# What are the limits for the Date sort value?

**URL:** <https://gramps.discourse.group/t/what-are-the-limits-for-the-date-sort-value/5914>\
**Category:** Help\
**Created:** [August 22, 2024, 12:17am UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/what-are-the-limits-for-the-date-sort-value/5914 "2024-08-22T00:17:30Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
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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:** [August 22, 2024, 10:35am UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/what-are-the-limits-for-the-date-sort-value/5914/4 "2024-08-22T10:35:33Z")

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There was an earlier thread about posting B.C.E. dates.

> [@Can names in direct family lines be color coded? And dates before 100 AD?](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/can-names-in-direct-family-lines-be-color-coded-and-dates-before-100-ad/5827/7):
>
> Yes. The date parser will accept dates such as “15 March 44 BC”. In the date editor just enter a negative year.

The key was putting a negative number in the date editor.

I did an additional test using the year -100000000000. The resulting entry was 9999 B.C.E. Obviously, there is a limit.

With another entry 6666 B.C.E. (entered with the date editor) and then the events sorted by date, 6666 B.C.E. was sorted first before 9999 B.C.E.

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