Choose a date format for word.

Q. How do I get AutoComplete to automatically type out the "long" date (July 4, 2004) instead of the "short" date (7/4/2004)?

A. Before getting into how to set the default for the date format, let's take a moment to describe AutoComplete. It's a handy function that recognizes when you're typing a date and completes the task for you--writing it in the format of your choosing.

To initiate AutoComplete, click on Insert on the toolbar, on AutoText and then on the AutoText tab and place a check in the box next to Show AutoComplete suggestions and click on OK.

Now you're ready to see how AutoComplete completes a date that you begin to type. Start to type March in your Word document. After you type a few letters, Word will surmise you're about to type a date and the following will appear on the screen:

If you follow the pop-up instructions and press Enter, Word will insert the current date. If, on the other hand, you were actually going to type, March into the fray, just keep typing and ignore the pop-up date suggestion.

Now, to answer your question: How to format the date? The date format is controlled by a setting in your Control Panel. To access it, click on the Start button (lower-left corner of the screen), Control Panel and then on Regional and Language Options. That will bring up this screen, which displays your current format settings for numbers, currency, time and date:

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If you wish to change any of the settings, click on Customize, and that brings up this screen:

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Notice now you can adjust the default format for numbers, currency, time and date by clicking on the appropriate tab. If you want to change any of them, click on the subject you want to change and then click on Customize again. Use the upside-down arrow to make your choice.

Key to Instructions

To help readers follow the instructions in this article, we use two different typefaces:

* Boldface type is used to identify the names of icons, agendas and URLs.

* Sans serif type indicates the names of files and the names of commands and instructions users should type into the computer.

Do you have technology questions for this column? Or, after reading an answer, do you have a better solution? Send them to contributing editor Stanley Zarowin via e-mail at [e-mail] or regular mail at the Journal of Accountancy, 201 Plaza Three, Harborside Financial Center, Jersey City, NJ 07311-3881.

Because of the volume of mail, we regret we cannot individually answer submitted questions. However, ifa reader's question has broad interest, we will answer it in a forthcoming Technology Q&A column.

On occasion you may find you cannot implement a function I describe in this column. More often than not it's because not all functions work in every operating system or application. I try to test everything in the 2000 and XP editions of Windows and Office. It's virtually impossible to test them in all editions, and it's equally difficult to find out which editions are incompatible with a function. I apologize for the inconvenience.

STANLEY ZAROWIN, a former Jof A senior editor, is now a contributing editor to the magazine. His e-mail address is [e-mail].