Displaying the Date and Time: Getting it Right
Hey there! We encounter dates and time all the time, don’t we? Whether we’re using our favorite mobile apps, checking our emails, or chatting on messaging apps, dates and time are everywhere. It’s crazy how often we see them, right? But here’s the thing – despite being so common, we still haven’t agreed on a standard way to format them.
Let me give you an example. If I write 10/05/2015, you won’t know if that “10” is the month or the day, unless I specifically mention it. It can get pretty confusing! Sometimes the format changes depending on where you are or the language you’re using.
In my line of work as a web developer, it’s crucial to pay attention to the date and time in our projects. This allows us to cater to people from different parts of the world without any conflicts. Today, I want to talk about what we should avoid and what we should embrace when it comes to displaying date and time.
Contents
Globalization
Imagine if we didn’t want to convert and display different date and time formats for viewers all around the world. What can we do? Well, we can choose one global format and stick to it. This is where standards come into play. But before we talk about that, I want to share an important recommendation from the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). They advise using the ISO 8601 date format with the UTC timezone.
ISO 8601
The ISO 8601 is a globally recognized standard for representing dates and times using numbers. It provides a consistent way of expressing date and time information for various purposes.
So here’s the deal, when it comes to writing dates in the proper format, it’s important to follow a few guidelines. Let me break it down for you:
The complete date format looks like this: YYYY-MM-DD. Let me give you an example: 2015-07-28.
Now, let me explain what those letters mean. The “YYYY” stands for a four-digit year. For example, 2015. Then we have the “MM” which represents the two-digit month. Just think of “01” for January and it goes up from there. Lastly, we have the “DD” which stands for the two-digit day, ranging from 01 to 31. So that’s how you write a complete date, my friend.
But wait, there’s more! We also have the complete date-time format, which looks like this: YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss.s. Let me give you an example: 2015-07-28T21:15:18.45.
Now, let’s dive into the details. The “T” in the middle is used to separate the date and time, following the ISO 8601 standard. Next, we have the “hh” which represents the two-digit hour. Think of it like a clock, ranging from 00 to 23. Moving on, we have the “mm” which stands for the two-digit minute, going from 00 to 59. And lastly, we have the “ss” which represents the two-digit second, ranging from 00 to 59. Oh, and don’t forget the “s” at the end, which is a decimal fraction of a second, and can have one or more digits. Quite precise, isn’t it?
Now, here’s something to keep in mind. If you don’t mention a timezone, it’s assumed that the time is in your local timezone. But, if you want to use Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), just add a little letter “Z” to the end of your value, like this: 2015-07-28T21:15:18.45Z. It’s as simple as that!
If you want to show the local time, you can include a timezone offset for UTC. You can do this by adding +hh:mm or -hh:mm to the value. For example, let’s say the time is 2015-07-28T21:15:18.45 in the EST timezone, which is 5 hours behind UTC. To represent this with a UTC offset, we would write 2015-07-28T21:15:18.45-05:00, which is equivalent to the UTC time 2015-07-29T02:15:18.45Z. The “Z” at the end indicates that the time is in UTC.
Now, let’s talk about UTC and GMT. They are essentially the same, but there are some differences. You may have heard of GMT when setting up the time on your phone or computer. GMT is the most recognized timezone worldwide, as it has been around longer than UTC.
Hey there! Let’s talk about time and how to represent it correctly. Some people think that UTC and GMT are the same thing, but they actually have some differences. UTC is the newer version, maintained by the International Telecommunications Union. So when it comes to referring to time, it’s recommended to use UTC instead of GMT.
Using the Months’ Names
When representing dates, the ISO standard uses numbers to avoid any language conflicts. However, if your web application is going to be in English, it’s best to write the months’ names in English instead of using numbers.
For example, instead of writing 2015-07-28, it would be easier for many people to understand if you write it as “28th July, 2015”. This way, it’s less confusing and more user-friendly.
Localization
If you want to know the default language of your browser, there are a couple of ways you can find out.
The first way is by looking at the Accept-Language request header or checking the navigator.language or navigator.browserLanguage JavaScript object. However, these methods are not always reliable, so it’s best to let the user choose their preferred language within your application.
Once you have the user’s chosen language, you can use it to format dates and times. For example, with the Internationalization API in JavaScript, you can use the toLocaleDateString function to format a date according to the user’s locale. So if the user has chosen the Korean language, myDate.toLocaleDateString(‘ko-KR’) will give you a formatted date in the style used by Korean-speaking natives in Korea.
What about Daylight Saving Time (DST)?
In some countries, daylight saving time is used to make the most of the extra sunlight during the summer. This means that the clocks are moved forward by one hour. It’s important to be aware of daylight saving time so that you can stay up to date with the local times for your services.
However, it’s worth noting that there is no daylight saving time in the UTC timezone.
When customizing the date and time for localization, it’s crucial not to use the two-digit format for the year. We are currently in the 21st century, so using years like 64 or 99 can cause problems in the future. If you currently have a two-digit year system in place, it’s a good idea to consider changing it.
Additionally, it’s important to keep in mind leap years and other calendar systems when working with dates and times.
Let’s wrap up this post with a few important things to remember when working with dates. If you’re not using a library or API to handle dates and prefer to handle them yourself (which isn’t recommended, by the way), don’t forget to account for February 29th in the input for leap years.
It’s also worth noting that the Gregorian calendar isn’t the only calendar used worldwide. Different regions have their own calendars, especially when it comes to special events and celebrations.
References
- International Telecommunications Union: Status of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) study in ITU-R
- ISO: ISO 8601 – Date and time format
- Wikipedia: Coordinated Universal Time
- Wikipedia: Daylight Saving Time
- Wikipedia: Greenwich Mean Time
I don’t know about you, but when it comes to dates and times, I find it all a little confusing. Like, what’s the deal with all these different formats? Lucky for us, the W3C has some tips to make things easier. They say you should use the international date format, also known as ISO. This format is written as year-month-day, so it’s pretty straightforward. It’s not just a suggestion – the W3C actually recommends it! By using the ISO format, you can avoid any misunderstandings and make sure everyone understands the date correctly. So, next time you need to write a date, remember to use the ISO format. It’ll make things a whole lot simpler for everyone.
