WD2000: Date Form Fields Not Recognized If Operating System Set to Non-Gregorian Calendar

If the operating system's default calendar setting is a non-Gregorian calendar (Lunar/Hijri, for example), Word does not recognize date form fields entered through the Text Form Field as valid dates.

In order to incorporate date form fields in a document, Word requires that the operating system's Calendar type be set to Gregorian (Western).

To set the Calendar type, follow these steps:

1. On the Windows Start menu, point to Settings and click Control Panel.
2. Double-click the Regional Settings icon.
3. On the Date tab, change the Calendar type to Gregorian Calendar and click OK.

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.

To insert a text form field with a date into your Word document, follow these steps:

1. In your document, position your insertion point where you want the date field.
2. On the View menu, point to Toolbars and click Forms.
3. On the Forms toolbar, click Text Form Field to insert the date field.
4. Double-click the inserted field to open the Text Form Field Options dialog box.
5. In the Options dialog box, set the Type to Date and type a date in the Default edit box.
6. Choose a date format from the Date Format list.