Welcome to Day 1 of "Pro Tips of JavaScript"!
Hey there! Ever wanted to make your website do cool things? That's where JavaScript comes in. It's a computer language that helps websites come alive!
Over the next 10 days, I'll give you helpful tips to get better at JavaScript. Whether you're a complete beginner or have used JavaScript before, these tips will make coding easier for you. Each day, we'll explore a new part of JavaScript, teaching you useful tricks and ways to solve common problems.
Each day, we'll talk about a new and exciting part of JavaScript. I promise to keep things fun and simple. So, are you ready? Let's dive in!
Absolutely, grab your seat belts and flex your space-time muscles, because we're about to get date-y. πΊπ
Greetings, future Masters of Time (or just JavaScript)! π§ββοΈπ« Do you ever wish you could control time? No, I'm not talking about discovering the Infinity Stones or hitting 88 mph in a DeLorean. I mean JavaScript's Date and Time methods. Today we'll go over pro tips that'll make you the Time Lord of JavaScript! β°π οΈ
1. Converting to Human-Readable Strings
Ever get that date format that looks like your cat walked on your keyboard? Say hello to toLocaleString()
, your savior!
Input
const date = new Date("2023-09-15T15:30:00Z");
Output in Console
console.log(date.toLocaleString()); // "9/15/2023, 8:30:00 AM" (depends on your locale)
So fancy, even James Bond would approve. π
2. Setting Specific Time π§β°
For those times you just need to seize the minute (or hour), the setHours
and setMinutes
methods have your back!
Input
const specificTime = new Date();
specificTime.setHours(12, 30, 0);
Output in Console
console.log(specificTime); // Outputs a date with 12:30:00 time
Why yes, that is tea time in England! π΅
3. Milliseconds to Human Time β³π¨βπΌ
Milliseconds are great for machines but bad for your social life. Here's how you humanize them!
Input
const milliseconds = 980010000;
Output in Console
console.log(`${Math.floor(milliseconds / (24 * 60 * 60 * 1000))} days`);
// "11 days"
Wow, you're literally counting the days, huh? π
4. Unix Timestamps πβ°
Ever wondered what time it was at the exact moment Luke Skywalker learned Darth Vader was his father? Let's Unix-timestamp that!
Input
const starWarsMoment = new Date('1980-05-21T00:00:00Z');
Output in Console
console.log(starWarsMoment.getTime()); // "326592000000"
Thatβs a number bigger than Yoda's age! π
5. Time Wizard π§π
Ever tried to schedule a date only to find out youβve double-booked because you forgot that JavaScript counts months from 0 (who does that, right?). You won't need a time-turner for this. Date math in JavaScript is like the Dark Arts, only less dark and more artsy.
Input
// Calculating the number of days between two dates
const date1 = new Date('2023-09-15');
const date2 = new Date('2023-09-20');
const diffTime = Math.abs(date2 - date1);
const diffDays = Math.ceil(diffTime / (1000 * 60 * 60 * 24));
Output in Console
// The number of days between the two dates
console.log(diffDays); // Output will be 5
Did you ever think you'd be able to rip through the time-space continuum with Math.ceil()
and Math.abs()
? No, right? But look at you, mastering the fourth dimension like a Time Lord, or rather, a Date Lord! ππ°οΈ
6. Calculating Ages ππ
Ever lied about your age on social media? Here's how to calculate it correctly.
Input
const birthDate = new Date('1995-02-14');
const age = ((new Date()).getFullYear() - birthDate.getFullYear());
Output in Console
console.log(age); // Outputs "28" if it's 2023
Now you can't lie! Unless you really want to. π
7. Checking Day or Night ππ
You ever wonder why your code isn't running? Maybe it's sleeping! Here's how to check the time of day.
Input
const now = new Date();
Output in Console
console.log(now.getHours() >= 6 && now.getHours() <= 18 ? 'Day' : 'Night');
// Outputs "Day" or "Night"
Look, your code is nocturnal! π¦
8. Scheduling Future Dates with Date.now()
β±οΈ
Forget crystal balls. Here's how to peer into the future with Date.now()
.
Input
const futureTime = Date.now() + 1000 * 60 * 60 * 24;
Output in Console
console.log(new Date(futureTime)); // Outputs a date 24 hours from now
No DeLorean required! π
Conclusion
So you made it, Time Lords! π°οΈ You've traveled through the ins and outs of JavaScript Date and Time. What's your favorite new trick? Let me know in the comments below.ππΌ
May your code always be timely, and may you never miss a deadline! ππ₯ Until next time, keep your timers ticking and your alarms alarming! π¨
And that's how you earn your Time Lord degree in JavaScriptology! π Feel free to jot down your temporal musings in the comments! π
Top comments (1)
Thank you.