Bug 59694

Summary: Date recognition fails (inconsistent with locale and date format of cell)
Product: LibreOffice Reporter: Ariel <ari.reads>
Component: CalcAssignee: Not Assigned <libreoffice-bugs>
Status: RESOLVED INVALID    
Severity: normal CC: ari.reads, LibreOffice
Priority: medium    
Version: 3.6.2.2 release   
Hardware: All   
OS: All   
Whiteboard:
Crash report or crash signature: Regression By:

Description Ariel 2013-01-22 04:08:31 UTC
Using Calc, in a cell formatted with date as day/month/year (e.g.: 21/Jan/2013), and in a system set with locale to be the same (day/month/year), if I type:

If I type:      
  21Jan   (all together, no spaces)
The cell "recognizes" wrongly: 01/Jan/2021

If I type: 
   Jan21   (all together, no spaces)
The cell recognizes (unexpectedly, given my locale): 21/Jan/2013

In M$ Excel, the cell format defines how to "guess" and convert strings into dates as one would naturally expect. If the cell is formatted as date as "day/month/year", then entering 21Jan is converted into 21/Jan/2013.

Unfortunately Libreoffice seems hardwired to recognize only US/Northamerica date format (ignoring even the locale of the OS (I use linux/ubuntu 12.10 BTW) which has been an annoyance since I started to use Calc daily.

Libreoffice should "recognize" (convert) strings into dates with a more intuitive heuristic based on the date format that the user set for the cell, or at least based on the locale that was set for the OS
Comment 1 Rainer Bielefeld Retired 2013-01-22 07:01:25 UTC
Looks like a user error because nowhere Date recognition pattern is mentioned.
And BTW, to me complained recognition seems rather clever, very expected.

@Ariel
Thank you for your report – unfortunately important information is missing.
May be hints on <http://wiki.documentfoundation.org/BugReport> will help you to find out what information will be useful to reproduce your problem? 
Please:
- Write a meaningful Summary describing exactly what the problem is
- Attach a sample document (not only screenshot) or refer to an existing 
  sample document in an other Bug with a link; to attach a file to this 
  bug report, just click on "Add an attachment" right on this page.
- Attach screenshots with comments if you believe that that might explain the 
  problem better than a text comment. Best way is to insert your screenshots
  into a DRAW document and to add comments that explain what you want to show
  (attachment 68877 [details], attachment 68490 [details])
- add information 
  -- what EXACTLY is unexpected
  -- and WHY do you believe it's unexpected (cite Help or Documentation!)
  -- concerning your PC 
  -- concerning your OS (Version, Distribution, Language)
  -- concerning your LibO version localization (UI language, Locale setting)
  –- Libo settings that might be related to your problems:
    --- What are your Date recognition patterns in 'Tools -> Options 
        -> Language settings?
    --- Where did you see system set with locale "day/month/year"
  -- everything else crossing your mind after you read linked texts

Even if you can not provide all demanded information, every little new information might bring the breakthrough.

Please use  <https://www.libreoffice.org/get-help/bug/> for submitting bug reports! You reach that Bug Submission Assistant via LibO menu 'Help -> Feedback / Bug Report'. The assistant will collect and insert required information automatically.
Comment 2 QA Administrators 2013-09-24 01:54:52 UTC
Dear Bug Submitter,

This bug has been in NEEDINFO status with no change for at least 6 months. Please provide the requested information as soon as possible and mark the bug as UNCONFIRMED. Due to regular bug tracker maintenance, if the bug is still in NEEDINFO status with no change in 30 days the QA team will close the bug as INVALID due to lack of needed information.

For more information about our NEEDINFO policy please read the wiki located here: 
https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/QA/FDO/NEEDINFO

If you have already provided the requested information, please mark the bug as UNCONFIRMED so that the QA team knows that the bug is ready to be confirmed.


Thank you for helping us make LibreOffice even better for everyone!


Warm Regards,
QA Team
Comment 3 QA Administrators 2013-10-25 15:13:35 UTC
Dear Bug Submitter,

Please read this message in its entirety before proceeding.

Your bug report is being closed as INVALID due to inactivity and a lack of information which is needed in order to accurately reproduce and confirm the problem. We encourage you to retest your bug against the latest release. If the issue is still present in the latest stable release, we need the following information (please ignore any that you've already provided):

a) Provide details of your system including your operating system and the latest version of LibreOffice that you have confirmed the bug to be present

b) Provide easy to reproduce steps – the simpler the better

c) Provide any test case(s) which will help us confirm the problem

d) Provide screenshots of the problem if you think it might help

e) Read all comments and provide any requested information

Once all of this is done, please set the bug back to UNCONFIRMED and we will attempt to reproduce the issue. 
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