Numbers - Creating a Custom Date/Time Format

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Creating a Custom Date/Time Format

To define your own display format for date and time values in table cells:

1

Select one or more cells.

2

Do one of the following:

Choose Custom from the Cell Formats pop-up menu in the format bar.

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Choose Custom from the Cell Format pop-up menu in the Cells inspector.

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Choose Format > Create Custom Cell Format.

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3

From the Type pop-up menu, choose Date & Time.

4

Define your date/time format by dragging the (blue) elements from the Date & Time

Elements box into the format field above the box.

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Chapter 4

Working with Table Cells

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Chapter 4

Working with Table Cells

111

5

When an element is in the format field, click its disclosure triangle and choose a

formatting option from the pop-up menu.

6

To display predefined text before or after any element, place the insertion point in the

format field and then type your text. You can click any element and use the Left Arrow
and Right Arrow keys to place the insertion point.

7

To display space between elements, place the insertion point and press the Space bar

one or more times.

8

To delete an element in the field, select it and then press Delete.

To move an element around in the field, drag it.

9

In the Name field, type a name for your date/time format.

Custom format names are listed in the Cell Formats pop-up menu in the format bar
and in the Cell Format pop-up menu of the Cells inspector.

10

Click OK to save your date/time format and apply it to the selected cells.

When you enter a date or time value into a formatted cell, the format is applied if the
value entered contains a hyphen (-) or a slash (/).

When you type this value into a cell with the
above format

The value is displayed like this

4/16/99

April 16 1999 falls on day 106 of the year

2-23

February 23 2008 falls on day 54 of the year

Dec. 15, 2010

Dec. 15, 2010