Xtra-super-thanks to Tony Elson, Michael Silberbauer, Jeff Davis, Micha Silver and Jon Stahl for their replies. I'm using Micha's suggestion. Original Question: Does anyone know a way to add dates automatically to a layout, just like the arcexplore print job?? ****** What you can do is create a graphic in your layout and set an object tag to it. Before printing, run an update layout type script where you set the date automatically, calling on that object tag. I have a couple of scripts but haven't got them close by. If you want some more detail, let me know. Regards -------------------------------------------- Tony Elson GIS Consultant jaceng@clear.net.nz *********************************** Presumably you will receive a variety of different solutions, depending of the particular applications! The one that I am using requires that the Layout date stamp be updated each time I press the "Print" button. The first two steps are only done once for each Layout, and the third step is only done once for each Project. It may not suit your application but it may give you some ideas... First step: create a piece of dummy text on the Layout in the position and font required. Second step: 'Label the selected text as "ISOdate" to contain the Layout date stamp 'Mike Silberbauer 2001-05 theLayout = av.GetActiveDoc theDisplay = theLayout.GetDisplay ' Get the GraphicList for the Layout... theGraphics = theLayout.GetGraphics theGraphicText = theGraphics.GetSelected theGraphicText.Get( 0 ).SetObjectTag( "ISOdate" ) Third step: In "Project Customize", modify the [Print] button to run the following script, which is just the standard Print script with the line av.Run( "ISOdate_upd", {} ): 'Modified to update Layout ISOdate field before printing 'Mike Silberbauer 2001-05 d = av.GetActiveDoc av.Run( "ISOdate_upd", {} ) if (0 <= Printer.The.Edit({d.GetName})) then av.ShowMsg("Printing "+d.GetName+"...") av.UseWaitCursor System.RefreshWindows d.Print av.ShowMsg("") end Fourth step: Create and compile the script "ISOdate_upd": 'ISOdate_upd 'Update a date on the layout (previously labelled with ISOdate_obj) 'Mike Silberbauer 2001-05 theLayout = av.GetActiveDoc theDisplay = theLayout.GetDisplay ' Get the GraphicList for the Layout... theGraphics = theLayout.GetGraphics nowDate = Date.Now nowDate.SetFormat( "yyyy-MM-dd" ) nowTime = Date.Now nowTime.SetFormat( "hhhh:m" ) dtStamp = nowDate.asString++nowTime.AsString theGraphicsList = theGraphics.FindAllByObjectTag( "ISOdate" ) theGraphics.UnSelectAll g = 0 for each g in theGraphicsList g.SetText( dtStamp ) end theGraphics.ClearSelected theGraphics.Invalidate return {} Fifth step: Each time you print using the [Print] button, the date text on the Layout will be updated. Another way is to have a separate button that you click to update the date. Several people have suggested other ways of creating the date from scratch on ARCVIEW-L in the past. Regards, Mike. Michael Silberbauer SilberbauerM@dwaf.gov.za http://www-dwaf.pwv.gov.za/IWQS Institute for Water Quality Studies Department of Water Affairs & Forestry Private Bag X313, PRETORIA, Gauteng, 0001 South Africa. ************************************************* Try using the following attached script and running in the layout. It should give you what you desire. <> Jeff Davis BEM Systems, Inc. 930 Woodcock Road, Suite 101 Orlando, FL 32803 **************************************************** Here's a script that puts the date in the lower right corner, in small, light grey letters. Attach it to a button in the Layout. <> --------------------------- Micha Silver Arava Development Co micha@arava.co.il ***************************************** You can modify the map tracker script on the ESRI website. Just remove the filepath information. You can also hard code the location of the date instead of using the mouse to select a point. Jon Stahl GIS Specialist JonSt@ci.ftlaud.fl.us ****************************************** Rodrigo Souza Barneche Engenheiro Cartógrafo KLABIN RIOCELL S.A. Área Florestal Tel. (51) 480 2233 Ramal 4315 www.riocell.com.br