JavaScript - Get Date Methods
Get Date Methods
JavaScript utilizes the Date object for date and time manipulation. This object offers an array of methods that facilitate retrieval and modification of date-specific information. Here, we will discuss about the get date methods within JavaScript which fetch different components of the date/time.
Below is a table of the most commonly used get date methods and their corresponding description.
| Method | Description |
|---|---|
| getFullYear() | This method fetches and presents the comprehensive calendar year by retrieving the current year in local time zone; it returns the full four-digit representation of a local date object. |
| getMonth() | Returns the month (0-11) of the local date object. This method retrieves the current month, with values ranging from 0 (January) to 11 (December). It's useful for displaying and manipulating month-related information. |
| getDate() | The method: 'returns the day component of the current date', a value ranging from 1 to 31. This functionality proves particularly useful when one needs this information extracted from a local date object. |
| getHours() | The function 'getHours()' extracts and returns the local date object's hour component (0-23). This allows you to retrieve the current hour in your local time zone for a variety of time-related applications. |
| getMinutes() | Returns the minutes (0-59) of the local date object. Retrieves the current minute component, ranging from 0 to 59. Useful for displaying and handling time-related data at the minute level. |
| getSeconds() | This returns the seconds ranging from 0 to 59 of the local date object. It provides precision down the seconds for a variety of time-based calculations/displays. |
| getMilliseconds() | Returns the milliseconds (0-999) of the local date object. Retrieves the current millisecond component, allowing for high precision in time-related applications and calculations. |
| getDay() | Returns the index of day of the week starting from 0 which stands for Sunday, all the way up to 6 for Saturday. |
| getUTCFullYear() | Returns the full 4-digit year of the date object in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). This method retrieves the current year in UTC, providing a standardized representation of the calendar year irrespective of the local time zone. |
| getUTCMonth() | Returns the index of the month ranging from 0(Jan) to 11(Dec) but of the date object in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). |
| getUTCDate() | Returns the day of the month (1-31) of the date object in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). Useful for obtaining the day component of the current date in a UTC context. |
| getUTCHours() | Returns the hour (0-23) of the date object in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). Retrieves the current hour in UTC, allowing for standardized access to the hour component across different time zones. |
| getUTCMinutes() | Returns the minutes (0-59) of the date object in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). Retrieves the current minute component in UTC, providing standardized minute information for various international time-based applications. |
| getUTCSeconds() | The function fetches the seconds (ranging from 0 to 59) of a date object in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). It also acquires the current second component in UTC, thereby enabling standardized second information across various time zones. |
| getUTCMilliseconds() | The function returns the milliseconds (0-999) of the date object in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC); it retrieves and offers high precision for standardized time-related calculations and applications: specifically, it provides the current millisecond component in UTC. |
Examples
Example 1: Simple demonstration of get date methods
The following example demonstrates the fundamental application of prevalent JavaScript date methods: It instantiates a novel Date object to represent the present date and time; subsequently, it exhibits an array of diverse components - year, month, day; hours, minutes, seconds, milliseconds; along with their corresponding UTC counterparts. The displayed elements encompass not only standard temporal divisions but also supplementary information about weekdays: thus providing comprehensive insight into current temporal dynamics.
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title> Exxample to demonstrate get date methods in JavaScript</title>
</head>
<body>
<script>
// Create a new Date object
const currentDate = new Date();
function displayResult(methodName, result) {
const resultDiv = document.createElement('div');
resultDiv.innerHTML = `${methodName}: ${result}`;
document.body.appendChild(resultDiv);
}
displayResult('getFullYear()', currentDate.getFullYear());
displayResult('getMonth()', currentDate.getMonth());
displayResult('getDate()', currentDate.getDate());
displayResult('getHours()', currentDate.getHours());
displayResult('getMinutes()', currentDate.getMinutes());
displayResult('getSeconds()', currentDate.getSeconds());
displayResult('getMilliseconds()', currentDate.getMilliseconds());
displayResult('getDay()', currentDate.getDay());
displayResult('getUTCFullYear()', currentDate.getUTCFullYear());
displayResult('getUTCMonth()', currentDate.getUTCMonth());
displayResult('getUTCDate()', currentDate.getUTCDate());
displayResult('getUTCHours()', currentDate.getUTCHours());
displayResult('getUTCMinutes()', currentDate.getUTCMinutes());
displayResult('getUTCSeconds()', currentDate.getUTCSeconds());
displayResult('getUTCMilliseconds()', currentDate.getUTCMilliseconds());
</script>
</body>
</html>
Example 2: Comparison of two dates
In this example, the Date constructor creates two specific dates: date1 and date2. The script subsequently compares these dates; it displays their formatted representations, along with a message indicating if date1 is later, earlier or equal to date2.
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>Comparison of two dates in JavaScript</title>
</head>
<body>
<script>
const date1 = new Date(2024, 0, 18);
const date2 = new Date(2024, 0, 26);
function displayComparison() {
const date1Div = document.createElement('div');
date1Div.innerHTML = `Date 1: ${date1.toDateString()}`;
document.body.appendChild(date1Div);
const date2Div = document.createElement('div');
date2Div.innerHTML = `Date 2: ${date2.toDateString()}`;
document.body.appendChild(date2Div);
const resultDiv = document.createElement('div');
if (date1 > date2) {
resultDiv.innerHTML = "date 1 is later than date 2";
} else if (date1 < date2) {
resultDiv.innerHTML = "date 1 is earlier than date 2";
} else {
resultDiv.innerHTML = "Both dates are equal";
}
document.body.appendChild(resultDiv);
}
displayComparison();
</script>
</body>
</html>