Dashboard Metrics Widget - Date Formatting

Ramsay Zaki

When I add a Metric Widget to my dashboard, it isn't honoring the date formatting I have in the source sheet. I have my dates appearing as Apr 12, 2020 in the sheet but in the metric widget it appears as 04/12/20 and there doesn't seem to be any way for me to fix it (even though I have selected "use cell formatting" in the widget setup).

Am I doing something wrong?

Paul Newcome

You are not doing something wrong. It currently requires a workaround...

I suggest that you Submit a Product Enhancement Request when you get a chance to.

The workaround would be to use formulas to convert the date into the format you want (I suggest in a different column just for ease of setup) then linking your metrics widget to this new cell. Does that sound like an option to you?

Paul Newcome

You are not doing something wrong. It currently requires a workaround...

I suggest that you Submit a Product Enhancement Request when you get a chance to.

The workaround would be to use formulas to convert the date into the format you want (I suggest in a different column just for ease of setup) then linking your metrics widget to this new cell. Does that sound like an option to you?

Ramsay Zaki

Thanks. I don't like using workarounds like that because I have found formulas are not 100% reliable when adding new rows (i.e. they don't always copy down properly). I need something that is foolproof. Plus, from a visibility perspective, it clutters up the sheet and doesn't keep it clean. Not a nice user experience.

Paul Newcome

As long as either two rows above or two rows below contain the formula, it should autofill as new rows are added/inserted.

If the formula is autofilling but changing when it does, then you may want to look at the formula itself. I find that using @row instead of actual row numbers (when possible) really helps.

I also "Hide" my help columns to keep the sheet from looking cluttered.

Andrée Starå

Hi Ramsay,

Another option would be the third-party service, Zapier. Is that an option for you?

I hope that helps!

Have a fantastic weekend!

Best,

Andrée Starå

Workflow Consultant / CEO @ WORK BOLD

Florian N

Hey there -

A workaround I've found is to use a formula in my source sheet to display the date with the format I want e.g. 01-Jan-2024

Converting this to a Column formula will ensure reliability when you add rows

The formula is below, just replace "[Your Column Date]@Row" with your Date Column :

=(DAY([Your Column Date]@Row) + "-" + IF(MONTH([Your Column Date]@Row) = 1, "Jan", IF(MONTH([Your Column Date]@Row) = 2, "Feb", IF(MONTH([Your Column Date]@Row) = 3, "Mar", IF(MONTH([Your Column Date]@Row) = 4, "Apr", IF(MONTH([Your Column Date]@Row) = 5, "May", IF(MONTH([Your Column Date]@Row) = 6, "Jun", IF(MONTH([Your Column Date]@Row) = 7, "Jul", IF(MONTH([Your Column Date]@Row) = 8, "Aug", IF(MONTH([Your Column Date]@Row) = 9, "Sep", IF(MONTH([Your Column Date]@Row) = 10, "Oct", IF(MONTH([Your Column Date]@Row) = 11, "Nov", IF(MONTH([Your Column Date]@Row) = 12, "Dec")))))))))))) + "-" + YEAR([Your Column Date]@Row))

I hope this helps :)

Best,

Florian