Converting Timestamp

Converting Timestamp

I couldn't find a solution to this, I'm grabbing data from firebase and one of the fields is a timestamp which looks like this -> 1522129071. How to convert it to a date?

Swift example (works) :

func readTimestamp(timestamp: Int) {
    let now = Date()
    let dateFormatter = DateFormatter()
    let date = Date(timeIntervalSince1970: Double(timestamp))
    let components = Set<Calendar.Component>([.second, .minute, .hour, .day, .weekOfMonth])
    let diff = Calendar.current.dateComponents(components, from: date, to: now)
    var timeText = ""

    dateFormatter.locale = .current
    dateFormatter.dateFormat = "HH:mm a"

    if diff.second! <= 0 || diff.second! > 0 && diff.minute! == 0 || diff.minute! > 0 && diff.hour! == 0 || diff.hour! > 0 && diff.day! == 0 {
        timeText = dateFormatter.string(from: date)
    }
    if diff.day! > 0 && diff.weekOfMonth! == 0 {
        timeText = (diff.day == 1) ? "\(diff.day!) DAY AGO" : "\(diff.day!) DAYS AGO"
    }
    if diff.weekOfMonth! > 0 {
        timeText = (diff.weekOfMonth == 1) ? "\(diff.weekOfMonth!) WEEK AGO" : "\(diff.weekOfMonth!) WEEKS AGO"
    }

    return timeText
}

My attempt at Dart:

String readTimestamp(int timestamp) {
    var now = new DateTime.now();
    var format = new DateFormat('HH:mm a');
    var date = new DateTime.fromMicrosecondsSinceEpoch(timestamp);
    var diff = date.difference(now);
    var time = '';

    if (diff.inSeconds <= 0 || diff.inSeconds > 0 && diff.inMinutes == 0 || diff.inMinutes > 0 && diff.inHours == 0 || diff.inHours > 0 && diff.inDays == 0) {
      time = format.format(date); // Doesn't get called when it should be
    } else {
      time = diff.inDays.toString() + 'DAYS AGO'; // Gets call and it's wrong date
    }

    return time;
}

And it returns dates/times that are waaaaaaay off.

UPDATE:

String readTimestamp(int timestamp) {
    var now = new DateTime.now();
    var format = new DateFormat('HH:mm a');
    var date = new DateTime.fromMicrosecondsSinceEpoch(timestamp * 1000);
    var diff = date.difference(now);
    var time = '';

    if (diff.inSeconds <= 0 || diff.inSeconds > 0 && diff.inMinutes == 0 || diff.inMinutes > 0 && diff.inHours == 0 || diff.inHours > 0 && diff.inDays == 0) {
      time = format.format(date);
    } else {
      if (diff.inDays == 1) {
        time = diff.inDays.toString() + 'DAY AGO';
      } else {
        time = diff.inDays.toString() + 'DAYS AGO';
      }
    }

    return time;
  }
9

20 Answers

Your timestamp format is in fact in Seconds (Unix timestamp) as opposed to microseconds. If so the answer is as follows:

Change:

var date = new DateTime.fromMicrosecondsSinceEpoch(timestamp);

to

var date = DateTime.fromMillisecondsSinceEpoch(timestamp * 1000);
16
  • From milliseconds:

    var millis = 978296400000;
    var dt = DateTime.fromMillisecondsSinceEpoch(millis);
    
    // 12 Hour format:
    var d12 = DateFormat('MM/dd/yyyy, hh:mm a').format(dt); // 12/31/2000, 10:00 PM
    
    // 24 Hour format:
    var d24 = DateFormat('dd/MM/yyyy, HH:mm').format(dt); // 31/12/2000, 22:00
    
  • From Firestore:

    Map<String, dynamic> map = docSnapshot.data()!;
    DateTime dt = (map['timestamp'] as Timestamp).toDate();
    
  • Converting one format to other:

    • 12 Hour to 24 Hour:

      var input = DateFormat('MM/dd/yyyy, hh:mm a').parse('12/31/2000, 10:00 PM');
      var output = DateFormat('dd/MM/yyyy, HH:mm').format(input); // 31/12/2000, 22:00
      
    • 24 Hour to 12 Hour:

      var input = DateFormat('dd/MM/yyyy, HH:mm').parse('31/12/2000, 22:00');
      var output = DateFormat('MM/dd/yyyy, hh:mm a').format(input); // 12/31/2000, 10:00 PM
      

Use intl package (for formatting)

0

Full code for anyone who needs it:

String readTimestamp(int timestamp) {
    var now = DateTime.now();
    var format = DateFormat('HH:mm a');
    var date = DateTime.fromMillisecondsSinceEpoch(timestamp * 1000);
    var diff = now.difference(date);
    var time = '';

    if (diff.inSeconds <= 0 || diff.inSeconds > 0 && diff.inMinutes == 0 || diff.inMinutes > 0 && diff.inHours == 0 || diff.inHours > 0 && diff.inDays == 0) {
      time = format.format(date);
    } else if (diff.inDays > 0 && diff.inDays < 7) {
      if (diff.inDays == 1) {
        time = diff.inDays.toString() + ' DAY AGO';
      } else {
        time = diff.inDays.toString() + ' DAYS AGO';
      }
    } else {
      if (diff.inDays == 7) {
        time = (diff.inDays / 7).floor().toString() + ' WEEK AGO';
      } else {

        time = (diff.inDays / 7).floor().toString() + ' WEEKS AGO';
      }
    }

    return time;
  }

Thank you Alex Haslam for the help!

