os.date
Example
This will use the os.time() function, and return it in a friendly way. os.time() is useful for storing as a date stamp but needs this to make it readable.
Output: Timestamp: 1584402168
TimeString: 23:42:48 - 16/03/2020
Returns the date/time as a formatted string or in a table.
If this is equal to *t
or !*t
then this function will return a DateData structure, otherwise it will return a string.
If this starts with an !
, the returned data will use the UTC timezone rather than the local timezone.
See http://www.mkssoftware.com/docs/man3/strftime.3.asp for available format flags.
Known formats that work on all platforms:
Format | Description | Example of the output |
---|---|---|
%a |
Abbreviated weekday name | Wed |
%A |
Full weekday name | Wednesday |
%b |
Abbreviated month name | Sep |
%B |
Full month name | September |
%c |
Locale-appropriate date and time | Varies by platform and language settings |
%d |
Day of the month [01-31] | 16 |
%H |
Hour, using a 24-hour clock [00-23] | 23 |
%I |
Hour, using a 12-hour clock [01-12] | 11 |
%j |
Day of the year [001-365] | 259 |
%m |
Month [01-12] | 09 |
%M |
Minute [00-59] | 48 |
%p |
Either am or pm |
pm |
%S |
Second [00-60] | 10 |
%w |
Weekday [0-6 = Sunday-Saturday] | 3 |
%W |
Week of the year [00-53] | 37 |
%x |
Date (Same as %m/%d/%y ) |
09/16/98 |
%X |
Time (Same as %H:%M:%S ) |
23:48:10 |
%y |
Two-digit year [00-99] | 98 |
%Y |
Full year | 1998 |
%z |
Timezone | -0300 |
%% |
A percent sign | % |
This will use the os.time() function, and return it in a friendly way. os.time() is useful for storing as a date stamp but needs this to make it readable.