diff --git a/workflow/templates/easy/EASYconsole.m b/workflow/templates/easy/EASYconsole.m
index 194eaeda..081cd761 100644
--- a/workflow/templates/easy/EASYconsole.m
+++ b/workflow/templates/easy/EASYconsole.m
@@ -17,9 +17,11 @@ function varargout = EASYconsole(varargin)
   startDir=pwd;
   easyPath=which(mfilename);
   [easyDir,easyFileName]=fileparts(easyPath);
-  easyDir=fullfile(easyDir)
+  easyDir=fullfile(easyDir);
   [parentDir, ~]=fileparts(easyDir);
   userName=system('whoami');
+  now=datetime('now');
+  todayDateStr=datestr(now, 'yyyymmdd');
 
   disp(strcat('This script name: ', easyFileName))
 
@@ -45,7 +47,7 @@ function varargout = EASYconsole(varargin)
     easySuffix=get_env('EASY_SUFFIX');
   else
     [dirName, ~]=fileparts(scansDir);
-    [date, userNameScans, easySuffix]=strsplit(dirName, '_');
+    [scansDate, scansUserName, easySuffix]=strsplit(dirName, '_');
     % The following is handled by the workflow script that calls this module
     % Reimplementing here for stand-alone mode
     % While the easySuffix directory exists, increment by one and try again
@@ -57,13 +59,13 @@ function varargout = EASYconsole(varargin)
       end
     end
     % Might as well check this too
-    if userName ~= userNameScans
-      disp('WARNING: userName does not match userNameScans');
+    if userName ~= scansUserName
+      disp('WARNING: userName does not match scansUserName');
       disp("This usually means that you are attempting to run an EASY analysis on another user's project data scans");
     end
     % For happiness
-    if datestr(now, 'yyyymmdd') == date
-      disp("Early bird gets the worm")
+    if todayDateStr == scansDate
+      disp("Early bird gets the worm");
     end
   end
 
@@ -88,7 +90,7 @@ function varargout = EASYconsole(varargin)
     easyResultsDir=fullfile(get_env('EASY_RESULTS_DIR'));
     disp(strcat('Using project prefix: ', easyResultsDir, ' from environment variable EASY_RESULTS_DIR'))
   else
-    easyResultsDirName=strcat('Results_',datestr(now, 'yyyymmdd'),'_',easySuffix);
+    easyResultsDirName=strcat('Results_',todayDateStr,'_',easySuffix);
     easyResultsDir=fullfile(scansDir,easyResultsDirName);
     scansDir=fullfile(parent_dir,'ExpJobs') % relative to easy script dir
     disp(strcat('Using project prefix: ', PROJECT_PREFIX, ' from environment variable PROJECT_PREFIX'))
@@ -104,7 +106,7 @@ function varargout = EASYconsole(varargin)
   matFile=fullfile(matDir,strcat(easyResultsDirName,'.mat'));
 
   % Play around with making some common variables from our input data
-  % resDirName=fullfile(SCANS_DIR,'Results',strcat(datestr(now, 'yyyymmdd'),'_', PROJECT_SUFFIX);
+  % resDirName=fullfile(SCANS_DIR,'Results',dateStr,'_', PROJECT_SUFFIX);
   % resDir=fullfile(SCANS_DIR,resDirName);
   % ExpOutmat=fullfile(matDir,strcat(datestr(now,29),newExpfile));
   % ExpPath=fullfile(newExppath);
@@ -165,7 +167,7 @@ function EASYconsole_OpeningFcn(hObject, ~, handles, varargin)
   fhconsole=gcf;
 
   % BCR this is set in the global function so I think we're good here 
-  % easyResultsDirName=strcat('Results',datestr(now, 'yyyymmdd'),newExpfilePref); 
+  % easyResultsDirName=strcat('Results',todayDateStr,newExpfilePref); 
 
   if exist('easyResultsDir','var') && ~isempty(easyResultsDir)
     set(fhconsole,'Name',strcat('EASYconsole- ',char(easyResultsDir)));
@@ -215,13 +217,13 @@ function NewExpDat_Callback(~, ~, ~)
     SWnewExp=1;
 
     inputFileName=strrep(inputFile,'.mat','');
-    easyResultsDirName=strcat('Results_',datestr(now,'yyyymmdd'),'_',userName,'_',inputFileName);
+    easyResultsDirName=strcat('Results_',todayDateStr,'_',userName,'_',inputFileName);
 
     % Set paths
     scansDir=fullfile(inputPath);
     easyResultsDir=fullfile(scansDir,easyResultsDirName);
     matDir=fullfile(easyResultsDir,'matResults');
-    matFile=fullfile(matDir,strcat(datestr(now,'yyyymmdd'),'_',userName,'_',inputFile));
+    matFile=fullfile(matDir,strcat(todayDateStr,'_',userName,'_',inputFile));
     
     %***Added for 'parfor global' to preallocate 'scan' structure 20-0123***** 
     nlist=dir(fullfile(scansDir,'*'));