# Turn a pile of records into a timeline

> Paste dated lines from any file. Get a sorted chronology with gaps and duplicates flagged.

Source: https://imecore.com/tools/chronology-builder

This tool runs entirely in the browser. Nothing is uploaded and no account is needed.

## How to use it

1. **Paste your rows.** One line per entry, as Date, Source, Event, and Notes. Separate with tabs, pipes, or commas.
2. **Check the dates.** Use YYYY-MM-DD, DD/MM/YYYY, or 12 Oct 2026. The tool warns you about anything it cannot parse.
3. **Set the gap threshold.** Pick the number of days that counts as a gap in coverage. The default is 60.
4. **Copy or export.** Copy the sorted table or download it as CSV for your report.

## Why a chronology comes before every opinion

An examiner who reads out of order misses causation. A timeline shows what happened, when it happened, and who documented it, so you see the sequence before you argue about it. Most files arrive as a stack of PDFs with overlapping dates and no index. Sorting them is not clerical. It is the first clinical decision.

## What counts as a duplicate or a gap

An exact duplicate is the same date, source, event, and notes appearing twice. That often means a file was assembled from two providers who each copied the same referral. A gap is a period with no documentation that exceeds your threshold. Some gaps are real, others mean a provider's records are missing. Check before you assume.

## How to paste without sharing patient data

This tool runs in your browser. Nothing is uploaded. Still, strip names, health numbers, and claim numbers before you paste. Use labels like GP notes or physio rather than a person's name. The output table keeps only what you put in.

## Questions people ask

### What date formats does it accept?

Three: YYYY-MM-DD, DD/MM/YYYY, and 12 Oct 2026 with the English month name. Any other format is flagged as unparseable so you can fix it.

### What separator should I use between fields?

Tabs are best. Pipes also work. Commas work but avoid them if your event text contains commas.

### How does it find gaps?

It sorts all rows with a valid date, then measures the days between each pair. Any gap longer than your threshold is listed.

### Does it read my PDFs?

No. You paste the rows. The tool sorts and checks them. It does not open documents.