Embedded hidden dates in Word documents.

Thread view:

Enable EMail Alerts

Start New Thread

Thread rating:

============ ABC ============ - 27 Jul 2004 04:20 GMT

Embedded hidden dates in Word documents.
==============================
Are there Embedded dates hidden in Word documents regarding:

-when a document was Created
-when a document was Printed
-when a document was last Saved

which are completely separate from the file dates stored in the Windows
operating system MFT data (external to the Word file) ??

I want to compare these internal dates with the external Windows dates on a
Word document.

If so, how can I access them ??

Thanks
Paul R.

Reply to this Message

Shauna Kelly - 28 Jul 2004 11:14 GMT

Hi Paul

See File > Properties.

Note that there is only a tenuous relationship between the Word dates and
the Windows dates, that it's frequent and routine to see "odd" things (such
as a document was Last Printed before it was Created), and that the
different tabs of the File > Properties dialog show different dates.

Hope this helps.

Shauna Kelly. Microsoft MVP.
http://www.shaunakelly.com/word

> Embedded hidden dates in Word documents.
> ==============================
[quoted text clipped - 14 lines]
> Thanks
> Paul R.

Reply to this Message

============ ABC ============ - 28 Jul 2004 14:44 GMT

"such as a document was Last Printed before it was Created"
Are you talking about the internal Word dates or the external Windows dates
here ??

1) How can you have a document that was Printed before it was Created ??

2) Can a document have a Word Saved date earlier than the Word Created date
for the file ??

Is this possible ??

Thanks

> Hi Paul
>
[quoted text clipped - 29 lines]
> > Thanks
> > Paul R.

Reply to this Message

Shauna Kelly - 29 Jul 2004 15:11 GMT

Hi Paul

> 1) How can you have a document that was Printed before it was Created ??

Create a template, print it and save it. Create a new document from that
template. Observe that the document's Last Printed date is before the
Created date.

>> 2) Can a document have a Word Saved date earlier than the Word Created

date

> for the file ??

Yes, I think so.

Hope this helps.

Shauna Kelly. Microsoft MVP.
http://www.shaunakelly.com/word

> "such as a document was Last Printed before it was Created"
> Are you talking about the internal Word dates or the external Windows dates
[quoted text clipped - 44 lines]
> > > Thanks
> > > Paul R.

Reply to this Message

============ ABC ============ - 29 Jul 2004 17:09 GMT

Hello Shauna,

Can you think of a situation that would cause this ??

> >> 2) Can a document have a Word Saved date earlier than the Word Created
> date
> > for the file ??
>
> Yes, I think so.

Any ideas what situation would cause this ??
ie. a document having its internal Word Saved date earlier than its internal
Word Created date ??

I'm talking about that exact situation, can you see how it would happen ??

Thanks
Paul R.

> Hi Paul
>
[quoted text clipped - 66 lines]
> > > > Thanks
> > > > Paul R.

Reply to this Message

Shauna Kelly - 31 Jul 2004 05:45 GMT

Hi Paul

I've tried to find an example of what you describe (Word internal Saved Date
< Word internal Created date), and I can't find one or manage to create one.

But my observations over some time are that Word's dates are entirely
unreliable except for informal purposes. I suspect (but have no evidence!)
that the problems have lessened in the last few versions of Word.

Files go through a lot of handling, and the number of possible combinations
is very high. You might need to consider: version(s) of Word that created or
have ever worked on the file, version(s) of Windows, whether the file has
ever been copied by Windows, whether the file has ever been emailed as an
attachment and saved from the email, email client(s) used to do that, etc
etc.

Hope this helps.

Shauna Kelly. Microsoft MVP.
http://www.shaunakelly.com/word

> Hello Shauna,
>
[quoted text clipped - 89 lines]
> > > > > Thanks
> > > > > Paul R.

Reply to this Message