Why does format column to date insert apostrophe? '08/03/2015

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#1

Why does format column to date insert apostrophe? '08/03/2015 I wanted to apply a different date format, performed the function properly through format cells with column highlighted. No apostrophe existed in the column cells before this and was verified trying other formats. After the function was performed, apostrophe appeared disabling the selected cells from following the date format requested. Once I go through every cell and delete the apostrophe, the cells happily conform to the specified date format. Help?

Windows 10 Pro, LibreOffice Version: 4.4.5.2
Build ID: a22f674fd25a3b6f45bdebf25400ed2adff0ff99
Locale: en_US

Imported csv date formatting adds an apostrophe to the beginning of dates
#2

The cell content is of type Text but could be interpreted as a date if re-entered. See this FAQ.

#3

(It’s strange but true: Those giving examples for dates in a slash-format next to always choose ambiguous ones. Why? Is there still anybody not knowing about the conflict?)
The content was meant to represent a date, after all, but using text type. The apostrophe just signals that re-entered it would be “recognised” and converted to the numeric representation.
The above linked-in page does not tell how to handle cases where the text-date is not in a format compliant with the locale.

#4

For more complicated cases (e.g. different locales) use the CT2N extension mentioned in the FAQ.

#5

Text to Columns… would do concerning text-dates given in a somehow usual style…

#6

Do you think the CT2N extension mentioned in the FAQ would work with more recent versions of LO? I was hesitant to add it, since the extension page says the current release is from August 2016, and that it works in 5.0.x, 5.1,.x, 5.2.x and I am using 6.0.3.2.

#7

Works, just tried with 6.0.3

#8

Thank you so much!

#9

@Lupp said, “It’s strange but true: Those giving examples for dates in a slash-format next to always choose ambiguous ones. Why? Is there still anybody not knowing about the conflict?” Most of us are non-technical end-users. I, for example, have absolutely no idea what you meant by this. I think that people who know a lot about software forget that, to the rest of us, this is all Greek.

#10

That’s nothing about software but about the “real world”. To understand what date is meant by “08/03/2015” you need to know if the stubborn US-standard applies or the more international standard of locales using the slash at all in the context: In the fist case it’s third day of august, in the second it’s eighth day of march.
If the popular two-digit-year-plage came in you would need to know something more to be able to interpret the “date”. An example like 13/03/2015 is unambiguous.

#11

Well, seeing that this is an English-language site with an American dot-com web address, I’m not sure what other date format you would expect. There is nothing ambiguous about that date format in the U.S. Your response was completely incomprehensible. That’s why I thought you were talking techie talk.

#12

Well, seeing that this is an English-language site with an American dot-com web address, I’m not sure what other date format you would expect. There is nothing ambiguous about that date format in the U.S. Your response was completely incomprehensible. That’s why I thought you were talking techie talk.

#13

Sorry: I did not research about where you are living, or what web address is shown to you for this site. What I see is “ask.libreoffice.org”.
A vast majority of the users of this askbot site are not from the USA while the USA are the only relevant region where the “mid-endian” date format prevails.
By the way: Did you try the Text to Columns... suggestion?

#14

I didn’t understand your Text to Columns suggestion.

#15

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