Module:Time ago: Difference between revisions

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-- Implement [[Template:Time ago]]
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== Unnatural "0 days ago" and "0 days' time" ==


local numberSpell, yesno  -- lazy load
These are very small and short-lived problems, but I did notice the "0 days ago" on Benedict XVI's article today.


function numberSpell(arg)
<code><nowiki>{{time ago|{{#time:Y|now}}-{{#time:n|now}}-{{#time:j|now}}|min_magnitude=days}}</nowiki></code> -> {{time ago|{{#time:Y|now}}-{{#time:n|now}}-{{#time:j|now}}|min_magnitude=days}}
numberSpell = require('Module:NumberSpell')._main
return numberSpell(arg)
end


function yesno(arg)
<code><nowiki>{{time ago|{{#time:Y|now+1 days}}-{{#time:n|now+1 days}}-{{#time:j|now+1 days}}|min_magnitude=days}}</nowiki></code> -> {{time ago|{{#time:Y|now+1 days}}-{{#time:n|now+1 days}}-{{#time:j|now+1 days}}|min_magnitude=days}}
yesno = require('Module:Yesno')
return yesno(arg)
end


local p = {}
<code><nowiki>{{time ago|-0 years|min_magnitude=years}}</nowiki></code> -> {{time ago|-0 years|min_magnitude=years}}


-- Table to convert entered text values to numeric values.
<code><nowiki>{{time ago|-0 months|min_magnitude=months}}</nowiki></code> -> {{time ago|-0 months|min_magnitude=months}}
local timeText = {
['seconds'] = 1,
['minutes'] = 60,
['hours'] = 3600,
['days'] = 86400,
['weeks'] = 604800,
['months'] = 2629800,  -- 365.25 * 24 * 60 * 60 / 12
['years'] = 31557600
}


-- Table containing tables of possible units to use in output.
<code><nowiki>{{time ago|-0 hours|min_magnitude=hours}}</nowiki></code> -> {{time ago|-0 hours|min_magnitude=hours}}
local timeUnits = {
[1] = { 'second', 'seconds', "second's", "seconds'" },
[60] = { 'minute', 'minutes', "minutes'", "minutes'" },
[3600] = { 'hour', 'hours', "hour's", "hours'" },
[86400] = { 'day', 'days', "day's", "days'" },
[604800] = { 'week', 'weeks', "week's", "weeks'", unit = 'w' },
[2629800] = { 'month', 'months', "month's", "months'", unit = 'm'  },
[31557600] = { 'year', 'years', "year's", "years'", unit = 'y'  }
}


function p._main( args )
<code><nowiki>{{time ago|-0 minutes|min_magnitude=minutes}}</nowiki></code> -> {{time ago|-0 minutes|min_magnitude=minutes}}
-- Initialize variables
local lang = mw.language.getContentLanguage()
local auto_magnitude_num
local min_magnitude_num
local magnitude = args.magnitude
local min_magnitude = args.min_magnitude
local purge = args.purge


-- Add a purge link if something (usually "yes") is entered into the purge parameter
<code><nowiki>{{time ago|-0 seconds|min_magnitude=seconds}}</nowiki></code> -> {{time ago|-0 seconds|min_magnitude=seconds}}
if purge then
purge = ' <span class="plainlinks">([' .. mw.title.getCurrentTitle():fullUrl('action=purge') .. ' purge])</span>'
else
purge = ''
end


-- Check that the entered timestamp is valid. If it isn't, then give an error message.
I think all these "0 X's ago"s are unnatural, like they seem very robotic or procedural.
local success, inputTime = pcall( lang.formatDate, lang, 'xnU', args[1] )
if not success then
return '<strong class="error">Error: first parameter cannot be parsed as a date or time.</strong>'
end


-- Store the difference between the current time and the inputted time, as well as its absolute value.
So I propose this template simply prints out "today" and "tomorrow". And for completeness, do "this year" for 0 years ago, "this month" for 0 months, etc. And then maybe "right now" for 0 seconds ago. <span style="color: #0645AD;">[[User:Brightgalrs|'''Brightgalrs''']] (/braɪtˈɡæl.ərˌɛs/)<sup>[[User talk:Brightgalrs|[ᴛ]]]</sup></span> 17:22, 31 December 2022 (UTC)
local timeDiff = lang:formatDate( 'xnU' ) - inputTime
local absTimeDiff = math.abs( timeDiff )


