Family Tree Maker (FTM) is a powerful genealogy software that allows users to document their family history with accuracy. A very important feature of this is the proper recording and consistent use of date formats. Proper date formatting ensures clarity, avoids errors, and makes reports more readable. This article will walk you through how to link date formats in Family Tree Maker so that your genealogical information can be easily organized.
Date Format Understanding in Family Tree Maker
Family Tree Maker supports different date formats in which dates are entered, such as:
- Day-Month-Year (11 August 2001)
- Month-Day-Year (August 11, 2001)
- Year-Month-Day (2001 August 11)
- Abbreviated Format (11 Aug 2001)
These formats assist in organizing data effectively, supporting regional as well as varied preferences.
How to Customize Date Formats in Family Tree Maker?
For consistency throughout your family tree, follow these steps to modify and connect date formats in FTM:
Step 1: Opening Date Format Settings
- Install Family Tree Maker on your computer.
- Go to Tools in the toolbar.
- Go to Options and find the Dates section.
Step 2: Selecting the Desired Preferences Date Format
- In the Date Preferences area, select the desired format from the options provided.
- Make sure that you consistently use the same format on your family tree.
- Click Apply to apply the changes.
Step 3: Standardizing Existing Dates
If you’ve already entered dates in different formats, you can standardize them by:
- Running a consistency check in FTM to detect date format inconsistencies.
- Editing entries manually to conform to your selected format.
- Applying the Find and Replace utility to change multiple entries with ease.
Step 4: Exporting and Sharing Reports with Proper Date Formats
After your date formats are normalized, make sure they are not altered when exporting reports:
- Click Publish and choose the report type you desire.
- Under Report Settings, check that the date format is proper.
- Export the report as PDF, CSV, RTF, HTML, or Image without changing the date format.
Conclusion
Keeping dates in a consistent format in Family Tree Maker is important to ensure proper genealogical record-keeping. Through the above steps, you can ensure that all dates are well-formatted and connected, and it will be simpler to trace family history and generate readable reports. Standardizing your dates today will save you confusion and errors in the future.
FAQs Section!
Yes, but it is better to use one format to maintain consistency and clarity.
You need to change the settings in Tools > Options > Dates, and then manually update existing entries where needed.
Family Tree Maker will attempt to format the standardization, but some entries might require you to make manual adjustments.
No, but there is a set of pre-programmed formats you can select.
No, it only changes the newly created reports unless you reformat the current ones manually.
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