Why 8-Mar-08?

[Stan Brown]

Sat, 22 Mar 2008 05:23:01 -0700 from Eric

Does anyone have any suggestions on date?
When I type Mar-08 into any cell, the default day is 8-Mar-08.
Does anyone know why the default day is 8? and how can I change the default
day into 1?

I think you have your date format set to d-m-y. When you type Mar-08
Excel says "that looks like a date, in fact it looks like the 8th day
of March. But I'm supposed to display d-m-y, and the current year is
2008", so it displays 8-Mar-08.

In other words, it's the default year of 2008 that you're seeing, not
a default day.

Try entering Mar-09 and you'll see it changes to 9-Mar-08 not 8-Mar-
09.

 

[Eric]

Does anyone have any suggestions on date?
When I type Mar-08 into any cell, the default day is 8-Mar-08.
Does anyone know why the default day is 8? and how can I change the default
day into 1?
Does anyone have any suggestion?
Thanks in advance for any suggestions
Eric

 

[Don Guillett]

If you just want to "show" the month, change the format and just type in
3/1

 

[Barb Reinhardt]

Try entering Mar-2008.

HTH,
Barb Reinhardt

 

[Eric]

Thank everyone for suggestions
The text "Mar-08" is imported by web link, therefore, there is nothing I can
change for the input. Do you know why the default day is 8?
Thank everyone for any suggestions
Eric

 

[Eric]

Yes, I have checked the date format under control panel , which is M/D/Y,
when I change it to D/M/Y and re-load the web link, it becomes 1-Mar-2008.
Thank everyone very much for suggestions
Eric

 

[Chip Pearson]

The default day is not "08". When you enter "Mar 08", Excel assumes you mean
March 8th of the current year, and that current year is 2008, which is can
be displayed as "08". The format applied to a cell has *no* effect on how
Excel interprets dates when they are entered. Formatting affects *only* the
displayed text. There is no such date as "March 2008". You need to enter
then entire date, March 1, 2008.


--
Cordially,
Chip Pearson
Microsoft Most Valuable Professional
Excel Product Group
Pearson Software Consulting, LLC
www.cpearson.com
(email on web site)