Question

How to convert DATE to a STRING

Asked by: CMES-IT

Hi,

I have values in my excel spreadsheet that are DATE value. I.E. they are stored as Julian dates, and appear on the screen as "7/12/2006" etc.

If I convert this field to general text, it will appear as "32456" or something ... the Julian-value of the date.

What I'm looking for is an easy way to convert the DATE 7/12/2006 (which is actually stored in excel as 32456) to the string value of 7/12/2006. The way this is done for a single field is by putting an apostrophe in front of the 7/12/2006. When that happens, you see 7/12/2006, but Excel is now storing the value '7/12/2006, and you can see that when you click on the field and read it's value next to the fx symbol.

I have 5,000 + dates. I can't convert them by hand. I need a way to do this automatically.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,

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Asked On
2006-11-13 at 10:09:07ID22058864
Tags

date

,

excel

,

convert

,

string

Topic

Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet Software

Participating Experts
2
Points
250
Comments
6

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Answers

 

by: zorvekPosted on 2006-11-13 at 10:14:55ID: 17932028

You are going to need a macro to do the work. Add this macro to any general module, select the cells to convert, and run the macro.


Public Sub ConvertSelectionToFormattedValues()

   Dim Cell As Range
   Dim Value As String
   
   For Each Cell In Selection
      Value = Cell.Text
      Cell.NumberFormat = "@"
      Cell = Value
   Next Cell

End Sub

Kevin

 

by: byundtPosted on 2006-11-13 at 10:16:49ID: 17932048

Hi CMES-IT,
To convert a Julian date into a date/time serial number, you might use the following formula:
=DATE(IF(0+(LEFT(A1,2))<30,2000,1900)+LEFT(A1,2),1,RIGHT(A1,3))

To convert it to a text string that looks like 7/15/2006, you would use:
=TEXT(DATE(IF(0+(LEFT(A1,2))<30,2000,1900)+LEFT(A1,2),1,RIGHT(A1,3)),"m/d/yyyy")

If your date is a normal date/time serial number, then the formula would be:
=TEXT(A1,"m/d/yyyy")


To copy a formula down 5000 lines:
1) Insert a blank column next to your dates
2) Put the above formula next to the first date. Format that cell as a date if you are using the first formula above.
3) Select the cell containing that formula
4) Double-click the little square at the bottom right of the selection marquee. This will automatically copy your formula down.
5) Edit...Copy the selection (should be all 5000 cells)
6) Select the original date cell
7) Edit...Paste Special...Values
8) Delete the inserted column

Hoping to be helpful,

Brad

 

by: CMES-ITPosted on 2006-11-13 at 10:32:24ID: 17932186

Brad,

The first two formulas are giving me dates in 1939 when applied to a 2003 date.

I'm trying the third formula now, which appears to be working.

 

by: CMES-ITPosted on 2006-11-13 at 10:39:06ID: 17932238

Brad - the third Function worked for my needs, thanks!

Zorvek - I gave you points too, because yours worked as well, but I ended up using Brad's solution because it was easier / more secure than using macros.

 

by: byundtPosted on 2006-11-13 at 10:46:08ID: 17932307

CMES-IT,
The phrase "Julian date" refers to a different way of creating a unique serial number referring to a date. You get a two digit year followed by three digits referring to the number of the day within that year. Mainframe computers often use Julian dates. http://www.cpearson.com/excel/jdates.htm

I offered three formulas because you may not have meant "Julian date" in the above context. The first two formulas work with Julian dates, converting them either into an Excel date/time serial number or into a text string that looks like a date. The third formula converts an Excel date into a text string that looks like a date.
Brad

 

by: zorvekPosted on 2006-11-13 at 11:27:59ID: 17932659

Brad is correct in his reference to "Julian date" and how to use it. To add to the story...

The real Julian day numbering system is actually a rather simple calendar of numbering days starting at noon on January 1, 4713 BC. So the Julian day number for, say, July 23, 1980 is 2,444,444. It was created by the French scholar Joseph Justus Scaliger who was interested in assigning a positive number to every year without having to worry about B.C.E. / C.E. It is said to have probably taken its name from the Julian calendar, although it has been claimed that it is named after Scaliger's father, the Italian scholar Julius Caesar Scaliger. The purpose behind Scaliger's work was to have a common system of measuring time which could be used by astronomers and chronologists to convert the various and often rather obtuse calendaring systems.

Mainframe programmers, needing simplified calendaring systems because of limited memory and storage, devised all manner of methods of storing dates and called them, for lack of a better term, Julian this and that. The method of storing the two digit year followed by a three digit day of year is called a "Julian date" but it really is just another mainfram programmer hack. Bottom line, five digits to store a date (06317) versus six (112306) was pretty important when a few megs of disk storage cost tens of thousands of dollars. The Macintosh and Windows method for storing dates as integer values starting from December 31, 1899 and January 1, 1904 respectively is actually much closer to a Julian date than the mainframe format.

Kevin

20120131-EE-VQP-002

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