if magnitude then
:Closer to the programmer mindset is the complete omission of output in case of 0. What do the maintainers have to say ({{reply to|Mr._Stradivarius|Johnuniq|Thryduulf}})? [[User:Nxavar|Nxavar]] ([[User talk:Nxavar|talk]]) 14:37, 19 July 2024 (UTC)
auto_magnitude_num = 0
::And even closer to the programmer mindset is leaving it as-in. Having no output would look even weirder. Take the [[Pope Benedict XVI]] example, you'd have "Died" and then an empty space in his infobox. <span style="color: #0645AD;">[[User:Brightgalrs|'''Brightgalrs''']] (/braɪtˈɡæl.ərˌɛs/)<sup>[[User talk:Brightgalrs|[ᴛ]]]</sup></span> 13:58, 20 July 2024 (UTC)
min_magnitude_num = timeText[magnitude]
:Perhaps something like "less than a (unit)" (with appropriate adjustment to the article for units starting with a vowel sound). [[User:Isaacl|isaacl]] ([[User talk:Isaacl|talk]]) 14:12, 20 July 2024 (UTC)
else
::Yeah that might be best. But I think you'd still get some weird things. For instance, imagine you set it to display years, and then someone dies, and you look at the article the same day. You'd get "Died" and then "Less than a year ago". Technically true, but extremely awkward, no one would ever say that. On the other hand, "this year" feels more universal - you could say that the day after someone died without any raised eyebrows. There's something with English semantics going on here, it's very hard to wrap my head around. <span style="color: #0645AD;">[[User:Brightgalrs|'''Brightgalrs''']] (/braɪtˈɡæl.ərˌɛs/)<sup>[[User talk:Brightgalrs|[ᴛ]]]</sup></span> 14:26, 24 July 2024 (UTC)
-- Calculate the appropriate unit of time if it was not specified as an argument.
:::The {{para|min_magnitude}} parameter can be set to days for that case. [[User:Isaacl|isaacl]] ([[User talk:Isaacl|talk]]) 14:33, 24 July 2024 (UTC)
local autoMagnitudeData = {
::::My point is "this year", and the like, is a general case that would cover all cases, even ones that can't be foreseen. I've got birthdays on my mind since it's what sparked this whole discussion, but this template is used for many things. <span style="color: #0645AD;">[[User:Brightgalrs|'''Brightgalrs''']] (/braɪtˈɡæl.ərˌɛs/)<sup>[[User talk:Brightgalrs|[ᴛ]]]</sup></span> 12:26, 8 August 2024 (UTC)
{ factor = 2, amn = 31557600 },
:::::@[[User:Brightgalrs|Brightgalrs]], I like the "this year" idea. It might also be possible to adjust the output based on the precision of the date you're given:  If you're given the <nowiki>{{CURRENTYEAR}}</nowiki>, then zero produces an output of "this year", but if you're given the date down to <nowiki>{{CURRENTMONTH}}</nowiki>, then it's "this month", and a <nowiki>{{CURRENTDAY}}</nowiki>-level of precision could return "today". [[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]] ([[User talk:WhatamIdoing|talk]]) 04:27, 20 October 2024 (UTC)
{ factor = 2, amn = 2629800 },
{ factor = 2, amn = 86400 },
{ factor = 2, amn = 3600 },
{ factor = 2, amn = 60 }
}
for _, t in ipairs( autoMagnitudeData ) do
if absTimeDiff / t.amn >= t.factor then
auto_magnitude_num = t.amn
break
end
end
auto_magnitude_num = auto_magnitude_num or 1
if min_magnitude then
min_magnitude_num = timeText[min_magnitude]
else
min_magnitude_num = -1
end
end


if not min_magnitude_num then
== Use of this template in article body text? ==
-- Default to seconds if an invalid magnitude is entered.
min_magnitude_num = 1
end


local result_num
I just encountered this in the body of [[Valley Children's Stadium|an article]] for the first time. I had already spotted several [[WP:RELTIME]] problems in the article, so my first assumption before I opened it for editing was that this was another one (even though the math checked out):
local magnitude_num = math.max( min_magnitude_num, auto_magnitude_num )
local unit = timeUnits[magnitude_num].unit
if unit and absTimeDiff >= 864000 then
local Date = require('Module:Date')._Date
local input = lang:formatDate('Y-m-d H:i:s', args[1])  -- Date needs a clean date
input = Date(input)
if input then
local id
if input.hour == 0 and input.minute == 0 then
id = 'currentdate'
else
id = 'currentdatetime'
end
result_num = (Date(id) - input):age(unit)
end
end
result_num = result_num or math.floor ( absTimeDiff / magnitude_num )


local punctuation_key, suffix
: ''FieldTurf was installed {{time ago|2011}} in the summer of 2011...''
if timeDiff >= 0 then -- Past
if result_num == 1 then
punctuation_key = 1
else
punctuation_key = 2
end
if args.ago == '' then
suffix = ''
else
suffix = ' ' .. (args.ago or 'ago')
end
else -- Future
if args.ago == '' then
suffix = ''
if result_num == 1 then
punctuation_key = 1
else
punctuation_key = 2
end
else
suffix = ' time'
if result_num == 1 then
punctuation_key = 3
else
punctuation_key = 4
end
end
end
local result_unit = timeUnits[ magnitude_num ][ punctuation_key ]