0

If you are using firestore (and not just storing the timestamp as a string) a date field in a document will return a Timestamp. The Timestamp object contains a toDate() method.

Using timeago you can create a relative time quite simply:

_ago(Timestamp t) {
  return timeago.format(t.toDate(), 'en_short');
}

build() {
  return  Text(_ago(document['mytimestamp'])));
}

Make sure to set _firestore.settings(timestampsInSnapshotsEnabled: true); to return a Timestamp instead of a Date object.

if anyone come here to convert firebase Timestamp here this will help

Timestamp time;
DateTime.fromMicrosecondsSinceEpoch(time.microsecondsSinceEpoch)
1

To convert Firestore Timestamp to DateTime object just use .toDate() method.

Example:

Timestamp now = Timestamp.now();
DateTime dateNow = now.toDate();

As you can see in docs

0

meh, just use library; it does all the heavy-lifting for you.

EDIT:

From your question, it seems you wanted relative time conversions, and the timeago library enables you to do this in 1 line of code. Converting Dates isn't something I'd choose to implement myself, as there are a lot of edge cases & it gets fugly quickly, especially if you need to support different locales in the future. More code you write = more you have to test.

import 'package:timeago/timeago.dart' as timeago;

final fifteenAgo = DateTime.now().subtract(new Duration(minutes: 15));
print(timeago.format(fifteenAgo)); // 15 minutes ago
print(timeago.format(fifteenAgo, locale: 'en_short')); // 15m
print(timeago.format(fifteenAgo, locale: 'es'));

// Add a new locale messages
timeago.setLocaleMessages('fr', timeago.FrMessages());

// Override a locale message
timeago.setLocaleMessages('en', CustomMessages());

print(timeago.format(fifteenAgo)); // 15 min ago
print(timeago.format(fifteenAgo, locale: 'fr')); // environ 15 minutes

to convert epochMS to DateTime, just use...

final DateTime timeStamp = DateTime.fromMillisecondsSinceEpoch(1546553448639);
4

Just make sure to multiply by the right factor:

Micro: multiply by 1000000 (which is 10 power 6)

Milli: multiply by 1000 (which is 10 power 3)

This is what it should look like in Dart:

var date = new DateTime.fromMicrosecondsSinceEpoch(timestamp * 1000000);

Or

var date = new DateTime.fromMillisecondsSinceEpoch(timestamp * 1000);
3

How to implement:

import 'package:intl/intl.dart';

getCustomFormattedDateTime(String givenDateTime, String dateFormat) {
    // dateFormat = 'MM/dd/yy';
    final DateTime docDateTime = DateTime.parse(givenDateTime);
    return DateFormat(dateFormat).format(docDateTime);
}

How to call:

getCustomFormattedDateTime('2021-02-15T18:42:49.608466Z', 'MM/dd/yy');

Result:

02/15/21

Above code solved my problem. I hope, this will also help you. Thanks for asking this question.

1

Assuming the field in timestamp firestore is called timestamp, in dart you could call the toDate() method on the returned map.

// Map from firestore
// Using flutterfire package hence the returned data()
Map<String, dynamic> data = documentSnapshot.data();
DateTime _timestamp = data['timestamp'].toDate();

I don't know if this will help anyone. The previous messages have helped me so I'm here to suggest a few things:

import 'package:intl/intl.dart';

    DateTime convertTimeStampToDateTime(int timeStamp) {
     var dateToTimeStamp = DateTime.fromMillisecondsSinceEpoch(timeStamp * 1000);
     return dateToTimeStamp;
   }

  String convertTimeStampToHumanDate(int timeStamp) {
    var dateToTimeStamp = DateTime.fromMillisecondsSinceEpoch(timeStamp * 1000);
    return DateFormat('dd/MM/yyyy').format(dateToTimeStamp);
  }

   String convertTimeStampToHumanHour(int timeStamp) {
     var dateToTimeStamp = DateTime.fromMillisecondsSinceEpoch(timeStamp * 1000);
     return DateFormat('HH:mm').format(dateToTimeStamp);
   }

   int constructDateAndHourRdvToTimeStamp(DateTime dateTime, TimeOfDay time ) {
     final constructDateTimeRdv = dateTimeToTimeStamp(DateTime(dateTime.year, dateTime.month, dateTime.day, time.hour, time.minute)) ;
     return constructDateTimeRdv;
   }

Simply call this method to return your desired DateTime value in String.

