I have formatted the cell for date [dd-mmm-yyyy] and time [H:MM XM]. Inserting date and time from menu command enters date only, in [MMM YY] format, changing my cell format to date only consistent with format displayed. Changing format to desired does change the date to format desired, however inserts 12:00 PM which seemingly can’t be updated except laboriously by hand. Any suggestions?
Mac mini, macOS 10.15
Every cell displaying a date, and every cell displaying a time of day contains either "text" or a Date and Time value.
If you enter only the date part, Numbers automatically sets the time part to 00:00:00 (midnight, at the beginning of that day.
If you enter only the time part, Numbers automatically sets the Date part to the date of the entry.
The Insert menu item Date & Time initially displays only the date part, as shown in A1 below.
Clicking that date before leaving the cell brings up a contextual menu in which you can choose the format for the date, including a choice of Date and Time (as seen below A2)
Once the cell is displaying both Date and Time parts, your preferred display format can be chosen in the Cell section of the Format Inspector.
Regards,
Barry
Every cell displaying a date, and every cell displaying a time of day contains either "text" or a Date and Time value.
If you enter only the date part, Numbers automatically sets the time part to 00:00:00 (midnight, at the beginning of that day.
If you enter only the time part, Numbers automatically sets the Date part to the date of the entry.
The Insert menu item Date & Time initially displays only the date part, as shown in A1 below.
Clicking that date before leaving the cell brings up a contextual menu in which you can choose the format for the date, including a choice of Date and Time (as seen below A2)
Once the cell is displaying both Date and Time parts, your preferred display format can be chosen in the Cell section of the Format Inspector.
Regards,
Barry
Hi John,
If you want a Date & Time stamp, insert the NOW() function into a spare cell. I used a spare table called 'NOW'. Format the cell to show your preferred Date & Time display.
I clicked once in 'NOW' cell A2 and copied.
I clicked once in Table 1 cell B2 and Menu > Edit > Paste Formula Results.
I took a break to eat dinner and clicked on the Tickbox in 'NOW' to force the NOW() function to update.
I then copied 'NOW" A2 and did Menu > Edit > Paste Formula Results into Table 1 B3.
Date & Time stamps preserved!
Regards,
Ian.
My personal opinion is it should respect the format that the user pre-set for the cell. The user should not have to choose a format each time they use the feature. I have no solution, just stating my opinion.
I have good luck with this 'Time Stamp' Automator Workflow (Quick Action) - Dropbox download. It uses a simple AppleScript.
To install it, double-click the download .workflow package, give permission if necessary at System Preferences > Security & Privacy and make sure Automator and Numbers are listed and selected at System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy > Accessibility.
Thereafter, to use it just click a cell once (don't need the laborious two-click for the built-in Insert Date & Time) and chose Time Stamp from the Numbers > Services menu. It should respect the format you already have for the cell.
If you use it a lot then you may want to assign a keyboard shortcut at System Preferences > Keyboard > Shortcuts > Services > Time Stamp. Shift-command-t works on my machine.
SG
Unable to insert date and time
