Timestamps
Timestamps display the relative or absolute datetime at which an event has occurred or will occur.
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Criteria
| Relative | Absolute human-readable | Absolute ISO | |
|---|---|---|---|
| When to use | Users need to quickly see how long ago an event occurred, or how far in the future it will occur, and they don't need the specific datetime. | Users need a specific date and time for when an event occurred or will occur. | Users need a specific date and time in the standardized ISO format (typically when using timestamps in code). |
Key UX concepts
Formats
Use the timestamp that’s most appropriate to your users' needs. Relative timestamps are easier for users to read, so we recommend them for most use cases.
Labels
Timestamps should always be accompanied by a label that clearly and consistently describes what event the timestamp references. You can display a timestamp label with the timestamp, above it as a heading (such as the key in a key-value pair), or as a column header in a table.
For example: Resource edited
Source of change
When it’s important to identify who or what made a change, add the user or system's name after the timestamp and link to its profile.
For example: Template edited 6 hours ago by plrs
Formats
Relative timestamps
Relative timestamps for events in the past use the format: [number] [unit of time] ago. For example: 36 minutes ago.
Use the plural form of the time unit when necessary. For example: 1 year or 2 years.
When the event is happening in the future, use the format: In [number] [unit of time]. For example: In 36 minutes
Relative timestamp units
Use the level of granularity appropriate for the event.
| Time Frame | Unit |
|---|---|
| 0 – 59 seconds | Now |
| 1 – 59 minutes | # minutes ago |
| 1 – 24 hours | # hours ago |
| 1 – 31 days | # days ago |
| 1 – 4 weeks | # weeks ago |
| 1 – 12 months | # months ago |
| More than 12 months | # years ago |
Absolute human-readable timestamps
Absolute human-readable timestamps in the US, Canada, Palau, Micronesia, and the Philippines use this format: "Month DD, YYYY, hh:mm (UTC±h:mm)".
For example: January 31, 2010, 14:32 (UTC+3:30)
For additional timestamp locale formats, you can use localization libraries.
Absolute ISO timestamps
Absolute ISO timestamps use the ISO 8601 format: YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss±hh:mmZ. For example: 2010-01-31T14:32:35+03:00
In the ISO timestamp, T is used as a divider between the date and time and Z is the zone designator for the zero UTC offset. If the timestamp is doesn't require time granularity, only display the date portion of the timestamp. For example: 2010-01-31
General guidelines
Do
- Since relative dates are easier to read, we recommend using them in most situations.
- When reporting usage for billing, relative timestamps should use the same time unit as the resource is being billed at. For example, for a resource billed by the hour, use 32 hours, not 1 day, 8 hours.
Don't
- Don't abbreviate the words in timestamps. For example, always use January, not Jan, and seconds not sec.
Writing guidelines
General writing guidelines
Use sentence case, but continue to capitalize proper nouns and brand names correctly in context.
Use end punctuation, except in headers and buttons. Don’t use exclamation points.
Use present-tense verbs and active voice.
Don't use please, thank you, ellipsis (...), ampersand (&), e.g., i.e., or etc. in writing.
Avoid directional language.
For example: use previous not above, use following not below.
Use device-independent language.
For example: use choose or select not click.
Component-specific guidelines
Labels
Use the format: [Noun] [verb]
For example:
Endpoint created
Template edited
Scan terminates
For events that occurred in the past, use past tense.
For example: Certificate expired
For events that occur in the future, use future tense.
For example: Certificate expiring
Don't include date, time, or timestamp in the label (with one exception, below).
For example: Use Role modified instead of Role modified date
In tables, where you report the status of a number of resources, processes, or activities that won't all begin or end at the same time, use the format: [noun] [verb] time
For example:
Training job start time
Training job end time
Add last to a label only when the event can reoccur and users need to know the most recent occurrence.
For example: Role last modified
Source of change
Use the format: [label] [timestamp] by [name]. The name is the user or service that made the change.
For example: Template edited 6 hours ago by plrs
Accessibility guidelines
General accessibility guidelines
Follow the guidelines on alternative text and Accessible Rich Internet Applications (ARIA) regions for each component.
Make sure to define ARIA labels aligned with the language context of your application.
Don't add unnecessary markup for roles and landmarks. Follow the guidelines for each component.
Provide keyboard functionality to all available content in a logical and predictable order. The flow of information should make sense.
Component-specific guidelines
Relative timestamps
For relative timestamps, provide users access to the corresponding absolute human-readable timestamps by doing the following:
1. Wrap the relative timestamp in a
<time>element and set thedatetimeattribute to the absolute human-readable timestamp. For more information, see MDN documentation .2. Set the
<time>element'stitleattribute to the absolute human-readable timestamp, which allows users to hover over the timestamp to access the absolute human-readable format.For example:
<time title="January 31, 2010, 14:32 (UTC+1:00)" datetime="January 31, 2010, 14:32 (UTC+1:00)">10 days ago</time>