Text to columns date formatting issue - excel

Question

I'm currently having an issue trying to get a column which contains time and date minutes and seconds info to be reformatted into a time and date format I can then use with the filters to re-order oldest to newest etc.
here is an example of the cell entry
24/03/2021 10:30:35:540
Now, if I use the Macro recorder to record me selecting the desired column and using text to columns feature > Fixed width, take the column break line to 16 and select General for column data format, I end up with the cell entry as this below, which works with filtering.
24/03/2021 10:30:00 AM
once stop recording the Macro and review I get this below in VBA:
Columns("P:P").Select
Selection.TextToColumns Destination:=Range("P1"), DataType:=xlFixedWidth, _
FieldInfo:=Array(Array(0, 1), Array(16, 1)), TrailingMinusNumbers:=True
My issues is, when I try to run this code as a macro, it affects the dates, see explanation below, it seems to only affect dates where the format can be swapped to Americanised?
so for example original cell contains 7th March 2021
07/03/2021 05:46:45:328
When manually using text to columns, its ok, but when using VBA running above code, date and month transposes, below is results split into two columns, 3 and 7 have swapped, and now date is 3rd July
3/07/2021 5:46 :45:328
I don't really need to use text to columns feature if I don't have to, but having trouble getting the cell to convert to date and time format without it.
For example have also tried =LEFT(P2,16) then re-pasted the columns as values then tried to use format cells > custom > d/mm/yyyy h:mm, but that didn't work.
if anyone has any other suggestions I'm keen to hear?, hoping to be able to run something through VBA as part of a larger set of Macro's to focus is to be able to get it done via VBA.

Answer 1

Change Array(0, 1) to Array(1,4) for DMY
If you record the macro with the below setting you will get the above code.
Also you do not need to SELECT the column. Try this
Columns("P:P").TextToColumns Destination:=Range("P1"), _
DataType:=xlFixedWidth, FieldInfo:=Array(Array(1,4), Array(16, 1)), _
TrailingMinusNumbers:=True
Note: This unfortunately is not 100% reliable. VBA is "very US-centric" :D

Answer 2

Consider a Power Query solution (and, if your data is originally coming from a CSV file, this algorithm could be incorporated and used as part of your import procedure).
Retain the fractional seconds by replacing the final colon with a decimal:
Split on the last : colon
Then Merge (rejoin) using the . decimal as the separator
Change data type using locale and selecting something like English(European) and datetime
Access this dialog from right click on the column
M Code
let
Source = Excel.CurrentWorkbook(){[Name="Table1"]}[Content],
#"Split Column by Delimiter" = Table.SplitColumn(Source, "Timestamp",
Splitter.SplitTextByEachDelimiter({":"}, QuoteStyle.Csv, true), {"Timestamp.1", "Timestamp.2"}),
#"Merged Columns" = Table.CombineColumns(
Table.TransformColumnTypes(
#"Split Column by Delimiter", {{"Timestamp.2", type text}}, "en-US"),
{"Timestamp.1", "Timestamp.2"},Combiner.CombineTextByDelimiter(".", QuoteStyle.None),"Timestamp"),
#"Changed Type with Locale" = Table.TransformColumnTypes(#"Merged Columns", {{"Timestamp", type datetime}}, "en-150")
in
#"Changed Type with Locale"