# Question about Limits in Preferences

**URL:** <https://gramps.discourse.group/t/question-about-limits-in-preferences/6747>\
**Category:** Help\
**Created:** [January 7, 2025, 9:04pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/question-about-limits-in-preferences/6747 "2025-01-07T21:04:58Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![TonyG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f14d63/32.png) [@TonyG](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/TonyG)\
**Post date:** [January 7, 2025, 9:04pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/question-about-limits-in-preferences/6747/1 "2025-01-07T21:04:58Z")

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I have a question about the application of the Limits in Edit \> Preferences.

If I set the Date ‘about’, ‘after’ and ‘before’ year range to 1, and then in the People view choose a Filter of Birth date “before 1900” I get people with birth dates in 1899 (expected), about 1900 (=date+1,expected), about 1898 (= date-1,expected) and about 1897 (not expected).

Why do I get people with the about 1897 birth dates?

If I choose a Filter Birth date of “between 1890 and 1900” I only get people with expected birth dates (of about 1889 and about 1901).

Thanks  
Tony

Gramps 5.2.3 on Fedora Linux 41 Gnome

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**Author:** ![DaveSch](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/gramps.discourse.group/davesch/32/40_2.png) [@DaveSch](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/DaveSch)\
**Post date:** [January 7, 2025, 10:14pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/question-about-limits-in-preferences/6747/2 "2025-01-07T22:14:04Z")

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When I was first experimenting with the limits and what they mean to Gramps, both when applied to events and to filtering, I noticed this quirk. I wanted my limits to be 5 years. When applying filters, dates 6 years out would return as valid. You are seeing an actual 2 year spread when you set the limit to 1. I made the adjustment setting “about” to 4 years. Unfortunately, limits cannot be set lower than 1.

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**Author:** ![emyoulation](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/gramps.discourse.group/emyoulation/32/67_2.png) [@emyoulation](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/emyoulation)\
**Post date:** [January 7, 2025, 10:43pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/question-about-limits-in-preferences/6747/3 "2025-01-07T22:43:36Z")

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> [@TonyG](#):
>
> If I set the Date ‘about’, ‘after’ and ‘before’ year range to 1, and then in the People view choose a Filter of Birth date “before 1900” I get people with birth dates in 1899 (expected), about 1900 (=date+1,expected), about 1898 (= date-1,expected) and about 1897 (not expected).
> 
> Why do I get people with the about 1897 birth dates?

If you convert the approximations with ±1 limits, then :

1. “before 1900” becomes “from 0 Jan 1899 to 0 Jan 1900”
2. “about 1897” becomes “from 1 Jan 1896 to 31 Dec 1898”

I would expect the approximations intersect at the stroke of Midnight between the 2 years.

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**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/free1/uploads/gramps/original/1X/2ac1e712b7adf612e31ca08a55419f4cf37c0158.png) [@system](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/system)\
**Post date:** [February 6, 2025, 10:44pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/question-about-limits-in-preferences/6747/4 "2025-02-06T22:44:03Z")

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