Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Word 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Word, click here: Dates Updating when Converting.

Dates Updating when Converting

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated April 18, 2022)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


Amorette wrote concerning a problem she had when converting her WordPerfect documents to Word. When opening them in Word, the conversion goes just fine, except that dates typed within the original document are automatically replaced by the date on which the conversion is done. Amorette wondered how this could be prevented.

It would appear that the dates in the WordPerfect files are not dates at all, but the equivalent of the various DATE fields in Word. When these are converted to Word, of course, the DATE fields are updated to the current date.

Since the WordPerfect file contains the equivalent of a Word DATE field, it is probable that the date would update even if the file were opened in WordPerfect. It is possible, however, that the field uses some switch to stop updating, and therefore would not update when opened in WordPerfect. The switch may not be recognized by Word during the conversion, so it is ignored.

The only way to test this hypothesis, of course, is to open the files in WordPerfect. Once they are opened, you could then replace the DATE-equivalent fields with actual dates and resave the documents. These could then be opened in Word with no problems.

If you don't have a copy of WordPerfect available, either on another office computer or on a friend's machine, then you may need to make some assumptions about the dates in the original files and simply replace them with the desired dates. For instance, you may decide to use the file creation dates for the original WordPerfect files.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (1670) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Word (Word 2007 and later) here: Dates Updating when Converting.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Using Object Anchors

An object anchor is used to signify the point at which an object is inserted into a document. If you want to see these ...

Discover More

Safely Relocking Forms

In order to use a form in Word, it must be protected. This means that you cannot make any changes to the form, even if ...

Discover More

Viewing Footnotes and Endnotes

Footnotes and endnotes are normally visible with the rest of your document, but such visibility is dependant on which ...

Discover More

The First and Last Word on Word! Bestselling For Dummies author Dan Gookin puts his usual fun and friendly candor back to work to show you how to navigate Word 2013. Spend more time working and less time trying to figure it all out! Check out Word 2013 For Dummies today!

More WordTips (menu)

MS-DOS with Line Breaks Format in Word 2002 and Word 2003

Finding the built in functionality in Word 2002 & 2003 for saving your document as a MS-DOS format.

Discover More

Sizing the Preview Pane

Some versions of Word allow you to resize your Preview Pane, others do not. Here is how to make your view larger.

Discover More

Saving Form Data for a Database

Use Word to create a form, and you can easily collect standardized data from a large number of users. When it comes time ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is 5 + 9?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)


This Site

Got a version of Word that uses the menu interface (Word 97, Word 2000, Word 2002, or Word 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.

Videos
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.