Date format determined by user name

[Oyseka]

I have a requirement for three seperate parts of a database to reside in four locations, one in Bulawayo, one in Houston, one in Illinois and the master In South Africa. The date formats for input will then be UK format in Bulawayo and South Africa and American in the other two. As the whole database is mastered in South Africa is there a way to set the input format correctly for the various sites and then have the date converted automatically when the input from America is imported

[Royce]

Don't know if FM7 has "system Formats" - the following is from FM8 Help...

"Opening files with foreign system formats:

When you create database files, FileMaker Pro uses your computer's system formats to determine how dates, times, and numbers display and sort. If you open or share a database file created with different system formats, you can use your computer's system formats or match the formats used when the file was created.

When you use the current system settings, you can enter and view data in a format that's familiar to you. For example, if a database was created in Australia, where dates are usually written day-month-year, and you open it in the United States, where dates are usually written month-day-year, FileMaker Pro alerts you that the system formats are different. Use the current system settings to enter dates as month-day-year. Otherwise, dates should be entered as day-month-year.

To use your computer's system formats: Choose Format menu > Use System Formats. Use System Formats appears in the Format menu when you open a file on a computer with different system formats or when you change system formats from what they were since the file was last opened.

The Use System Formats command doesn't interfere with any date, time, and number formatting you may have specified in Layout mode.

Note You can also set a data entry file option that determines what should occur when the system formats in a file differ from the operating system. For more information, see Setting file options.

To change your system formats:

Windows 2000: Use the Regional Settings control panel or the Date and Time control panel and the Numbers control panel.

Windows XP: Use the Regional and Language Options control panel or the Date and Time control panel.

Mac OS: Use the International System Preference.

Click System's settings to use the new settings when you reopen the file.

Note A cloned database file inherits the system formats of the first operating system it is opened on. For more information, see Saving and copying files. "

[comment]

Set the file/s to 'Always use current system settings' (under File > File Options... > Text). This will enable each user to enter (and view) dates in the format their computer is set to.

Once a valid date is input into a Filemaker date field, it is a date, and the format used to enter it is irrelevant. You can import dates between date fields without concern for the original entry format.

[FMDuck]

Comment, you bring up a question there.

Assuming the file is set to use the current system settings and your date format is mm/dd/yyyy but the data was entered as dd/mm/yyyy on a computer with different settings...

Anyone know what happens if you export the dates?

How about importing?

If nobody has tried this I'll test it and post back

[comment]

I'm afraid the dates will be exported "as entered" - unless you check the "Apply current layout's data formatting..." option. This applies to a simple tab export - I haven't tested other formats.