Swift convert time to time ago

Question

In Swift5, we have RelativeDateTimeFormatter

Prior to Swift5:

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I\'m trying to convert time to time ago, what i wanna do is:

from 1

Answer 1

Similar to the accepted answer with cleaner String processing:

extension Date
{
    func getElapsedInterval() -> String
    {
        let interval = Calendar.current.dateComponents([.year, .month, .day], from: self, to: Date())
        
        if let yearsPassed = interval.year,
            yearsPassed > 0
        {
            return "\(yearsPassed) year\(yearsPassed == 1 ? "" : "s") ago"
        }
        else if let monthsPassed = interval.month,
            monthsPassed > 0
        {
            return "\(monthsPassed) month\(monthsPassed == 1 ? "" : "s") ago"
        }
        else if let daysPassed = interval.day,
            daysPassed > 0
        {
            return "\(daysPassed) day\(daysPassed == 1 ? "" : "s") ago"
        }
        
        return "a moment ago"
    }
}

Answer 2

I'll just update the Truongky's answer for Swif 3:

extension Date {

func getElapsedInterval() -> String {

    let interval = Calendar.current.dateComponents([.year, .month, .day], from: self, to: Date())

    if let year = interval.year, year > 0 {
        return year == 1 ? "\(year)" + " " + "year ago" :
            "\(year)" + " " + "years ago"
    } else if let month = interval.month, month > 0 {
        return month == 1 ? "\(month)" + " " + "month ago" :
            "\(month)" + " " + "months ago"
    } else if let day = interval.day, day > 0 {
        return day == 1 ? "\(day)" + " " + "day ago" :
            "\(day)" + " " + "days ago"
    } else {
        return "a moment ago"

    }

}
}

If you prefer a localizable response instead of only english this code will do the work

extension Date {
func getElapsedInterval() -> String {

    var calendar = Calendar.current
    calendar.locale = Locale(identifier: Bundle.main.preferredLocalizations[0]) 
// IF THE USER HAVE THE PHONE IN SPANISH BUT YOUR APP ONLY SUPPORTS I.E. ENGLISH AND GERMAN
// WE SHOULD CHANGE THE LOCALE OF THE FORMATTER TO THE PREFERRED ONE 
// (IS THE LOCALE THAT THE USER IS SEEING THE APP), IF NOT, THIS ELAPSED TIME 
// IS GOING TO APPEAR IN SPANISH

    let formatter = DateComponentsFormatter()
    formatter.unitsStyle = .full
    formatter.maximumUnitCount = 1
    formatter.calendar = calendar

    var dateString: String?

    let interval = calendar.dateComponents([.year, .month, .weekOfYear, .day], from: self, to: Date())

    if let year = interval.year, year > 0 {
        formatter.allowedUnits = [.year] //2 years
    } else if let month = interval.month, month > 0 {
        formatter.allowedUnits = [.month] //1 month
    } else if let week = interval.weekOfYear, week > 0 {
        formatter.allowedUnits = [.weekOfMonth] //3 weeks
    } else if let day = interval.day, day > 0 {
        formatter.allowedUnits = [.day] // 6 days
    } else {
        let dateFormatter = DateFormatter()
        dateFormatter.locale = Locale(identifier: Bundle.main.preferredLocalizations[0]) //--> IF THE USER HAVE THE PHONE IN SPANISH BUT YOUR APP ONLY SUPPORTS I.E. ENGLISH AND GERMAN WE SHOULD CHANGE THE LOCALE OF THE FORMATTER TO THE PREFERRED ONE (IS THE LOCALE THAT THE USER IS SEEING THE APP), IF NOT, THIS ELAPSED TIME IS GOING TO APPEAR IN SPANISH
        dateFormatter.dateStyle = .medium
        dateFormatter.doesRelativeDateFormatting = true

        dateString = dateFormatter.string(from: self) // IS GOING TO SHOW 'TODAY'
    }

    if dateString == nil {
        dateString = formatter.string(from: self, to: Date())
    }

    return dateString!
}

Answer 3

Swift 3 version of truongky's code:

extension Date {

    var timeAgoSinceNow: String {
        return getTimeAgoSinceNow()
    }

    private func getTimeAgoSinceNow() -> String {

        var interval = Calendar.current.dateComponents([.year], from: self, to: Date()).year!
        if interval > 0 {
            return interval == 1 ? "\(interval)" + " year" : "\(interval)" + " years"
        }

        interval = Calendar.current.dateComponents([.month], from: self, to: Date()).month!
        if interval > 0 {
            return interval == 1 ? "\(interval)" + " month" : "\(interval)" + " months"
        }

        interval = Calendar.current.dateComponents([.day], from: self, to: Date()).day!
        if interval > 0 {
            return interval == 1 ? "\(interval)" + " day" : "\(interval)" + " days"
        }

        interval = Calendar.current.dateComponents([.hour], from: self, to: Date()).hour!
        if interval > 0 {
            return interval == 1 ? "\(interval)" + " hour" : "\(interval)" + " hours"
        }

        interval = Calendar.current.dateComponents([.minute], from: self, to: Date()).minute!
        if interval > 0 {
            return interval == 1 ? "\(interval)" + " minute" : "\(interval)" + " minutes"
        }

        return "a moment ago"
    }
}

Answer 4

Change your text as you want.

