1-2-3 Release 5.0/5.01 Y2K UPDATE (READY2K.TXT) January 20, 1999 **CONTENTS** 1. Overview of 1-2-3 Release 5.0/5.01 Y2K Update 2. Installing the Y2K Update Downloading and Installing the Y2K Update from the Web Installing the Y2K Update from Diskettes 3. Description of Y2K Enhancements Four-Digit Year Display in Edit Line New Option to Display Four-Digit Years in Cells Additional Y2K Notes 4. Trademark Information **1. OVERVIEW OF 1-2-3 RELEASE 5.0/5.01 Y2K UPDATE** Lotus provides the 1-2-3 Release 5.0/5.01 Y2K Update to make it easier to work with dates beyond the year 1999 in 1-2-3 Release 5.0 and 1-2-3 Release 5.01. When you apply this update to either 1-2-3 Release 5.0 or Release 5.01, 1-2-3 is enhanced in the following ways: * The edit line always displays dates with a four-digit year. To see which century a two-digit year is in, select the cell and look at the edit line above the worksheet. * You can choose to display four-digit years in cells for all dates. If you change this new setting in the 1-2-3 configuration file, 1-2-3 always displays dates with four-digit years. * Dates with years beyond 1999 appear fully and correctly in the status bar and dialog boxes. * The release number for 1-2-3 in the Help - About 1-2-3 dialog box is updated to either Release 5.0A or Release 5.01A, depending on the release installed on your computer. (Note: The release number returned by @INFO will not change.) * Support for Excel 5.0 added to 1-2-3 Release 5.0 for early purchasers of this release. (Excel 5.0 is supported in 1-2-3 Release 5.01 and most versions of 1-2-3 Release 5.0.) This update does not make any other changes to 1-2-3, nor does it change any data in your 1-2-3 files. **2. INSTALLING THE Y2K UPDATE** The 1-2-3 Y2K Update makes enhancements to the US English version of 1-2-3 Release 5.0 and 1-2-3 Release 5.01. If you do not have or the install program cannot locate one of these releases on your computer, the install process stops without making changes to any other release of 1-2-3 that may be installed. The Y2K Update file is a self-extracting file that places new copies of the files listed below in your 1-2-3 programs directory. MAIN123W.EXE L1WHEAP.DLL L1TXLATE.DLL C1WSS.DLL 123W.EXE L1WMAP.EXE (Release 5.0 only) L1TXLATE.RI (Release 5.0 only) READY2K.TXT (this text file) Note to System Administrators: You must run the 1-2-3 Release 5.0/5.01 Y2K Update from a computer that has write access to the server. You must also know the drive and directory containing the 1-2-3 program files (typically, x:\123r5w\programs for 1-2-3 Release 5.0 and x:\lotus\123\programs for 1-2-3 Release 5.01). You will need to type this path when prompted during the installation process. DOWNLOADING AND INSTALLING THE Y2K UPDATE FROM THE WEB 1. Close 1-2-3 if it is running. 2. Use your browser to go to link for the 1-2-3 Release 5 Y2K update, which can be found on the 1-2-3 Product page on the Lotus Customer Support Web site, www.support.lotus.com. 3. Click the link to download the 1-2-3 Release 5.0/5.01 Y2K update, 123r5y2k.exe. 4. If you are using Internet Explorer 3.02 or higher, choose "Save this program to disk" and click OK. 5. Navigate to the 1-2-3 programs directory on your computer (typically \123r5w\programs for 1-2-3 Release 5.0 or \lotus\123\programs for \1-2-3 Release 5.01) and click Save. 6. Start File Manager, Windows Explorer, or Windows NT Explorer. 7. Navigate to the folder in which you saved the file 123r5y2k.exe. 8. Double-click 123r5y2k.exe. 9. Follow the Install instructions. INSTALLING THE Y2K UPDATE FROM DISKETTES 1. Close 1-2-3 if it is running. 2. Insert the 1-2-3 Release 5.0/5.01 Y2K Update diskette 1 in the appropriate drive. 3. In Windows, choose File - Run or Start - Run. 4. Type a:\install and choose OK. 5. Follow the Install instructions. **3. DESCRIPTION OF Y2K ENHANCEMENTS** FOUR-DIGIT YEAR DISPLAY IN EDIT LINE After you install the Y2K Update, the edit line directly above the sheet always displays the year with four digits when you select a cell containing a date. Note: 1-2-3 always assumes that dates entered with two-digit years are in the 20th century. For example, if you enter 12/13/01, 1-2-3 displays 12/13/1901 in the edit line. To enter a date in any other century, you must type a four-digit year, such as 12/13/2001. Correction to 1-2-3 Help: The Date Formats topic in online Help states incorrectly that when you select a cell containing a date, the date number appears in the edit line. Instead, dates appear in the edit line in the same way as they are formatted in the cell, although with the Y2K updates, the edit line always displays four-digit years. NEW OPTION TO DISPLAY FOUR-DIGIT YEARS IN CELLS If you want 1-2-3 to display four-digit years in cells for all dates, you can edit the 1-2-3 configuration file to turn on this new display setting. 1. In a text editor, open the file 123r5.ini, which can be found in your Windows or Windows NT directory. 2. Locate the [NFORMAT] section. 3. On a new line at the end of the section, enter LONG_YEAR=1, then be sure to leave a blank line before the start of the next section. The section should appear as follows: [NFORMAT] nflist=0;4;5;6;7;9;10;11;12;18;19;34;37;55;57;58;59;60;61;62;63;64;65; LONG_YEAR=1 4. Save the file. When you launch 1-2-3, all dates formatted with date formats that include the year display four-digit years. Lotus has adjusted dialog boxes as necessary to display dates with four-digit years. Note: You may need to adjust the column widths to display dates with four-digit years. To turn off the display of four-digit years, change the LONG_YEAR setting in 123r5.ini to LONG_YEAR=0. ADDITIONAL Y2K NOTES Previous problems with incorrect or incomplete display of dates beyond 1999 in the status bar and File Open/Save, Doc Info, Add-in Load, Version Manager, and Range Fill dialog boxes have been corrected. Date @functions have not changed: * If you enter two digits for the year argument in @DATE, 1-2-3 always assumes that the date is in the 20th century. For example, if you enter @DATE(01;12;13), 1-2-3 returns the date number for December 13, 1901. To enter a date in any other century, you must type a four-digit year, such as @DATE(2001;12;13). * If you use @YEAR to extract the year from the date number for a 21st century date, 1-2-3 returns the year +100. For example, @YEAR returns 123 for year 2023. **4. TRADEMARK INFORMATION** * Lotus, SmartSuite, and 1-2-3 are registered trademarks of Lotus Development Corporation. * Other product and company names mentioned may be the trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.