{"componentChunkName":"component---src-templates-blog-post-js","path":"/blog/2009/12/03/javascript-date-to-time/","result":{"data":{"markdownRemark":{"html":"

Subtle differences sometimes indicate the proficiency of a programmer.

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Here are three ways to get the current time in JavaScript:

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var t1 = (new Date()).getTime(); // 1\nvar t2 = new Date().getTime(); // 2\nvar t3 = (new Date).getTime(); // 3
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The bracket placement is as much about language awareness as personal taste. In JavaScript, the brackets are optional for a zero-argument constructor: new Date creates a new Date instance without requiring brackets. But due to JavaScript operator precedence, you can’t write new Date.getTime() because the interpreter sees that as trying to call the constructor for a Date.getTime class (cf. MyPackage.MyClass) - in this case the brackets are required for the statement to parse as intended.

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Reflecting on the three versions above: Version 1 doesn’t do anything to show a deep understanding of JavaScript. Version 2 and 3 are sort of interchangeable, but version 3 just edges ahead because the coder’s displayed knowledge to drop the optional brackets.

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Of course, if you want the most compact code possible, you’d write:

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var t4 = +new Date; // 4
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This little gem creates a new Date, then coerces it into a number using a unary + operator - and coercing a Date to a number is defined in the language spec to go via valueOf and getTime.

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Checking the character-count: (new Date).getTime() is 20 characters, while +new Date is 9.

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That 11 character saving might come in handy on, say, the new Google home-page, where they currently use (new Date).getTime() seven times.

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Update: the first three versions are all reformatted to new Date().getTime() by prettier

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