Date format 050180 to 05/01/80

L

LauraNH

If data is entered as mmddyy, how do I get it to change to mm/dd/yy? I have
tried formatting the cell to no avail. HELP!
 
J

JMB

First, you need to convert the data to an actual date. Try clicking
Data/Text To Columns. Select Delimited, click Next, ensure all checkboxes
under the Delimiters section are unchecked, click next, under Data Format
section select Date and MDY, click Finish.

Now XL should have converted your data to a date. You should be able to
change it to a different date format as needed.
 
D

David Biddulph

Are you sure that you've got the parameters of the date function in the
right order, John?
Wouldn't it be =DATE(RIGHT(A1,2),LEFT(A1,2),MID(A1,3,2))
 
L

LauraNH

Thank you Thank you Thank you!

JMB said:
First, you need to convert the data to an actual date. Try clicking
Data/Text To Columns. Select Delimited, click Next, ensure all checkboxes
under the Delimiters section are unchecked, click next, under Data Format
section select Date and MDY, click Finish.

Now XL should have converted your data to a date. You should be able to
change it to a different date format as needed.
Click to expand...
 
L

LauraNH

One other question...once I converted all my current data to that format and
set all the following cells to have the date format of mm/dd/yy, when I then
entered a date, for example 010101 it came out as 08/27/27. What happened?
 
L

LauraNH

Thank you. I will try that. So, in the future if I want my data to appear
as mm/dd/yy, how do I do that? I tried opening a new worksheet and
formatting the cells for that format and then tried entering the data and it
didn't work. I ask as I have more data to add to this worksheet...
 
D

Dave Peterson

If you don't want to use the macro, then you'll have to type in your entry so
that excel sees it as a date:

01/01/2001
(I like 4 digit years!)
 
L

LauraNH

Do you mean enter the data as 01012001 or type it in myself with the dashes?
Please forgive my ignorance.
 
D

David Biddulph

It doesn't help that you merely said "neither of those suggestions worked".
We're more likely to be able to help you if you tell us what result you got
from what formula with what input data, and what result you expected.

In the absence of the data, I guess that you don't have 050180 in your input
cell, but instead you have 50180, possibly formatted as 000000.

If so, you may need to change your
=DATE(RIGHT(A2,2),LEFT(A2,2),MID(A2,3,2)) to
=DATE(RIGHT(TEXT(A2,"000000"),2),LEFT(TEXT(A2,"000000"),2),MID(TEXT(A2,"000000"),3,2))--David Biddulph"LauraNH" <[email protected]> wrote in messagemust be doing something wrong because neither of those suggestionsworked.>> "David Biddulph" wrote:>>> Are you sure that you've got the parameters of the date function in the>> right order, John?>> Wouldn't it be =DATE(RIGHT(A1,2),LEFT(A1,2),MID(A1,3,2))>> -->> David Biddulph>>>> "John C" <johnc@stateofdenial> wrote in message>> > A1: 050180>> > A2: =DATE(LEFT(A1,2),MID(A1,3,2),RIGHT(A1,2)>> > -->> > John C>> >>> >>> > "LauraNH" wrote:>> >>> >> If data is entered as mmddyy, how do I get it to change to mm/dd/yy?I>> >> have>> >> tried formatting the cell to no avail. HELP!>>>>>>
 
D

David Biddulph

If you just type it in as a number, such as 01012001, then it *won't* be
recognised as a date (unless you use a macro as advised).
You could use 01/01/2001, but in that format there is scope for confusion
between dd/mm/yyyy and mm/dd/yyyy, so you need to be sure what your Windows
Regional Settings are (not just the Excel cell format).
If you are not sure of your settings, there is less scope for confusion if
the input is of a form such as 2001-01-01.
 
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