Provider Manual · Part IV

Typing dates & times

Every date, time and month box in Hero EMR takes what you type, shortcuts like t+1 and n+15 included, and shows it in one standard format.

6 sections~6 min read5 screenshots
IV
Part IV · continued

Typing dates & times

Every date, time and month box in Hero EMR takes what you type, shortcuts like t+1 and n+15 included, and shows it in one standard format.

4.35Dates

Type a date any way you like

Every date box in Hero EMR is a text box. Type the date the way you think of it, then leave the box (Tab, Enter or click elsewhere): Hero reads it and shows it as MM/DD/YYYY. The same boxes are used everywhere: scheduling, the chart, billing, Inbox, settings, the note’s date fields and every Smart Block.

Drug inventory, Reports tab, Administration log. The From box shows 10/01/2026 and the To box 10/29/2026, each with a small calendar icon at its right. The pointer rests on the To box and a help card above it reads: Type 10/29/2026, 102926 or Oct 29; t today, t+1 / t-1 days, t+2w weeks, t+3m months, t+1y years; Enter or Tab applies, Alt+down arrow opens the calendar.
Point at a date box to see what you can type. Every date, time and month box in Hero works this way.
You typeHero shows
10/29/2026, 10-29-2026, 10.29.202610/29/2026
10/29/26, 102926, 1029202610/29/2026
Oct 29 2026, October 29, 2026, 29 Oct 202610/29/2026
10/29, 1029, Oct 29 (no year)This year’s date
2026-10-2910/29/2026

A two-digit year means the nearest sensible century: 30 is 2030 in an appointment or expiration date. In a date of birth, which can’t be in the future, 4/7/52 is 1952 and 1/5/30 is 1930.

Point at any date or time box to see what you can type. The help appears when you rest the mouse on the box; it stays out of the way while you tab through a form.
4.36Date shortcuts

Count from today with t

Type t for today, then add or subtract days, weeks, months or years. Press Space, Enter or Tab to apply a shortcut.

You typeMeans
t or todayToday
t+1, tomorrow / t-1, yesterdayOne day later / earlier (t+10 is ten days from today)
t+2w / t-2wTwo weeks later / earlier
t+3m / t-3mThree months later / earlier (Jan 31 + 1 month is Feb 28)
t+1y / t-1yOne year later / earlier

“Today” is your practice’s day, in the practice time zone, not your computer’s, so t gives the same day for everyone in the practice. The shortcuts work in every date box, including the note’s @datepicker@ fields, and month boxes take t, t+1 (next month) and t-1y too.

4.37Times

Type a time, or count from now with n

Time boxes read 930a, 9:30 am, 2p, 2:15 pm, 14:30, noon and midnight, and show the time as 9:30 AM. n (or now) is the current time; n+15 and n-30 add or subtract minutes, and n+1h adds an hour.

Without a or p: 7 to 11 is the morning and 12 to 6 is the afternoon, so 9 is 9:00 AM and 3:45 is 3:45 PM. A leading zero or an hour past 12 is a 24-hour time: 0730 is 7:30 AM and 1830 is 6:30 PM. Add a or p whenever you want to be sure.

Date and time together

A date-and-time box has a date part and a time part, each typed as above. You can also type both into the date part at once: t+1 9a (tomorrow at 9:00 AM), 10/30 2:30p, n (right now) or n+30 (in half an hour). The box has no value until both parts are filled in.

The Todo list panel with its Add a todo box and the due-date picker open below it, labelled Due (America/Los Angeles). The date part shows 10/30/2026 and the time part 9:00 AM, each with its own calendar or clock icon.
A to-do’s due date after typing t+1 9a into the date part: tomorrow, 9:00 AM, in the practice time zone.
4.38Calendar & lists

Pick from the calendar, the time list or the month grid

Prefer to point and click? The icon at the right of the box opens a calendar (dates), a list of times (times) or a grid of months (months). From the keyboard, press Alt+↓ (Option+↓ on a Mac) in the box.

The New purchase order dialog. Expected by shows 11/05/2026, and the calendar below it shows November 2026 with month and year menus, previous and next arrows, the 5th highlighted, Today and Clear buttons, and a Quick date commands list: t today, t+1 / t-1 day, t+1w / t-1w week, t+1m / t-1m month, t+1y / t-1y year, or type 102926, Oct 29; press Space, Enter, or Tab to apply. The calendar extends below the dialog's edge.
The calendar opens over the dialog. Typing t+1w filled in 11/05/2026 before it was opened.
  • Calendar: the arrow keys move a day or a week, Page Up / Page Down a month (with Shift, a year), and Enter picks the day. The month and year menus jump straight to a far date, such as a birth year. Today picks today and Clear empties an optional date. Days outside the allowed range are greyed out.
  • Time list: every 15 minutes (or the step a setting uses), opened at the current value or near the current time. Use the arrow keys and Enter, or click a time.
  • Month grid: pick a month, with arrows to change the year.
The New Time Off Request dialog in Scheduling Settings. Date shows 10/29/2026 and Start Time 1:00 PM. Under the empty End Time box a list of times in 15-minute steps is open, from 1:00 PM down to 3:15 PM, with 2:30 PM outlined by the keyboard.
The End Time list opens near the current time (the start time was typed as 1p). Arrow keys move through it and Enter picks.

Esc closes only the calendar or list and leaves the dialog you are in open. A few compact boxes have no list, like clinic hours in the weekly schedule and the clock times in the Spravato and endoscopy blocks: type the time there (the Spravato and endoscopy times also have a Now button).

4.39Checks

When a date or time isn’t accepted

If Hero can’t read what you typed, the box turns red, keeps your text so you can fix it, and leaves the field empty. The reason shows for a few seconds and again whenever you point at the box, for example “Couldn’t read that date. Try 10/29/2026 or t+1.”

Drug inventory reports. The From box holds the text 10/32 with a red border. The help card above it begins in red: Couldn't read that date. Try 10/29/2026 or t+1, followed by the usual list of formats and shortcuts.
An unreadable date stays in the box so you can fix it; the box turns red and says why.
  • Outside the allowed range: a real date before or after what the field allows (such as a future date of birth) is marked red with the limit, for example “Use 10/29/2026 or earlier.” The form’s own message tells you what to change before you can save.
  • Changed your mind while typing? Esc puts back the date that was there.
  • Enter in a form: the first Enter after typing applies the date; press Enter again to save the form.
4.39aDisplay format

12-hour (AM/PM) or 24-hour (military) time, and the date format

Hero EMR shows times in 12-hour form with AM and PM (2:30 PM) and dates as month/day/year (10/29/2026), in the practice’s time zone. There is no setting, for a user or for the practice, to show 24-hour (military) time or a different date format such as day/month/year.

  • You can still type 24-hour times. 14:30 or 1430 in any time box means 2:30 PM, and is shown as 2:30 PM (see Times).
  • You can type dates in other forms, such as 2026-10-29 or 29 Oct 2026; they are shown as 10/29/2026 (see Type a date).
  • One place shows 24-hour time: the small menu you get by right-clicking an open time on the calendar (on a Mac, Control-click or two-finger click) currently heads it with the time in 24-hour form, for example 14:30 - 15:00. It is the same time as the 2:30 PM row.

Times follow the practice time zone set in Admin → Scheduling → Org Timezone, not your computer’s.

Need help? Email support@heroemr.com.