Customizing the Date & Time Display

Timeline Maker Pro provides a wide range of flexibility in choosing how dates are presented in your timeline charts. You can choose include or exclude dates on your events, select the display format and time increments, including years, quarters, months, weeks, days, hours, minutes and even seconds. Dates can be shown in traditional calendar format, or you can choose to display them as numeric labels, relative to the time span of the date of the first event on the timeline chart. Time can be displayed in 12 hour or 24 hour time.

Tip: For information on customizing how Timeline Maker Pro interprets dates entered, see: Setting User Preferences, Date Tab.

In this article

• Showing date & time on events
• Customizing calendar date display
• Using Numeric Labels
• Setting time increments
  

Showing date & time on events

To show the date and time on events in the Bar & Flag Charts:

1. While viewing the timeline chart, select the event(s) for which you want to show dates/times.
2. In the Bar/Flag, Format tab, in the Text or Header Text group, click the Show Fields button.
3. Select Start and/or End. A checkmark indicates the data will be included on events.
   

Dates/Times will now be displayed on all selected events.

Customizing date & time display

To customize how calendar dates are displayed in the timeline chart:

1. While viewing the timeline chart, select the Chart tab.
2. In the Date Display group, click the Date Format button.
3. Select the desired display style in the Date section of the drop down menu. A checkmark indicates the style in use.
   

Tip: You can also choose to display dates as numeric labels, relative to the time span of the date of the first event on the timeline chart. To do this, select Chart > Date Display > Numeric Labels. A checkmark indicates Numeric Labels are in use.

To customize how time is displayed in the timeline chart:

1. While viewing the chart, select the Chart tab.
2. In the Date Display group, click the Date Format button.
3. Select the desired display style in the Time section of the drop down menu.
   

Tip: If you have dates and times listed for your events but only wish to show times or vice versa, in the Date Format list in the Chart tab, select either No Date to show only the time, or No Time to show only the date, according to your preference.

Using Numeric Labels

To use numeric labels on your events & timescale:

1. While viewing the timeline chart, select the Chart tab.
2. In the Date Display group, select Numeric Labels under Events. A checkmark in the checkbox indicates the display format chosen.
   

Your dates will now be relative to the time span of the date/time of the first event on the timeline chart. The timescale increment in use (e.g. quarters, days, hours, minutes) will be displayed above the first tick on the timescale, or if in the Project/Gantt Chart, the first column of the timescale.

Tip: To return to dates to the standard calendar display, select Calendar Dates under Events.

Setting time increments

To choose the time increments of the timescale:

1. While viewing the timeline chart, select the Timescale tab.
2. In the Scale group, click the Timescale button and select the desired option (Auto Scale, Years, Quarters, Months, Weeks, Days, Hours, Minutes or Seconds).
   

Once selected, your timeline chart will be adjusted to reflect the new option and the Timescale button will show the increment in use.

Tip: Select Auto Scale to have Timeline Maker Pro select the best option for the data entered.

Note: When an option other than Auto Scale is selected, the timeline chart will expand to include all time increments within the date range. If an option will make the chart unworkable, an error message will be displayed, and another option with larger time increments will need to be chosen.

For more information on customizing the timescale, see also: Adjusting the Timescale.