How to Display the Date on Your Website: A Comprehensive Guide

Displaying the current date on your website can be useful for various reasons. It can add a sense of timeliness to your content, let users know when a page was last updated, or simply enhance the user experience. This guide will walk you through several methods for implementing date displays, catering to different skill levels and website needs.

Method 1: Using HTML and Basic JavaScript (For Dynamic Dates)

This is the easiest method for displaying a dynamically updating date. It uses a bit of JavaScript to fetch the current date and inject it into your HTML.

1. Add an HTML Element: First, you need a place to display the date. Use a <span> or <div> element. Choose an id for this element so you can reference it later with JavaScript. For example:

   <span id="currentDate"></span>

2. Add JavaScript Code: Now, add the following JavaScript code within <script></script> tags, ideally before the closing </body> tag of your HTML:

   const dateElement = document.getElementById('currentDate');
   const today = new Date();
   const options = {
       year: 'numeric',
       month: 'long',
       day: 'numeric'
     };
   const formattedDate = today.toLocaleDateString(undefined, options);
   dateElement.textContent = formattedDate;

3. Explanation of the JavaScript:
   • document.getElementById('currentDate'): This line gets the HTML element with the ID ‘currentDate’
   • new Date(): Creates a new Date object containing the current date and time.
   • options: Creates an option object to format the date. You can customize it to suit your design preferences. For example, if you want the date like 07/08/2024, replace this line with

     const options = {
                 year: 'numeric',
                 month: '2-digit',
                 day: '2-digit'
                 };
             

   • today.toLocaleDateString(undefined, options): Converts the Date object to a readable date string, applying the formatting options.
   • dateElement.textContent = formattedDate: This sets the content of the HTML element to display the formatted date.

Advantages:

• Easy to implement.
• Dynamic – always displays the current date.

Method 2: Using PHP (For Server-Side Dates – Useful with WordPress)

If your website runs on PHP (like WordPress), you can use server-side code to generate the date. This ensures the date is always accurate and avoids relying solely on the user’s browser.

1. Where to add PHP code: For WordPress, you can add this PHP code within a theme file (like header.php, footer.php, or in a specific template file where you want the date to show) or use a shortcode (see below for a shortcode implementation).
2. The PHP code: Add the following code where you want to display the date:

   <?php
   $current_date = date("F j, Y");
   echo $current_date;
   ?>

3. Explanation of the PHP code:
   • date("F j, Y"): This PHP function formats the current date according to the provided string. The formats used here are: ‘F’ for full month name (e.g. January), ‘j’ for day of the month without leading zeros, and ‘Y’ for the four-digit year. You can change it to the same format as before with option as ‘m/d/Y’.
   • echo $current_date: This line outputs the formatted date string to the webpage.
4. WordPress Shortcode Example: You can use a shortcode to output the date anywhere in your WordPress content. Add the following to your theme’s functions.php file:

   <?php
   function display_current_date_shortcode() {
       $current_date = date("F j, Y");
       return $current_date;
   }
   add_shortcode('current_date', 'display_current_date_shortcode');
   ?>

   Now you can use `[current_date]` in your posts and pages to display the current date.

Advantages:

• Reliable – always accurate regardless of user’s system.
• Ideal for websites using PHP or CMS systems like WordPress.

Method 3: Using WordPress Plugins

For users less comfortable with code, several WordPress plugins can easily add date displays. Search for plugins that offer features like date display shortcodes or widgets. Popular plugins include “Shortcodes Ultimate” (for general shortcodes, which you could use with the PHP method) or plugins specifically designed for date and time display.

Customization Options:

With both JavaScript and PHP methods, you can customize the date format to fit your design. Explore options like:

• Different formats (e.g. month, day, year order; short/long month names)
• Adding the time
• Using custom date separators

Conclusion

Adding a date display is simple and can be achieved through various methods, from basic JavaScript snippets to server-side PHP code. Choose the method that best suits your technical skills and the requirements of your website. Remember to test your implementation and customize the date format to seamlessly integrate with your site design.