How to convert timestamp data stored in the background into a readable date and time format for display?

When managing website content in Anqi CMS, we often encounter situations where we need to display dates and times.However, the time information stored in the background database is usually in the form of timestamps, which is very efficient for machine processing, but difficult for users to read directly.For example, you might see a string like1609470335Such a number represents a specific moment, but we would like it to be displayed in a more friendly format like '2021 January 1 12:25:35'.

Lucky enough, Anqi CMS fully considers this need, providing a very convenient and powerful template tag, which helps us easily convert timestamp data from the backend into an easily understandable date and time format.

Get to know the core tools:stampToDateTag

The template system of AnqiCMS is built-in with a namedstampToDatetag, which is specifically used for formatting timestamp displays. Its basic usage is very intuitive:

{{ stampToDate(时间戳变量, "格式字符串") }}

The "timestamp variable" is the sequence of numbers you get from the backend (usually a 10-digit Unix timestamp), and the "format string" is the style you want the date and time to appear in.

An important concept needs to be understood: The format string of AnQi CMS follows the Go language's time formatting standard. Go language uses a fixed reference date2006-01-02 15:04:05Use it as a formatting template. This means that if you want to display the year, use2006; to display the month, use01; to display the date, use02For example. At first glance, this may seem counterintuitive, but once you get the hang of it, you'll find it very flexible.

Common date and time format examples

To help you better understand and apply, let's look at some common formatting examples, assuming our timestamp variable isitem.CreatedTimeIts value is1609470335(That is January 1, 2021, 12:25:35):

1. Only display the date (year-month-date)If you only care about the publication date of the article and do not want to see the specific time, you can use the following format:

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

2. Display the full date and timeIf you need to be accurate to seconds, you can use:

   {{ stampToDate(item.CreatedTime, "2006-01-02 15:04:05") }}
   {# 输出: 2021-01-01 12:25:35 #}
   

3. Custom Chinese formatFor Chinese websites, we may want to display the words 'Year, Month, Day':

   {{ stampToDate(item.CreatedTime, "2006年01月02日 15时04分") }}
   {# 输出: 2021年01月01日 12时25分 #}
   

4. Other common formatsYou can also combine various formats as needed:

   • Display the month and date:{{ stampToDate(item.CreatedTime, "01-02") }}(Output: 01-01)
   • Show time (hour:minute):{{ stampToDate(item.CreatedTime, "15:04") }}(Output: 12:25)
   • Show the day of the week:{{ stampToDate(item.CreatedTime, "Mon") }}or{{ stampToDate(item.CreatedTime, "Monday") }}(Output: Fri or Friday)
   • Show time with AM/PM:{{ stampToDate(item.CreatedTime, "3:04PM") }}(Output: 12:25PM)

The key is to remember2006-01-02 15:04:05This reference date indicates what each number and symbol represents, and then replace it with the actual characters you want. For example, if you want to display the year, write2006; To display a hyphen-Then write-.

Where is the timestamp used in AnQi CMS?

The AnQi CMS backend stores timestamp data in many places, for example:

• Article/Document Management: Article publication time (CreatedTime), and Update time (UpdatedTime).
• Comment Management: Time of comment posting (CreatedTime).
• User management: Time of the last login (LastLogin) and VIP expiration time (ExpireTime).

These timestamps are usually used in loopsitemThe attribute of the object, or as the current object's attribute passed to the template on the detail page. For example, in the article list loop, you will use{{item.CreatedTime}}to get the publication timestamp of each article.

Application scenario: Format the publish time of the article list

Suppose you are editing an article list template (for example/template/default/archive/list.html), and you want to display the publish date of each article:

{# 假设这里是文章列表循环的开始 #}
{% archiveList archives with type="page" limit="10" %}
    {% for item in archives %}
    <li>
        <h3><a href="{{item.Link}}">{{item.Title}}</a></h3>
        <div>
            {# 这里是格式化时间戳的关键 #}
            <span>发布日期：{{ stampToDate(item.CreatedTime, "2006年01月02日") }}</span>
            <span>浏览量：{{item.Views}} 次</span>
        </div>
        <p>{{item.Description}}</p>
    </li>
    {% empty %}
    <li>暂无文章内容。</li>
    {% endfor %}
{% endarchiveList %}
{# 假设这里是文章列表循环的结束 #}

Through this simple line of code, all article timestamps will be automatically converted to the easy-to-read format of "XXXX year XX month XX day", greatly enhancing the user experience of the website.

Summary

Converting the timestamp data in the background to a readable date and time format is a basic but important task in content operation. Anqicms providesstampToDateLabel, through its flexible Go language formatting mechanism, makes this process simple and efficient. Just remember that magical2006-01-02 15:04:05Refer to the date, you can freely customize any date and time display format you want, making your website content more贴近用户亲近。

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. Why is string formatting2006-01-02 15:04:05such number combinations instead of commonYYYY-MM-DD?

This is the time formatting convention unique to the Go language (the underlying development language of AnQi CMS).It is not a simple placeholder, but a specific date and time chosen at the birth of the Go language as a 'reference template'.When you provide2006-01-02 15:04:05When, the Go language will convert your timestamp to the corresponding date and time parts according to this template structure. So, if you want to display the year, just write2006If you want to display the specific month, day, hour, minute, and second, use them separately.01/02/15/04/05As a template. This method may need to adapt at first, but once you understand its logic, you will find it very flexible and precise.

2. I can use it directly.dateDoes the filter format timestamps?

It is not recommended to use it directlydateThe filter formats timestamps. AnQi CMS template provides onedateThe filter, but it expects an input written in Go programming language.time.TimeAn object type, not the raw Unix timestamp number. If you use the timestamp directlydateA filter may cause errors or results that do not meet expectations. Therefore, for timestamp data obtained from the background, please make sure to use a specialstampToDatetag for formatting