Скачать или смотреть How to Convert Milliseconds to Date with Time Zone in Freemarker

Discover how to display timestamps in Freemarker with specific time zones like `Asia/Colombo`. Learn effective methods and examples for accurate date formatting!
---
This video is based on the question https://stackoverflow.com/q/68487493/ asked by the user 'Shailendra Madda' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/2462531/ ) and on the answer https://stackoverflow.com/a/68492671/ provided by the user 'ddekany' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/606679/ ) at 'Stack Overflow' website. Thanks to these great users and Stackexchange community for their contributions.

Visit these links for original content and any more details, such as alternate solutions, latest updates/developments on topic, comments, revision history etc. For example, the original title of the Question was: Freemarker convert timestamp in milliseconds to date with time zone

Also, Content (except music) licensed under CC BY-SA https://meta.stackexchange.com/help/l...
The original Question post is licensed under the 'CC BY-SA 4.0' ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... ) license, and the original Answer post is licensed under the 'CC BY-SA 4.0' ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... ) license.

If anything seems off to you, please feel free to write me at vlogize [AT] gmail [DOT] com.
---
Converting Milliseconds to Date with Time Zone in Freemarker

When working with timestamps in programming, it's common to encounter the need to convert milliseconds into a readable date format. This is especially critical in applications that deal with different time zones, allowing users to see dates and times relevant to their locale. Today, we'll explore how to convert milliseconds into a date string in Freemarker, specifically incorporating a chosen time zone like Asia/Colombo.

The Challenge

You might find yourself in a situation where you can easily convert milliseconds to a date format in Freemarker using the following template code:

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

The output from this code could look like this:

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

However, if you want to include a specific time zone like Asia/Colombo, you may feel unsure how to implement that functionality in Freemarker, especially considering its limitations.

Understanding Freemarker's Time Zone Handling

As of Freemarker version 2.3.31, you cannot directly assign a time zone to the ?string function. Instead, there are ways to manage time zones effectively within your templates. Here’s how to achieve that in a structured manner.

Changing the Current Time Zone

Freemarker allows you to set the time zone for formatting dates by using the <# setting> directive. To set the time zone to Asia/Colombo, you can write:

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

This will apply the specified time zone to everything formatted in the Freemarker template for the duration of the execution.

Restoring the Original Time Zone

If you need to change the time zone temporarily and then restore it to the original setting, you can use a macro. This encapsulates the time zone changes neatly. Here's a simple method to do so:

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

Example of Usage

With the macro in place, setting a date format for a specific time zone becomes straightforward. You can utilize it like this:

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

This code will render the current time according to Asia/Colombo time zone while preserving the previous time zone setting once the macro execution completes.

Conclusion

By using the <# setting> directive and creating custom macros, you can easily format timestamps in Freemarker to display the correct time zone. As demonstrated, the process is not overly complex but requires understanding how Freemarker manages time zones under the hood.

With the example provided, you can confidently adjust your Freemarker templates for any specific time zone, enriching the end-user experience by displaying accurate timestamps.

Now you are ready to take control of your date-time representation in Freemarker, ensuring users see dates that reflect their local time!