Most effective method for removing the 'EDT' timezone abbreviation from a JavaScript date provided by toLocaleString() function

Question

Most effective method for removing the 'EDT' timezone abbreviation from a JavaScript date provided by toLocaleString() function

I'm just starting out with javascript and have a question about removing 'EDT' from the date returned when using toLocaleString. Any suggestions on how to do this easily? Thanks in advance!

javascript date formatting edt

Answer 1

Answer №1

It's impossible to predict the exact output of toLocaleString; there's no guarantee that EDT will be displayed on every system where it runs, let alone any indication of the timezone.

According to Mozilla's developer network:

The toLocaleString method relies on the operating system for date formatting. It converts the date to a string based on the formatting convention of the operating system in use. For instance, in the United States, the month comes before the date (04/15/98), while in Germany, the date comes before the month (15.04.98). If the operating system doesn't support full year display for years before 1900 or after 2000, toLocaleString won't comply with year-2000 standards. Similarly, if the OS fails to properly format certain years, the behavior of toLocaleString may be similar to toString.

One potential solution is to create a custom date string using both toLocaleDateString and toLocaleTimeString.

// Example:
var d = new Date();
console.log(d.toLocaleDateString() + " " + d.toLocaleTimeString());

This approach might not include the time zone in its output, and even then, the exact format can't be guaranteed.

Therefore, a more reliable solution would involve utilizing a custom date-formatting function:

// Add leading zeros to numbers less than 10[000...]
function padZ(num, n) {
    n = n || 1; // Default is 10^1
    return num < Math.pow(10, n) ? "0" + num : num;
}

function formattedDate(d) {
    var day = d.getDate();
    var month = d.getMonth() + 1; // Note the `+ 1` -- months start at zero.
    var year = d.getFullYear();
    var hour = d.getHours();
    var min = d.getMinutes();
    var sec = d.getSeconds();
    return month+"/"+day+"/"+year+" "+hour+":"+padZ(min)+":"+padZ(sec);
}

To explore all available Date methods in detail, visit Date on MDN.

Answer 2

It's impossible to predict the exact output of toLocaleString; there's no guarantee that EDT will be displayed on every system where it runs, let alone any indication of the timezone.

According to Mozilla's developer network:

The toLocaleString method relies on the operating system for date formatting. It converts the date to a string based on the formatting convention of the operating system in use. For instance, in the United States, the month comes before the date (04/15/98), while in Germany, the date comes before the month (15.04.98). If the operating system doesn't support full year display for years before 1900 or after 2000, toLocaleString won't comply with year-2000 standards. Similarly, if the OS fails to properly format certain years, the behavior of toLocaleString may be similar to toString.

One potential solution is to create a custom date string using both toLocaleDateString and toLocaleTimeString.

// Example:
var d = new Date();
console.log(d.toLocaleDateString() + " " + d.toLocaleTimeString());

This approach might not include the time zone in its output, and even then, the exact format can't be guaranteed.

Therefore, a more reliable solution would involve utilizing a custom date-formatting function:

// Add leading zeros to numbers less than 10[000...]
function padZ(num, n) {
    n = n || 1; // Default is 10^1
    return num < Math.pow(10, n) ? "0" + num : num;
}

function formattedDate(d) {
    var day = d.getDate();
    var month = d.getMonth() + 1; // Note the `+ 1` -- months start at zero.
    var year = d.getFullYear();
    var hour = d.getHours();
    var min = d.getMinutes();
    var sec = d.getSeconds();
    return month+"/"+day+"/"+year+" "+hour+":"+padZ(min)+":"+padZ(sec);
}

To explore all available Date methods in detail, visit Date on MDN.

Answer 3

Answer №2

It seems that 'EDT' is not returned by any browser from toLocaleString on Windows, and only Chrome displays the timezone information.

Different platforms may handle this string assignment in various ways.

One issue I have is that Chrome uses a 24-hour clock for local time.

