# ODK aggregate french computer settings saves start dates as general format in a CSV file

**URL:** <https://forum.getodk.org/t/odk-aggregate-french-computer-settings-saves-start-dates-as-general-format-in-a-csv-file/6032>\
**Category:** Support\
**Created:** [October 25, 2016, 11:07am UTC](https://forum.getodk.org/t/odk-aggregate-french-computer-settings-saves-start-dates-as-general-format-in-a-csv-file/6032 "2016-10-25T11:07:08Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 5

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Mitch\_S](https://getodk.b-cdn.net/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Mitch\_S](https://forum.getodk.org/u/Mitch_S)\
**Post date:** [November 10, 2016, 5:38pm UTC](https://forum.getodk.org/t/odk-aggregate-french-computer-settings-saves-start-dates-as-general-format-in-a-csv-file/6032/5 "2016-11-10T17:38:42Z")

</div>

ODK Briefcase will export to CSV in whatever language format your computer  
is configured to use (e.g., french) and in time zone of your computer. The  
expectation is that whatever spreadsheet you are importing the .csv into  
will then do a localized conversion of dates to their internal format.  
i.e.,  
[https://github.com/opendatakit/briefcase/blob/master/src/org/opendatakit/briefcase/util/ExportToCsv.java#L357](https://github.com/opendatakit/briefcase/blob/master/src/org/opendatakit/briefcase/util/ExportToCsv.java#L357)  
and its use of  
[http://docs.oracle.com/javase/7/docs/api/java/text/DateFormat.html](http://docs.oracle.com/javase/7/docs/api/java/text/DateFormat.html)

ODK Aggregate, when using Export to CSV, will also export in whatever the  
locale is configured for via the Date.toString() function:

> <https://github.com/getodk/aggregate/blob/master/src/main/java/org/opendatakit/aggregate/format/element/BasicElementFormatter.java#L193>

If that is not desired, you can set the locale of your Tomcat webserver  
independently of your host via

> <https://stackoverflow.com/questions/1153521/setting-default-locale-for-tomcat-service-in-windows-xp>

Note also that the time zone of the exported files will be the time zone of  
the server; there are different steps to change that:

> <https://stackoverflow.com/questions/28777322/how-to-change-tomcat-7s-server-timezone>

And the pull of data down to your computer from ODK Aggregate using ODK  
Briefcase will pull and store the data in UTC time zone, so as to prevent  
any potential date-time conversion issues during that transmission.

Mitch

> **···**
>
> On Thu, Nov 10, 2016 at 3:51 AM, Yaw Anokwa wrote:
> 
> > Hi Gertjan,
> > 
> > Export to CSV directly from the server and open the CSV in a text  
> > editor (e.g., Notepad++), do you get the English date formatting?
> > 
> > Now do the same with the CSV you get from Briefcase. Is the behavior the  
> > same?
> > 
> > Yaw
> > 
> > On Wed, Nov 9, 2016 at 1:41 PM, [nefisco.gdg@gmail.com](mailto:nefisco.gdg@gmail.com) wrote:
> > 
> > > Dear Yaw  
> > > I am using windows 7  
> > > We have the server in the cloud  
> > > and I download the CSV files with ODBriecase
> > > 
> > > On Wednesday, 2 November 2016 19:18:11 UTC+2, Yaw Anokwa wrote:
> > > 
> > > > Hi Gertjan,
> > > > 
> > > > What operating system (Windows/Linux/Mac), version of Tomcat and  
> > > > MySQL/PostgreSQL are you using? Do you get the same behavior when you  
> > > > use the Aggregate website or Briefcase?
> > > > 
> > > > Thank,
> > > > 
> > > > Yaw
> > > > 
> > > > On Tue, Oct 25, 2016 at 12:07 PM, [nefisco.gdg@gmail.com](mailto:nefisco.gdg@gmail.com) wrote:
> > > > 
> > > > > Dear Group memmbers
> > > > > 
> > > > > I have a problem with exporting my files in ODK Aggregate to a CSV  
> > > > > file  
> > > > > I am using a French configured computer and then my starttime,  
> > > > > submission data, etc, are stored as a standard format. and do not link with  
> > > > > my database any more.
> > > > > 
> > > > > SubmissionDate  
> > > > > 24 oct. 2016 10:35:16  
> > > > > 24 oct. 2016 10:43:57  
> > > > > 24 oct. 2016 10:42:22  
> > > > > 23 oct. 2016 11:00:45  
> > > > > 23 oct. 2016 11:00:43
> > > > > 
> > > > > If I use ODK aggregate on an English configured computer, I get date  
> > > > > files  
> > > > > SubmissionDate, which I want to have  
> > > > > 24/10/2016 12:35  
> > > > > 24/10/2016 12:43  
> > > > > 24/10/2016 12:42  
> > > > > 23/10/2016 13:00  
> > > > > 23/10/2016 13:00
> > > > > 
> > > > > I have done this before from French configured computers and it  
> > > > > always went well.
> > > > > 
> > > > > Any help is welcome
> > > > > 
> > > > > kind regards  
> > > > > Gertjan de Graaf
> > > > > 
> > > > > ## --
> > > > > 
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> > > > > 
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> > ## --
> > 
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> 
> --  
> Mitch Sundt  
> Software Engineer  
> University of Washington  
> [mitchellsundt@gmail.com](mailto:mitchellsundt@gmail.com)

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