How to format a timestamp from a database into a readable date and time string?

As an experienced CMS website operation personnel, I know that website content should not only be rich but also presented in a user-friendly manner.Time information is an important part of the content, but the timestamps (Unix timestamps) stored in the database are often just a string of numbers, which can be confusing to display directly.Therefore, formatting these timestamps into easily readable date and time strings is a key step in improving user experience and enhancing the readability of the content.

In AnQi CMS, we have a very convenient template tag to solve this problem, namelystampToDate.

Understanding timestamps in databases

The Anqi CMS stores information such as content release and update time as a 10-digit Unix timestamp. For example, you may find inarchiveListorarchiveDetailthe tag.item.CreatedTimeoritem.UpdatedTimesuch fields, their values may be similar to1609470335. This string of numbers represents the number of seconds from 00:00:00 UTC on January 1, 1970 to a certain moment. Although precise, it has no meaning to the general reader.

The solution of Anqi CMS:stampToDateTag

To make these numbers meaningful, Anqi CMS providesstampToDateTemplate tag. This tag can convert a 10-digit timestamp into a readable date and time string according to the specified format.

The use of this tag is very intuitive:

{{stampToDate(时间戳, "格式")}}

Among them,时间戳Which is from the database field (such asitem.CreatedTimeThe number obtained from the bracket.格式It is the style you want the date and time to be displayed in, following the unique time formatting rules of the Go language.

Deep understanding of the time formatting rules in Go language.

The time formatting rules for Go language may be different from those in other programming languages (such as PHP'sY-m-d H:i:sor Python's%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%SThe habits are different. In Go language, string formatting is not represented by placeholders to indicate year, month, and day, but is defined by a fixed reference date and time.This reference date and time is:

2006-01-02 15:04:05

You can understand this reference date as a format “template”. When you want to output the year, just use2006; when you want to output the month, just use01; when you want to output the date, just use02and so on.

Here are some common formatting examples and their corresponding output effects:

• Display only the date (year-month-day):

  
  {{stampToDate(item.CreatedTime, "2006-01-02")}}
  {# 示例输出: 2021-06-30 #}
  

• Display the date (year/month/day):

  
  {{stampToDate(item.CreatedTime, "2006/01/02")}}
  {# 示例输出: 2021/06/30 #}
  

• Show date and time (exact to minutes):

  
  {{stampToDate(item.CreatedTime, "2006-01-02 15:04")}}
  {# 示例输出: 2021-06-30 12:30 #}
  

• Show full date and time (exact to seconds):

  
  {{stampToDate(item.CreatedTime, "2006-01-02 15:04:05")}}
  {# 示例输出: 2021-06-30 12:30:00 #}
  

• Show only month and date:

  
  {{stampToDate(item.CreatedTime, "01-02")}}
  {# 示例输出: 06-30 #}
  

• Show Chinese date:

  
  {{stampToDate(item.CreatedTime, "2006年01月02日")}}
  {# 示例输出: 2021年06月30日 #}
  

• Show date with weekday:

  
  {{stampToDate(item.CreatedTime, "Mon Jan _2 2006")}}
  {# 示例输出: Wed Jun 30 2021 #}
  

You can combine them flexibly according to your actual needs2006/01/02/15/04/05And use the unique date and time string elements supported by the Go language to create unique date and time strings.

Applied in practice: Formatting document time in the template

In the Anqi CMS template, when we usearchiveListorarchiveDetailTags used to retrieve document data usually includeCreatedTime(creation time) andUpdatedTime(Update time) field. The value of these fields is a 10-digit timestamp. We can use them directly asstampToDatethe first parameter for formatting.

For example, on a document detail page, you may want to display the document's publication time:

<article>
    <h1>{{archive.Title}}</h1>
    <div class="article-meta">
        <span>发布于：{{stampToDate(archive.CreatedTime, "2006年01月02日 15:04")}}</span>
        <span>浏览量：{{archive.Views}}</span>
    </div>
    <div class="article-content">
        {{archive.Content|safe}}
    </div>
</article>

In this example,archive.CreatedTimeIt will be formatted as2021年06月30日 12:30such a string, greatly enhancing the user's understanding of time information.

Summary

BystampToDateLabel, AnQi CMS provides a powerful and flexible way to handle and display timestamp data in databases.Mastering the time formatting rules in Go language is the key to using this tag correctly. It allows you to convert cold numeric timestamps into warm, understandable date and time strings, thus optimizing your website content presentation and user experience.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. How should I handle the timestamp I get from the database if it is not 10 digits long but longer (e.g., 13 digits)?

10-digit timestamp usually refers to Unix timestamp (seconds), while 13-digit timestamp usually represents Unix millisecond timestamp. Anqi CMS'sstampToDateThe tag expects to receive a 10-digit Unix timestamp (seconds). If your timestamp is a 13-digit millisecond timestamp, you need to convert it tostampToDateFirst, perform a simple mathematical operation to convert it to seconds. For example, you can use division by 1000:{{stampToDate(item.MilliTimestamp / 1000, "2006-01-02 15:04:05")}}Please make sure to check your data source to confirm the actual unit of the timestamp.

2. The time formatting rules of Go language (2006-01-02 15:04:05) look strange, is there a more intuitive way to remember?

Reference date of Go language2006-01-02 15:04:05Can be decomposed into the following numbers, each representing a specific time unit:

• 2006Represents the year
• 01Represents the month (January)
• 02Represents the date (2nd day)
• 15representing the hour (3 PM, 24-hour format)
• 04representing minutes
• 05representing seconds

You can remember it asJanuary 2, afternoon 3:04:05, in 2006When you want to include a time unit in the format, use the corresponding number. For example, to display the year, write2006; to display the month, you write01This is a very unique formatting method that is very flexible once mastered.

3. BesidesstampToDateBesides, does Anqi CMS have other template tags related to time?

Yes, in addition to formatting the timestamps in the database, Anqi CMS also provides{% now "格式" %}tags to retrieve and format the current system time. Its formatting rules are consistent withstampToDateExactly the same, all follow the reference date format of the Go language. For example, to display the current year, you can use{% now "2006" %}This tag is often used to display the current year's copyright information in the footer, or in other places where real-time time needs to be displayed.