgarde.
Re: Dates pre 1800 display as 01/01/1800
Posted: Mon Jan 13, 2020 12:07 pm
by rhammer54
The database I am connected to is external MySQL which the date field is configured as DATE. My tables in Base connected to this database reads the dates correctly right back to the earliest which are in the 1500's. So is there a way I can manipulate the dates from the table so that they display correctly in forms and reports pre 01/01/1600?
Sorry but I have only being using Base for around 2 weeks and am struggling here.
On the other discussion re julian and gregorian calendars - the complication as well was that in the UK at least the year changed end of March in the julian and end of december in the gregorian - luckily I don't need to do any calculations - just need the date presented correctly in forms pre 1600.
Thank you for all you replies, all are appreciated - Bob
Re: Dates pre 1800 display as 01/01/1800
Posted: Mon Jan 13, 2020 12:26 pm
by RoryOF
I found a Julian date calculator at
https://keisan.casio.com/exec/system/1227779487#! I hope it is of some use to you.
Re: Dates pre 1800 display as 01/01/1800
Posted: Mon Jan 13, 2020 1:04 pm
by rhammer54
I have half solved the problem.
If I create my form as per normal and retrieve dates pre 1600 then they display as 01/01/1600.
If I edit my forms date field and replace the fields property Date with Text then a date - for example 22/12/1547 displays as 22/12/47.
The unsolved half of the problem is that the decade part of the year has been truncated. I cannot see where in Base or OO I can change the format. Tools --> Options doesn't help.
Re: Dates pre 1800 display as 01/01/1800
Posted: Mon Jan 13, 2020 4:01 pm
by rhammer54
I have found a solution. In the form configure the date field as 'Formatted Text', then set the formatting property to Date --> 31/12/1999. The form now presents the date in the correct format for years before 1600.
Yippee
Bob