Tuesday's Tips provide brief how-to's to help you learn to use the Legacy Family Tree software with new tricks and techniques.
Options: Dates (Beginner)
Previous articles in this series:
Customize Legacy
Options: General Settings
Options: Data Entry
Options: Data Format
Options: Date Defaults
The next section in the Customize Legacy menu is Options > Customize > 5. Dates
Option 5.1 Displayed As (ff)
This section is pretty self explanatory. This is how you will see your dates on the various Legacy screens and in reports.
Option 5.2 Month Format (ff)
Some countries do not capitalize the months of the year. Some people prefer the months in all caps so that they stand out. I have mine set to Initial Caps so that I can type faster. I can type the month in all lowercase and Legacy fixes it for me.
Option 5.3 Separators for numeric dates (ff)
This is a stylistic choice. There are many countries that separate their numerical dates using periods. I personally prefer 11-30-1962. This will only go into effect if you have numerical dates chosen in Option 5.1.
Option 5.4 Double Date Cutoff (ff)
Be careful with this one. If your file is mostly the UK and the English colonies then you can use double dating. Other countries switched calendars in completely different years. In my main file I have it turned off but I have a limited One Name Study that covers South Carolina pre-1820 so in that file I have it turned on. South Carolina was a British colony so double dating applies.
Option 5.5 Date Checking (gbl)
I use all of Legacy's build in error checkers so I certainly have this one turned on. Typos make your work look amateurish Please don't go looking for typos in the blog because I am very capable of making mistakes and that is why this option is on.
Option 5.6 Preposition Before Full Dates on Reports (gbl)
This is another stylistic choice. It is common to see this written as Mary Smith was born 12 March 1888 (no preposition) in journals.
Option 5.7 Prefixes (gbl)
Most people will have abbreviations on the right side. I personally prefer all my words spelled out so there is no ambiguity. Because of this feature I can type a lot faster. I can type the abbreviation and Legacy spits out the entire word.
We have finished up Dates. Next time we will go over Options: Locations.
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Michele Simmons Lewis, CG® is part of the Legacy Family Tree team at MyHeritage. She handles the enhancement suggestions that come in from our users as well as writing for Legacy News. You can usually find her hanging out on the Legacy User Group Facebook page answering questions and posting tips.
David,
Options > Customize > Dates > Option 5.1
UNcheck the box that says “Format with 2-digit day/month”
Options > Customize > Dates > Option 5.7
In the Circa field type in ca. or circa