Date format and parsing to Javascript Date

rubyonrails-talk
1

Rails gives you the possibility to include a field in your tables with the date in wich a record has been updated: updated-at. Well, I can access this filed via xml (I'm developing an Ajax application) so I have it in plain text form and looks something like this:

2008-07-05T19:47:32+02:00

I would like to parse this text into a Javascript Date object like this:

Date.parse('2008-07-05T19:47:32+02:00') // DOESN'T WORK

But before I resort to write (and then test) my own parser, I would like to know if there's a built in parser for it in Javascript or in some extern library or, at least, the name for this particular format so I can Google it.

Thanks.

2

Abel wrote:

Rails gives you the possibility to include a field in your tables with the date in wich a record has been updated: updated-at. Well, I can access this filed via xml (I'm developing an Ajax application) so I have it in plain text form and looks something like this:

2008-07-05T19:47:32+02:00

I would like to parse this text into a Javascript Date object like this:

Date.parse('2008-07-05T19:47:32+02:00') // DOESN'T WORK

But before I resort to write (and then test) my own parser, I would like to know if there's a built in parser for it in Javascript or in some extern library or, at least, the name for this particular format so I can Google it.

Thanks.

Hi Abel. If I were facing this dilemma, I would add a method on the model that returns the date in the format that you need it:

def updated_at_js     updated_at.strftime(<some format>) end

Then call to_xml like this:

p = Person.find_by_id(params[:id]) p.to_xml :methods => :updated_at_js

so the properly formatted date is included in the xml packet. Then just use that one in your JS.

Peace, Phillip

3

Thanks Phillip, that's a wonderful idea. I didn't know how to use the strftime method, but I found a workaround that's working nicely:

On the server I format the date like this:

(Model) def updated_at_utc   updated_at.to_s # returns date in the same format Javascript recognizes. Example: Fri May 23 20:52:39 +0200 2008 end

(Controller) def search   @ads = MY SEARCH   format.xml { render :xml => @ads.to_xml(:methods => [:created_at_utc, :updated_at_utc])} end

And this is how you parse the date in Javascript:

(application.js) Date.prototype parseUTC = function(number_of_seconds) {   return Date(0).setTime(numbre_of_seconds); };

To use it:

(any Javascript in the app) var fetched_date = FETCH THE DATE USING XML, AJAX... var my_date = Date.parseUTC(fetched_date);

Hope it will be of help to someone in the future.

4

Abel wrote:

I didn't know how to use the strftime method, but I found a workaround that's working nicely:

Glad you got it all working!

Peace, Phillip