// testing new Date().toLocaleString() (Windows 7)

Safari 5.0>> Tuesday, June 14, 2011 15:13:43
Chrome 9.0.597.98>> Tue Jun 14, 2011 15:15:01 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)
Opera 11.01>> 6/14/2011 3:15:37 PM
Firefox 4.0.1>> Tuesday, June 14, 2011 3:16:33 PM
MSIE 8.0>> Tuesday, June 14, 2011 3:16:06 PM
MSIE 9.0>> Tuesday, June 14, 2011 3:17:09 PM

All of them display the hours, minutes, and seconds together. To exclude anything after the time, you could:

var d = new Date().toLocaleString();
var s = d.toLocaleString().match(/^[^:]+(:\d\d){2} *(am|pm)\b/i)[0];

returned value: (Chrome)
Tue Jun 14, 2011 15:26:11:11

Alternatively, you can concatenate the locale day and time strings, which surprisingly does not show the timezone in Chrome - but results may vary.

var D = new Date();
D.toLocaleDateString()+' '+D.toLocaleTimeString()

Returns Tuesday, June 14, 2011 15:44:35 in Chrome

Answer 4

It seems that 'EDT' is not returned by any browser from toLocaleString on Windows, and only Chrome displays the timezone information.

Different platforms may handle this string assignment in various ways.

One issue I have is that Chrome uses a 24-hour clock for local time.

// testing new Date().toLocaleString() (Windows 7)

Safari 5.0>> Tuesday, June 14, 2011 15:13:43
Chrome 9.0.597.98>> Tue Jun 14, 2011 15:15:01 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)
Opera 11.01>> 6/14/2011 3:15:37 PM
Firefox 4.0.1>> Tuesday, June 14, 2011 3:16:33 PM
MSIE 8.0>> Tuesday, June 14, 2011 3:16:06 PM
MSIE 9.0>> Tuesday, June 14, 2011 3:17:09 PM

All of them display the hours, minutes, and seconds together. To exclude anything after the time, you could:

var d = new Date().toLocaleString();
var s = d.toLocaleString().match(/^[^:]+(:\d\d){2} *(am|pm)\b/i)[0];

returned value: (Chrome)
Tue Jun 14, 2011 15:26:11:11

Alternatively, you can concatenate the locale day and time strings, which surprisingly does not show the timezone in Chrome - but results may vary.

var D = new Date();
D.toLocaleDateString()+' '+D.toLocaleTimeString()

Returns Tuesday, June 14, 2011 15:44:35 in Chrome

Answer 5

Answer №3

function removeTimeZone() {
  var date = new Date().toLocaleString();
  return date.replace(/\s*\(?EDT\)?/, '');
}
removeTimeZone(); // => "Tue Jun 14 2011 2:58:04 GMT-0400"

Answer 6

function removeTimeZone() {
  var date = new Date().toLocaleString();
  return date.replace(/\s*\(?EDT\)?/, '');
}
removeTimeZone(); // => "Tue Jun 14 2011 2:58:04 GMT-0400"

Answer 7

Answer №4

Does the time zone always appear at the end of the string? (I can't see it when I check.)

If so, you have the option to utilize the slice method to eliminate the last four characters from the string (which includes a space and a three-character time zone).

document.write(mydate.toLocaleString().slice(0,-4));

Answer 8

Does the time zone always appear at the end of the string? (I can't see it when I check.)

If so, you have the option to utilize the slice method to eliminate the last four characters from the string (which includes a space and a three-character time zone).

document.write(mydate.toLocaleString().slice(0,-4));

Most effective method for removing the 'EDT' timezone abbreviation from a JavaScript date provided by toLocaleString() function

Answer №1

Answer №2

Answer №3

Answer №4

Similar questions

Having trouble sorting data-text values that include colspan cells

Executing NPM commands in a sequential manner

The extent of the modal window (AngularJS directive)

Error: The Jquery plugin Object #<HTMLDocument> does not have a function called 'observe'

Show or hide the legend on a highchart dynamically

Generating distinctive content within the confines of the Selenium WebDriver

Generate a new array of objects by cloning an existing array of objects with placeholder values

What are some more efficient methods for implementing page location detection with Angular directives?

Filtering a list in AngularJS based on a property of an object with a filter applied on it

Encountered an error while running npm run dev on a NextJS application due to an

Executing a mysql select query with the help of Node.js

Is there a way to iterate through this?

Problem with sending data using $.ajax

Change the date into SQL format using PHP before saving it in the database

Declare React component as a variable

What is the solution for the red underline issue with the @json Blade directive in VSC?

Node.js retrieves values through the app.get and app.post methods

Uncover the secrets of HTML with JavaScript

What steps can I take to ensure that WebStorm properly recognizes a package's functions?

Surprising outcome encountered while trying to insert an item into a list