Date Settings
Date Settings control how dates and times are displayed throughout EventWorks. You can customise the format to match your region or personal preference, and preview changes before saving.
Getting There
Navigate to Settings > General tab, then click Dates in the left-hand menu.
Overview
The Date Settings page shows three format fields that control how dates and times appear across the entire application — on events, invoices, reports, and everywhere else a date is shown.
Key Concepts
EventWorks uses PHP date format strings to control how dates are displayed. These are short codes that represent different parts of a date. For example:
| Code | Output | Description |
|---|---|---|
d |
05 | Day of the month (two digits) |
m |
04 | Month number (two digits) |
Y |
2026 | Full year (four digits) |
H |
14 | Hour in 24-hour format |
i |
30 | Minutes |
g |
2 | Hour in 12-hour format |
A |
PM | AM or PM |
Common format examples:
| Format String | Output |
|---|---|
d/m/Y |
05/04/2026 |
m/d/Y |
04/05/2026 |
d M Y |
05 Apr 2026 |
Y-m-d |
2026-04-05 |
H:i |
14:30 |
g:iA |
2:30PM |
A link to the full format reference is available on the settings page itself.
How To...
Change Date and Time Formats
- On the Date Settings page, you'll see three fields:
d/m/Y H:i). - Date Format — used wherever only a date is shown (e.g. d/m/Y). - Time Format — used wherever only a time is shown (e.g. H:i).
- Enter your preferred format string in each field.
- Click Save to apply.
Preview a Format Before Saving
Each format field has a Preview button next to it. Click it to see what the current date and time would look like using your entered format — without saving anything. This lets you experiment with different formats risk-free.
Tip: Use the Preview button to check your format strings are correct before saving. A typo in the format can make dates hard to read across the application.
Settings & Configuration
Date formats apply account-wide — all users on your account will see dates in the format you configure here. Individual users cannot override this setting.
Tips & Best Practices
Tip: If your team operates across regions, choose an unambiguous format like d M Y (05 Apr 2026) to avoid confusion between day/month and month/day conventions.
Tip: Click the help link on the settings page for a complete list of available format codes and examples.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Will changing the date format affect existing data?No — your data is stored independently of the display format. Changing the format only changes how dates are shown on screen and in new documents. Previously generated PDF files are not affected.
Q: Can individual users set their own date format?No, the date format is an account-wide setting. All users see dates in the same format.
Q: What happens if I enter an invalid format string?Dates may display incorrectly or show raw format codes. Use the Preview button to test your format before saving.