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ISO 8601 date format error in Synchronize directories

Posted: 2010-04-10, 18:57 UTC
by rif
I use ISO 8601 date format (yyyy-mm-dd) e.g. 2010-02-28 in Windows. This works well everywhere in Total Commander except in Synchronize directories where the date is display with just 6 digits like 10-02-28.

The error is not new it has been there for several versions and is still present in 7.55 beat 2.

I admit this is a smaller cosmetic error, but I would like to see it fixed some time soon.

Thanks for years of excellent program, well worth its price, from a happy customer.

Doei RIF

Posted: 2010-04-10, 20:49 UTC
by Samuel
Confirmed.

I would also like to see the full year of the date.

Posted: 2010-04-11, 15:07 UTC
by Horst.Epp
I don't see the benefit of displaying 4 digits for the year.
Today there are no file date which can be interpreted wrong with a 2 digit year.
It also would waste just 4 digits screen space in the snchronize dirs window
without any additional info.

Posted: 2010-04-11, 15:45 UTC
by ghisler(Author)
Sorry, this is intentional to save valuable screen space in synchronize dirs. Unfortunately it's currently not possible to configure it differently.

Posted: 2010-04-11, 16:49 UTC
by rif
Horst.Epp wrote:I don't see the benefit of displaying 4 digits for the year. Today there are no file date which can be interpreted wrong with a 2 digit year.
Let us take an example, in sycronize directory I have a file:

abc.txt 1,024 10-04-09 15:00:00

Was this file created:
10. April 2009 (typical European date format)
4. October 2009 (US date format)
9. April 2010 (ISO 8601 format)

Without knowing the exact setup of Windows and interpretation by the program you can not be sure to tell the date from a 6 digit format. However if we display 8 digits and using ISO 8601 date format (2010-04-09) there is no confusion.

Is this problem going away? No, I have files that was created yesterday, last week, last month, last year, 10 years ago and also >20 years ago. They will allways have this problem.
Horst.Epp wrote:It also would waste just 4 digits screen space in the snchronize dirs window without any additional info.
Yes just using 4 digits screen space would provide clarity. Certainly a good use of that tiny space. Total Commander should just follow Windows date format, then you can set Windows to save the space.

Posted: 2010-04-11, 17:04 UTC
by rif
ghisler(Author) wrote:Sorry, this is intentional to save valuable screen space in synchronize dirs. Unfortunately it's currently not possible to configure it differently.
In the normal file browsing panes the dates are displayed with 8 digits. If there is space there I cannot see why there would not be space on the Syncronize dirs window. It is practically the same information length.

I recommend that Total Commander just follow the setup of Windows date format, then user can select if date format is 6 or 8 digit long.

I do not expect to see this fixed in 7.55, but it would be nice if it was fixed by version 7.60 ;-).

Posted: 2010-04-11, 17:12 UTC
by Samuel
I totally agree to rif. Sometimes I am also confused by something ambiguous like 12.11.10.
rif wrote:In the normal file browsing panes the dates are displayed with 8 digits. If there is space there I cannot see why there would not be space on the Syncronize dirs window. It is practically the same information length
Good point.

Posted: 2010-04-11, 17:15 UTC
by Horst.Epp
rif wrote:
Horst.Epp wrote:I don't see the benefit of displaying 4 digits for the year. Today there are no file date which can be interpreted wrong with a 2 digit year.
Let us take an example, in sycronize directory I have a file:

abc.txt 1,024 10-04-09 15:00:00

Was this file created:
10. April 2009 (typical European date format)
4. October 2009 (US date format)
9. April 2010 (ISO 8601 format)

Without knowing the exact setup of Windows and interpretation by the program you can not be sure to tell the date from a 6 digit format. However if we display 8 digits and using ISO 8601 date format (2010-04-09) there is no confusion.
...
I always know what date / time setup my windows has, so its never a question how to read the date. And TC just shortens the year and doesn't change the date format in any other way. I'm working for a multi-national company and never had any problems with this.
But I would not argue against an option to control that display.
And as the date and time of a file is stored in binary UTC format it will be no problem to understand it in 10 or 20 years.

Posted: 2010-04-11, 17:19 UTC
by Samuel
For me its easier to catch the right date if the year has 4 digits.
I could always reproduce the right date, but its slower for me to figure it out.

Posted: 2010-04-11, 21:57 UTC
by petermad
Support++ for 4 digits in the year in the Sync tool - just as there is in the Multi-rename tool.

BTW - shouldn't this be moved to Suggestions?

Posted: 2010-04-11, 22:19 UTC
by Clo
[mod]Thread moved to TC7.55 Suggestions
Clo, moderator.[/mod]

Re: ISO 8601 date format error in Synchronize directories

Posted: 2021-04-12, 08:21 UTC
by rsbrux
We now have TC 9.51 and this is still not fixed. There hasn't been an update in a long time.
I find the truncation of the first two digits of the year in ISO format confusing, as it no longer resembles ISO format and as others have commented here is therefore no longer unambiguous.
IMHO, the date format shown in the synchronize screen should be the same as that shown in the normal two-pane display.
Is there any hope of this happening?
Is there a thread for 9.52 suggestions?

Re: ISO 8601 date format error in Synchronize directories

Posted: 2021-04-12, 08:58 UTC
by Horst.Epp
rsbrux wrote: 2021-04-12, 08:21 UTC We now have TC 9.51 and this is still not fixed. There hasn't been an update in a long time.
I find the truncation of the first two digits of the year in ISO format confusing, as it no longer resembles ISO format and as others have commented here is therefore no longer unambiguous.
IMHO, the date format shown in the synchronize screen should be the same as that shown in the normal two-pane display.
Is there any hope of this happening?
Is there a thread for 9.52 suggestions?
You should have noticed that we are in the beta phase of TC 10.

Re: ISO 8601 date format error in Synchronize directories

Posted: 2021-04-12, 09:11 UTC
by rsbrux
Sorry, my bad!

Re: ISO 8601 date format error in Synchronize directories

Posted: 2021-04-12, 10:15 UTC
by petermad
Still support++