String parseTimeStamp(int value) {
    var date = DateTime.fromMillisecondsSinceEpoch(value * 1000);
    var d12 = DateFormat('MM-dd-yyyy, hh:mm a').format(date);
    return d12;
}

Example: if you pass the TimeStamp value 1636786003, you will get the result as

11-12-2021, 10:46PM

If you are here to just convert Timestamp into DateTime,

Timestamp timestamp = widget.firebaseDocument[timeStampfield];
DateTime date = Timestamp.fromMillisecondsSinceEpoch(
                timestamp.millisecondsSinceEpoch).toDate();

I tested this one and it works

// Map from firestore
// Using flutterfire package hence the returned data()
Map<String, dynamic> data = documentSnapshot.data();
DateTime _timestamp = data['timestamp'].toDate();

Test details can be found here:

All of that above can work but for a quick and easy fix you can use the time_formatter package.

Using this package you can convert the epoch to human-readable time.

String convertTimeStamp(timeStamp){
//Pass the epoch server time and the it will format it for you 
   String formatted = formatTime(timeStamp).toString();
   return formatted;
}
//Then you can display it
Text(convertTimeStamp['createdTimeStamp'])//< 1 second : "Just now" up to < 730 days : "1 year"

Here you can check the format of the output that is going to be displayed: Formats

Timestamp has [toDate] method then you can use it directly as an DateTime.

timestamp.toDate();
// return DateTime object

Also there is an stupid way if you want really convert it:

DateTime.parse(timestamp.toDate().toString())

Print DateTime, TimeStamp as string from Firebase Firestore:

      Timestamp t;
      String s;
      DateTime d;
//Declaring Variables
      snapshots.data.docs[index]['createdAt'] is Timestamp
                                    ? t = snapshots.data.docs[index]['createdAt']
                                    : s =
      snapshots.data.docs[index]['createdAt'].toString();
            
                                //check createdAt field Timestamp or DateTime
      snapshots.data.docs[index]['createdAt'] is Timestamp
                                    ? d = t.toDate()
                                    : s =
                                        snapshots.data.docs[index]['createdAt'].toString();
            
                                print(s.toString()); //Print Date and Time if DateTime
        print(d.toString()); //Print Date and Time if TimeStamp

Assuming you have a class

class Dtime {
  int dt;
  Dtime(this.dt);

  String formatYMED() {
    var date = DateTime.fromMillisecondsSinceEpoch(this.dt);
    var formattedDate = DateFormat.yMMMMEEEEd().format(date);
    return formattedDate;
  }

  String formatHMA() {
    var time = DateTime.fromMillisecondsSinceEpoch(this.dt * 1000);
    final timeFormat = DateFormat('h:mm a', 'en_US').format(time);
    return timeFormat;
  }

I am a beginner though, I hope that works.

Long num format date into Calender format from:

var responseDate = 1637996744;
var date = DateTime.fromMillisecondsSinceEpoch(responseDate);
//to format date into different types to display;
// sample format: MM/dd/yyyy : 11/27/2021
var dateFormatted = DateFormat('MM/dd/yyyy').format(date);
// sample format: dd/MM/yyy : 27/11/2021
var dateFormatted = DateFormat('dd/MM/yyyy').format(date);
// sample format: dd/MMM/yyyy : 27/Nov/2021
var dateFormatted = DateFormat('dd/MMM/yyyy').format(date);
// sample format: dd/MMMM/yyyy : 27/November/2021
var dateFormatted = DateFormat('dd/MMMM/yyyy').format(date);
print("Date After Format = $dateFormatted");
String readTimestamp(int timestamp) {
    var now = DateTime.now();
    var format = DateFormat('HH:mm a');
    var date = DateTime.fromMillisecondsSinceEpoch(timestamp * 1000);
    var diff = now.difference(date);
    var time = '';

    if (diff.inSeconds <= 0 || diff.inSeconds > 0 && diff.inMinutes == 0 || diff.inMinutes > 0 && diff.inHours == 0 || diff.inHours > 0 && diff.inDays == 0) {
      time = format.format(date);
    } else if (diff.inDays > 0 && diff.inDays < 7) {
      if (diff.inDays == 1) {
        time = diff.inDays.toString() + ' DAY AGO';
      } else {
        time = diff.inDays.toString() + ' DAYS AGO';
      }
    } else {
      if (diff.inDays == 7) {
        time = (diff.inDays / 7).floor().toString() + ' WEEK AGO';
      } else {

        time = (diff.inDays / 7).floor().toString() + ' WEEKS AGO';
      }
    }

    return time;
  }

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Sarah Jenkins

Sarah Jenkins is a veteran tech journalist with over 12 years of experience covering artificial intelligence, mobile innovations, and digital ethics. Her insights have appeared in leading technology publications worldwide.