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About Date Formats
How to control the entry, display, and storage of dates in different formats.
How Dates are Stored
Dates are stored with sub-second precision even if a more general date format such as “1995” is displayed. Any date that you enter or import is translated to a precise date and the event layout is based on this date.
Date Entry and Validation
When dates and times are entered as text, the software interprets the text as a precise moment in time. This date stored by the software is stored at the beginning of the time period you specify. For example, if you enter “1995 CE” then the date is stored at the first second of January 1, 1995.
There are many different date formats used all over the world. Bee Docs Timeline includes several preset date formats in addition to date formats based on the localized date settings you have chosen using the International panel in System Preferences.
The text you enter will be validated according to the date format you select. If you enter a date that does not match the date format specified by an event, you will get an error message. Therefor, start by choosing a date format that includes the precision you wish to capture and then enter your dates using this same format.
Date Display Format
Though each date is stored as a very precise moment in time, it is often more appropriate to show a general time format. For example, you may choose not to display the time of day or you may choose to display only the year without the month and day. You can even choose “None” as a date format to hide the event date completely.
After you have entered your event dates, feel free to experiment with different date formats for display purposes. Changing the date format for existing events will only change the way the dates are validated and displayed, not the way they are stored and charted.
Tips
We recommend that you use a date format that includes as much precision as is available to you during the editing process. When you are preparing your timeline for printing or export, change the date format to a setting that is most appropriate for displaying your particular events.
To enter a time span for an event, enter both a start date and end date. A horizontal bar will be displayed on the chart illustrating the span of time for the event.
To enter BC or BCE dates, first select an Era format other than “None”
To enter an event time, first select a Time format other than “None”
To display a 24 hour clock, use the International panel in System Preferences to set your preferred time format this way first. You may need to relaunch Bee Docs Timeline for the change to appear.