The date format defaults to match your system settings, but it’s easy to change it to suit the requirements of your timeline.

‍How To:‍

1. In the menu bar, go to:
   1. Mac: Aeon Timeline > Settings
   2. Windows: Tools > Options
2. Make sure the Appearance tab is selected.
3. Under Text Formatting, open the dropdown menu under Date Format.
4. Choose between dd/mm/yyyy, mm/dd/yyyy, or yyyy-mm-dd.

See also:

Show dates as text (5 Sep 2024) or numeric (05/09/2024)

You can enter dates however you like—whether it’s full dates or shorthand, the app will convert them for you. These formats all work:

• 2024
• Jan 2024
• Jan 28 2024
• 28 Jan 24
• 28/01/24
• 28-01-24

To make the year ‘24’ convert to 24 AD instead of 2024, uncheck this setting:

See also:

Change the date format to dd/mm or mm/dd ›

To adjust an event's duration or a person's age, simply enter how long the event should last. The item's end date will update automatically. These formats all work:

• 5 years
• 5 years, 3 months
• 5 y, 3 m

You can enter durations in years, months, weeks, days, hours, minutes, or seconds.

If no duration is entered, the duration will be calculated based on the item's start and end dates. If an event is marked as ongoing, its duration will show a count to the ‘today’ date.

See also:

Recording current, ongoing events

The date picker gives you the freedom to type in your dates or select them from the grid. Choose how precise you want to be, from year-only, to full dates with timestamps. The options in the grid will update automatically.

1. The text fields accept dates in almost any format and convert to match the selected date display style. The precision of the picker updates to match whatever you enter.
2. The precision selector lets you choose how detailed the date should be. Work with only the year, the month and year, or full dates.
3. The date grid updates based on the current precision level.
   • Use the arrows to move through indexed pages of months & years.
   • Target each part of the date, then make a selection from the grid. 
   • Check the Time box to include a timestamp (Full date only).

Showing only months or years for a single event

Each event in your timeline can have its own level of date precision. To set an event to show only months or years:‍

1. By typing a date:
   • Type the month and year, or year only in any Start or End field.
   • Alternatively, if you have entered a full date like 5 Sep 2024, delete the day or month to leave only the year remaining.
2. Using the date picker:
   • Click the
     calendar icon in the Spreadsheet or Inspector to bring up the picker.
   • Select Year Only or Month and Year.

See also:

Typing dates

Using the date picker

Showing only months or years for all events

‍For global changes, like telling the app that you never want to include times with your dates, set the maximum precision in Settings. ‍

1. Open

   Settings.
   
2. Make sure the Dates tab is selected.
3. Choose an option from the dropdown menu under Maximum precision.

Viewing months or years on the Timeline view
‍
‍Find out how to set the timeline's timescale zoom.

If you’re tracking living people in your timeline, setting the end date to ‘ongoing’ shows they’re still alive and displays their current age in the Duration field.

1. Select a person.
2. In the Dates panel in the inspector, enter a start date.
3. Check the Ongoing box.
   

Setting a custom ‘today’ date:
‍
The app uses your device’s clock to keep the current day updated. If your timeline covers historical fiction, fantasy, or sci-fi set in another era, you can customize the date that is considered ‘today’.

1. Open

   Settings.
   
2. Make sure the Dates tab is selected.
3. Scroll to the bottom of the panel, and check the box marked ‘Override current date/time with’.
4. Enter a date.

Setting an event’s end date to 'ongoing' is useful when the event or task is still in progress. When set to ongoing, the duration calculates the length of time between the start date and the ‘today’ date.

If you need to enter an end date later on, uncheck ‘ongoing’ to make the field editable again.

1. Select an event.
2. In the Dates panel in the inspector, enter a start date.
3. Check the Ongoing box.
   

Setting a custom ‘today’ date:
‍
The app uses your device’s clock to keep the current day updated. If your timeline covers historical fiction, fantasy, or sci-fi set in another era, you can customize the date that is considered ‘today’.

1. Open

   Settings.
   
2. Make sure the Dates tab is selected.
3. Scroll to the bottom of the panel, and check the box marked ‘Override current date/time with’.
4. Enter a date.

You can add times to full dates, with precision down to the second, using either the keyboard or the date picker.
‍
Enter a time by typing

1. Select an event's start or end date fields.
2. Enter a full date, including the time. These formats all work:
   • 20 Sep 24 2pm
   • 20 September 2024 14:00
     
   • 20/09/24 14:30:15
     

Enter a time with the date picker

1. Click the
   calendar icon in the Spreadsheet or Inspector to bring up the date picker.
   
2. Select Full date in the precision selector.
3. Check the Time box.
4. Enter a time in the time field.
5. Click ‘More options’ to set the time precision to seconds, minutes, or hours.

In the Timeline view

1. Switch to the Timeline view.
2. Select multiple events. You can:
   • Click an event, then hold Shift+click to select all the events in between.
   • Hold ⌘+click (Mac), or Ctrl+click (Windows) to select multiple events individually.
     
   • Click and drag a box around multiple events on the timeline to select them all.
     
3. Enter a date in the Inspector.

In the Spreadsheet view

1. Switch to the Spreadsheet view.
2. Click the first cell in a row to select an event.
3. Select multiple events. You can:
   • Hold Shift and select another event to select a range.
   • To select multiple individual events, hold ⌘+(Mac), Ctrl+click (Windows) and select the events.
     
4. Enter a date in the Inspector.

Copy & paste in the Spreadsheet view

1. Switch to the Spreadsheet view.
2. Copy a date from a cell.
3. Select multiple date cells, and paste to update all of them at once.

