Converting Milliseconds to a Readable Date in jQuery/JavaScript

In the realm of web development, it's often crucial to accurately display timestamps for user interactions. One common challenge is converting milliseconds, a numerical representation of time, into a more readable format like DD/MM/YYYY HH:MM:SS. In this article, we'll guide you through the process of converting milliseconds to a human-friendly date using JavaScript.

Determining the Server Time

To ensure that the timestamp displayed accurately reflects the server time, it's recommended to use the server-side timestamp. This eliminates any discrepancies caused by variations in user time zones or local machine discrepancies. In JavaScript, you can obtain the server time by making an AJAX request to the server's API and capturing the response.

Obtaining Milliseconds Since Epoch

Once you have the server time, you can extract the milliseconds since January 1, 1970 00:00:00 UTC. This epoch timestamp is a universal reference point that ensures consistency across different systems. In JavaScript, you can use the getTime() method of the Date object to retrieve the current timestamp in milliseconds:

var time = new Date().getTime();

Converting Milliseconds to a Date

To convert the milliseconds into a human-readable date, we need to create a new Date object using the millisecond value:

var time = new Date(time);

Now, you can use various methods of the Date object to extract the individual components of the date:

• date.getFullYear(): Year
• date.getMonth(): Month (0-based)
• date.getDate(): Day of the month
• date.getHours(): Hour (0-23)
• date.getMinutes(): Minutes (0-59)
• date.getSeconds(): Seconds (0-59)

By combining these components, you can construct the desired date format:

var formattedDate = date.getFullYear()   '/'   (date.getMonth()   1)   '/'   date.getDate()   ' '   date.getHours()   ':'   date.getMinutes()   ':'   date.getSeconds();

This will output the date in the specified format, such as: "2023/03/24 12:34:56".

Conclusion

Converting milliseconds to a readable date in jQuery/JavaScript is straightforward. By obtaining the server time, extracting the milliseconds since the epoch, and using the methods provided by the Date object, you can create human-friendly timestamps that accurately represent the time of user interactions in your web applications.