Date Format

[Sparweb]

Anybody found a workaround for the date format limitations in Inventor?
Current advice from Autodesk is to change the system format definition.
Not a practical solution - that would affect MANY other programs running on this computer, some adversely.

For clarity, I'm asking about Inventor's ability to use a date format such as: DD-MMM-YY instead of, say, MM/DD/YY as set by the operating system.
AFAIK, there is no setting in Inventor that allows you to select the format you want - preventing you from standardizing the configuration of Inventor among the workgroup without standardizing the date format of Windows on every computer, too, regardless of its other uses or the user's needs.


STF

 

[cbell1007]

That's a great question and ones that's been posed to me as well. Do you think there might a hotfix for something like this?

 

[Sparweb]

I guess I'll have to sign up to the Autodesk wiki-help thing, and bug them directly. They do seem to respond quickly to such queries.

STF

 

[mcgyvr]

Its set based on operating system regional settings as you already said..
Autodesk is NOT going to change that anytime soon.

I'd suggest you simply create an internal company standard quickly and pick one and live with it.

 

[Sparweb]

I disagree. Changing the OS data format isn't always a trivial choice. And Autodesk doesn't have to change the OS either.

I have written programs (BASIC, C++) with date fields that are formatted for consistency. Autodesk is taking a shortcut using the OS format instead giving the user the choice of format. The iProperties fields are used to record dates of drawing creation and approval, and displayed on the drawing either in the title block or other fields where the uses specifies a date. Often these dates are selected by the draftsman, not updatable system clock times.

The format function is available and easy to use in all MS Office software, numerous other analytical software packages, etc.
Changing the date format of the OS can have an adverse effect on business admin software like Quickbooks.
Don't assume that the user with Inventor on his computer cannot possibly have Quickbooks, too.


STF

 

[mcgyvr]

I don't disagree at all. But I KNOW that Autodesk will NOT change it (well you are more than welcome to submit a "product enhancement" but I'd expect to wait years before its actually implemented). So now you have to live with that and make a decision on how you want to proceed in the meantime.