Events with dates are shown in chronological order by default. Undated events can be manually reordered in the Spreadsheet and interspersed with events with exact dates.

Dated events can also be reordered, but their dates will be adjusted if you drag it past another event with a conflicting date.

1. Switch to the Spreadsheet view.
2. Make sure the table is sorted by the Order column.
3. Reorder a row by dragging the handles in the first cell in each row.
   

Timeline drag
‍
Dragged events move in different increments based on your Timescale zoom level. The more you zoom in, the more precise control you have. Find out more about customizing the slider range below.

Click and drag an event to move it around on the timeline. Hold shift while dragging to snap to the grid lines.

Shift items by
‍
You can easily move events by a set amount of time without doing any calculations with 'Shift Items By' under the Item menu.

1. Select an event.
2. In the menu bar, go to Item > Shift Items By.
3. Enter a time value (like 5 hours or 2 days) to shift the event forward. Use negative values (like -5 hours) to move it back in time.

Changing the start date
‍
When automatic date adjustment is on, changing the start date shifts the entire event while keeping the duration the same. It’s super helpful for fixed-length events, like moving a 3-day conference to a different week.

When starting a new timeline, Automatic date adjustment is turned on by default. To change it, go to:

Timeline drag

1. Switch to the Timeline view.
2. Hover over an event marker to see the drag arrows.
3. Drag the arrows to adjust the start or end date, which also alters the duration of the event.

Changing start or end dates
‍
When automatic date adjustment is disabled, editing the start date won’t affect the end date, but the duration will change. Perfect for launching a project a week earlier without shifting the deadline.

Using the timescale zoom slider
‍
Use the slider in the footer to adjust the timescale zoom. Slide left for a large scale overview of the timeline, or slide right for more accurate dates.

‍The zoom range lets you control how far you can zoom in or out on the timeline. Setting the maximum spread of your events gives you more precise control of the slider.

• From sets the widest range, all the way up to billions of years.
• To sets the finest range, down to the second.

Using the context lens
‍
Adjust the lens width to fine-tune the timescale and what's visible in-view.

• Drag an edge in to narrow the focus.
• Drag an edge out to broaden the focus.

Using pinch zoom
‍
If you have a trackpad or touchscreen:

1. Switch to the Timeline view.
2. Pinch out to zoom in, or pinch in to zoom out.

After zooming, you can use Find in view in the Inspector to recenter on a selected event.

Using scroll to date

1. Switch to the Timeline view.
2. In the footer, select Dates.
   
3. Click Scroll to date.
4. Type or select a date to scroll to.

Using the context bar

1. Switch to the Timeline view.
2. Click anywhere in the Context Bar, or click and drag the Context Lens to move left and right.
   

Navigating with a trackpad
‍
If you have a trackpad or touchscreen:

1. Switch to the Timeline view.
2. Use 2 fingers on the trackpad to scroll left and right.
3. Use a pinch gesture to zoom in or out.

Navigating with a mouse

1. Switch to the Timeline view.
2. Hold Shift and scroll, or use the thumb wheel (if your mouse has one) to scroll left and right.
3. Hold Ctrl and scroll to zoom in or out.

Set a date range to make your timeline easier to navigate, or only show events within a specific timeframe.

Setting the date range

1. Switch to the Timeline view.
2. In the footer, select Dates.
3. Set the Timeline Date Range.
   • From sets the earliest date.
   • To sets the latest date.
   • Alternatively, click Limit to existing items to limit the timeline range based on your earliest and latest events.

Showing only events within a date range

1. Open the

   Filter panel in the sidebar.
2. Open and set the Date filter.
   • Earliest filters out all events before the date.
   • Latest filters out all events after the date.
     
3. Use clear to reset the filter to show all events.

1. Switch to the Timeline view.
2. In the Footer, click the Item display button.
3. Open the Dates section and select Date.

Column settings

1. Switch to the Spreadsheet view.
2. In the Footer, click the Columns button.
3. Open and select from the Dates section.
   • Select Start Date to show the Start Date column.
   • Select End Date to show the End Date column.
     

Use the display settings to choose between dates with abbreviated months (5 Sep 2024), full months (5 September 2024), or short numerical dates (05/09/2024).

‍How To:‍

1. Open

   Settings.
   
2. Make sure the Dates tab is selected.
3. In the Display section, open the dropdown menu under Date Length and choose your preferred option.

‍Most timelines use calendar (absolute) dates, so you can specify the exact day or year an event happens. With relative dates, you can keep it simple by counting days or weeks (day 1, day 2, and so on), without linking to specific dates.

When starting a new file
‍
When selecting a template, choose General > Day 1, Day 2.

Converting an existing file
‍
You can switch between date styles anytime, but when you do, you’ll be asked to set a Day 0 to use as a starting point to offset the dates from.

1. Open

   Settings.
   
2. Make sure the Dates tab is selected.
3. In the Calendar section, open the dropdown menu under Style and choose your preferred option.
4. Enter the 0 date if required. Enter a date manually, or use one of the shortcut options:
   • This week: Sets Day 0 as the first day of the current week.
   • Earliest date: Sets Day 0 as the earliest date of your existing events.
     

How To:

1. Open

   Settings.
   
2. Make sure the Dates tab is selected.
3. In the Calendar section, click the Edit Calendar button.
4. Edit the names and abbreviations for months and days.

Starting a new timeline without any dated events lets you create a fully customized calendar, with full control over every detail.