Formatting ISO 8601 Dates to MMM and hourPM/AM with Moment.js

Learn how to convert ISO 8601 date strings to a more readable format using the `MMM` and `hourPM/AM` style in Moment.js.
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This video is based on the question https://stackoverflow.com/q/66427040/ asked by the user 'seyet' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/9605705/ ) and on the answer https://stackoverflow.com/a/66427269/ provided by the user 'Majed Badawi' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/7486313/ ) at 'Stack Overflow' website. Thanks to these great users and Stackexchange community for their contributions.

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Formatting ISO 8601 Dates with Moment.js

In the world of web development, handling dates and times correctly is essential for providing a seamless user experience. However, date formats can often vary, leading to confusion and errors. One common date format is the ISO 8601 representation, which looks something like this:

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This format is not very user-friendly. Suppose you want to display this date in a more readable form, say Jan 16 - 3am. In this guide, we will explore how to achieve this specific formatting using Moment.js, a popular JavaScript library for date manipulation.

The Problem Statement

You might encounter situations where you have an ISO 8601 date string, but you want to present it differently for users. The initial attempt to format the date may lead to invalid date errors if not handled properly, particularly when using the wrong format parameters.

For instance, the following code can result in an error:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Instead of getting the desired format, you may get unexpected results or errors.

The Solution

Step 1: Load Moment.js

Before we can manipulate date formats, ensure you load the Moment.js library in your project. You can do this by including the following script in your HTML:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Step 2: Prepare Your Date String

You need to format the date string correctly before passing it to Moment.js. Specifically, you should slice the date to fit the format Moment.js expects. We take the following steps:

Extract the relevant part of the ISO 8601 date.

Call Moment.js with this string and specify the desired formatting.

Example Code

Here’s how to implement the solution in JavaScript:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Output

When you run the above code with the given date string, you will see:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Important Note on Time Zones

The provided date string is in UTC (indicated by the 'Z' at the end). If you need to maintain the exact same time without converting to local time—like if 3am is actually 3am for the intended audience—be mindful to manage the timezone aspect accordingly. You can always choose to keep or adjust the timezone to better suit your needs.

Conclusion

Formatting date strings to a more user-friendly format is a simple yet powerful way to enhance the user experience on your site. By following the steps outlined above, you can easily convert ISO 8601 date strings to a format that your users will appreciate.

Feel free to experiment with different date strings and formats in Moment.js to find the best ways to display date and time information relevant to your audience!

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