Thread: Timestamp on posts

  1. #1
    Registered User
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    Timestamp on posts

    I guess this is largely directed at webmaster...

    IIRC, when I started here (4 years ago already!), the time stamps on posts used to be absolute, a typical YYYY-MM-YY HH:MM format.

    Now, they're relative (N hours/days/weeks/months ago), which bugs the crap out of me, especially since the granularity decreases as time goes on. Two posts that were "1 week ago" may have been 5 min apart, or maybe 5 days. Furthermore, if I get distracted by work or something, I have to reload the page to know just how old something really is, instead of just looking at the time stamp.

    I don't see where I can set time stamp format in my account settings, but I'd really like to go back to absolute time stamps. Does anybody know if this is possible? If not, can webmaster make timestamp format an option?

    EDIT:
    I also seem to remember hovering over the relative time stamp would show you the absolute one, but this seems to be gone too, or maybe just my memory is gone

  2. #2
    Master Apprentice phantomotap's Avatar
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    O_o

    Once upon a time, "vBulletin" had a perfect time module.

    People were shown relative time with a hover context showing absolute time using Javascript where enabled to adjust for local time even if a person wasn't signed in with an account.

    *shrug*

    The nearest you can get for now, as far as I know, is using the print view which currently at least shows the date for near relative threads.

    [Edit]
    That is, once you go back far enough the absolute date is shown by default as far as I can tell.
    [/Edit]

    [Edit]
    "Thread Tools" -> "Show Printable Version"
    [/Edit]

    Soma
    “Salem Was Wrong!” -- Pedant Necromancer
    “Four isn't random!” -- Gibbering Mouther

  3. #3
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    The "Show Printable Version" that phantomotap mentioned is the only way I'm currently aware to get an accurate date.

    I've also noticed "one week ago" could sometimes be up to 16 days or so old.

  4. #4
    Lurking whiteflags's Avatar
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    I'm sure it's just a dumb switch webmaster needs to flip

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by whiteflags View Post
    I'm sure it's just a dumb switch webmaster needs to flip
    It is possibly also a change that is hard-coded into the software as shipped. Features being lost in new versions of software are not unusual.
    Right 98% of the time, and don't care about the other 3%.

    If I seem grumpy or unhelpful in reply to you, or tell you you need to demonstrate more effort before you can expect help, it is likely you deserve it. Suck it up, Buttercup, and read this, this, and this before posting again.

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