extension NSDate {

    func getElapsedInterval() -> String {

        var interval = NSCalendar.currentCalendar().components(.Year, fromDate: self, toDate: NSDate(), options: []).year

        if interval > 0 {
            return interval == 1 ? "\(interval)" + " " + "year" :
            "\(interval)" + " " + "years"
        }

        interval = NSCalendar.currentCalendar().components(.Month, fromDate: self, toDate: NSDate(), options: []).month
        if interval > 0 {
            return interval == 1 ? "\(interval)" + " " + "month" :
            "\(interval)" + " " + "months"
        }

        interval = NSCalendar.currentCalendar().components(.Day, fromDate: self, toDate: NSDate(), options: []).day
        if interval > 0 {
            return interval == 1 ? "\(interval)" + " " + "day" :
            "\(interval)" + " " + "days"
        }

        interval = NSCalendar.currentCalendar().components(.Hour, fromDate: self, toDate: NSDate(), options: []).hour
        if interval > 0 {
            return interval == 1 ? "\(interval)" + " " + "hour" :
            "\(interval)" + " " + "hours"
        }

        interval = NSCalendar.currentCalendar().components(.Minute, fromDate: self, toDate: NSDate(), options: []).minute
        if interval > 0 {
            return interval == 1 ? "\(interval)" + " " + "minute" :
            "\(interval)" + " " + "minutes"
        }

        return "a moment ago"
    }
}

Answer 5

Using Date instead of NSDate: Answer taking from:

func timeAgoSinceDate(_ date:Date, numericDates:Bool = false) -> String {
    let calendar = NSCalendar.current
    let unitFlags: Set<Calendar.Component> = [.minute, .hour, .day, .weekOfYear, .month, .year, .second]
    let now = Date()
    let earliest = now < date ? now : date
    let latest = (earliest == now) ? date : now
    let components = calendar.dateComponents(unitFlags, from: earliest,  to: latest)

    if (components.year! >= 2) {
        return "\(components.year!) years ago"
    } else if (components.year! >= 1){
        if (numericDates){
            return "1 year ago"
        } else {
            return "Last year"
        }
    } else if (components.month! >= 2) {
        return "\(components.month!) months ago"
    } else if (components.month! >= 1){
        if (numericDates){
            return "1 month ago"
        } else {
            return "Last month"
        }
    } else if (components.weekOfYear! >= 2) {
        return "\(components.weekOfYear!) weeks ago"
    } else if (components.weekOfYear! >= 1){
        if (numericDates){
            return "1 week ago"
        } else {
            return "Last week"
        }
    } else if (components.day! >= 2) {
        return "\(components.day!) days ago"
    } else if (components.day! >= 1){
        if (numericDates){
            return "1 day ago"
        } else {
            return "Yesterday"
        }
    } else if (components.hour! >= 2) {
        return "\(components.hour!) hours ago"
    } else if (components.hour! >= 1){
        if (numericDates){
            return "1 hour ago"
        } else {
            return "An hour ago"
        }
    } else if (components.minute! >= 2) {
        return "\(components.minute!) minutes ago"
    } else if (components.minute! >= 1){
        if (numericDates){
            return "1 minute ago"
        } else {
            return "A minute ago"
        }
    } else if (components.second! >= 3) {
        return "\(components.second!) seconds ago"
    } else {
        return "Just now"
    }

}

How to use

var createdDate : String = "123232323" //time stamp
var createdDataDisplayString: String {
    let date = Date(timeIntervalSince1970: Double(self.createdDate)!).timeAgoSinceDate(numericDates: true)
    return "\(date)"
}
print(self.createdDataDisplayString)

Answer 6

Here is a solution you can copy paste

 func timeAgoSinceDate(_ date:Date, numericDates:Bool = false) -> String? {
    let calendar = NSCalendar.current
    let unitFlags: Set<Calendar.Component> = [.minute, .hour, .day, .weekOfYear, .month, .year, .second]
    let now = Date()
    let earliest = now < date ? now : date
    let latest = (earliest == now) ? date : now
    let components = calendar.dateComponents(unitFlags, from: earliest,  to: latest)

    if (components.year! >= 2) {
        return "\(components.year!)yr"
    } else if (components.year! >= 1){
        if (numericDates){
            return "1yr"
        } else {
            return "Last year"
        }
    } else if (components.month! >= 2) {
        return "\(components.month!)mo"
    } else if (components.month! >= 1){
        if (numericDates){
            return "1 mo"
        } else {
            return "Last mo"
        }
    } else if (components.weekOfYear! >= 2) {
        return "\(components.weekOfYear!) weeks"
    } else if (components.weekOfYear! >= 1){
        if (numericDates){
            return "1 week"
        } else {
            return "Last week"
        }
    } else if (components.day! >= 2) {
        return "\(components.day!) d"
    } else if (components.day! >= 1){
        if (numericDates){
            return "1 d"
        } else {
            return "1 d"
        }
    } else if (components.hour! >= 2) {
        return "\(components.hour!) hrs"
    } else if (components.hour! >= 1){
        if (numericDates){
            return "1 hr"
        } else {
            return "1 hr"
        }
    } else if (components.minute! >= 2) {
        return "\(components.minute!) m"
    } else if (components.minute! >= 1){
        if (numericDates){
            return "1 m"
        } else {
            return "2 m"
        }
    } else if (components.second! >= 3) {
        return "\(components.second!)s"
    } else {
        return "now"
    }

}

to call, simply use

    // the date you are getting information about 
let dateToReference = Date()
            if let timeAgo = timeAgoSinceDate(dateToReference) {
                //will be a String value
                print(timeAgo)

            } else {
                //just in case something goes wrong
                print("recently")

            }