-- Convert numerals to words if appropriate.
I feel like using this template in this way is problematic; it's a little jarring to have the article be self-aware like this, and I'm guessing it will bug other RELTIME-aware editors. It's at the very least redundant -- yes, 2011 was indeed {{time ago|2011}}, tyvm for doing the math for me.
local spell_out = args.spellout
local spell_out_max = tonumber(args.spelloutmax)
local result_num_text
if spell_out and (
( spell_out == 'auto' and 1 <= result_num and result_num <= 9 and result_num <= ( spell_out_max or 9 ) ) or
( yesno( spell_out ) and 1 <= result_num and result_num <= 100 and result_num <= ( spell_out_max or 100 ) )
)
then
result_num_text = numberSpell( result_num )
else
result_num_text = tostring( result_num )
end
-- numeric or string
local numeric_out = args.numeric
local result = ""
if numeric_out then
result = tostring( result_num )
else
result = result_num_text .. ' ' .. result_unit .. suffix -- Spaces for suffix have been added in earlier.
end


return result .. purge
Because of this I'd like to add something to the template doc discouraging its use in body prose (excluding well-defined areas such as infoboxes).  Any objections? [[User:NapoliRoma|NapoliRoma]] ([[User talk:NapoliRoma|talk]]) 21:00, 23 November 2024 (UTC)
end
 
function p.main( frame )
local args = require( 'Module:Arguments' ).getArgs( frame, {
valueFunc = function( k, v )
if v then
v = v:match( '^%s*(.-)%s*$' ) -- Trim whitespace.
if k == 'ago' or v ~= '' then
return v
end
end
return nil
end,
wrappers = 'Template:Time ago'
})
return p._main( args )
end
 
return p

Revision as of 18:34, 24 November 2024

Template:Talk header Template:WikiProject banner shell User:MiszaBot/config

Unnatural "0 days ago" and "0 days' time"

These are very small and short-lived problems, but I did notice the "0 days ago" on Benedict XVI's article today.

{{time ago|{{#time:Y|now}}-{{#time:n|now}}-{{#time:j|now}}|min_magnitude=days}} -> Lua error at line 1: unexpected symbol near '{'.

{{time ago|{{#time:Y|now+1 days}}-{{#time:n|now+1 days}}-{{#time:j|now+1 days}}|min_magnitude=days}} -> Lua error at line 1: unexpected symbol near '{'.

{{time ago|-0 years|min_magnitude=years}} -> Lua error at line 1: unexpected symbol near '{'.

{{time ago|-0 months|min_magnitude=months}} -> Lua error at line 1: unexpected symbol near '{'.

{{time ago|-0 hours|min_magnitude=hours}} -> Lua error at line 1: unexpected symbol near '{'.

{{time ago|-0 minutes|min_magnitude=minutes}} -> Lua error at line 1: unexpected symbol near '{'.

{{time ago|-0 seconds|min_magnitude=seconds}} -> Lua error at line 1: unexpected symbol near '{'.

I think all these "0 X's ago"s are unnatural, like they seem very robotic or procedural.

So I propose this template simply prints out "today" and "tomorrow". And for completeness, do "this year" for 0 years ago, "this month" for 0 months, etc. And then maybe "right now" for 0 seconds ago. Brightgalrs (/braɪtˈɡæl.ərˌɛs/)[ᴛ] 17:22, 31 December 2022 (UTC)

Closer to the programmer mindset is the complete omission of output in case of 0. What do the maintainers have to say (Template:Reply to)? Nxavar (talk) 14:37, 19 July 2024 (UTC)
And even closer to the programmer mindset is leaving it as-in. Having no output would look even weirder. Take the Pope Benedict XVI example, you'd have "Died" and then an empty space in his infobox. Brightgalrs (/braɪtˈɡæl.ərˌɛs/)[ᴛ] 13:58, 20 July 2024 (UTC)
Perhaps something like "less than a (unit)" (with appropriate adjustment to the article for units starting with a vowel sound). isaacl (talk) 14:12, 20 July 2024 (UTC)
Yeah that might be best. But I think you'd still get some weird things. For instance, imagine you set it to display years, and then someone dies, and you look at the article the same day. You'd get "Died" and then "Less than a year ago". Technically true, but extremely awkward, no one would ever say that. On the other hand, "this year" feels more universal - you could say that the day after someone died without any raised eyebrows. There's something with English semantics going on here, it's very hard to wrap my head around. Brightgalrs (/braɪtˈɡæl.ərˌɛs/)[ᴛ] 14:26, 24 July 2024 (UTC)
The |min_magnitude= parameter can be set to days for that case. isaacl (talk) 14:33, 24 July 2024 (UTC)
My point is "this year", and the like, is a general case that would cover all cases, even ones that can't be foreseen. I've got birthdays on my mind since it's what sparked this whole discussion, but this template is used for many things. Brightgalrs (/braɪtˈɡæl.ərˌɛs/)[ᴛ] 12:26, 8 August 2024 (UTC)
@Brightgalrs, I like the "this year" idea. It might also be possible to adjust the output based on the precision of the date you're given: If you're given the {{CURRENTYEAR}}, then zero produces an output of "this year", but if you're given the date down to {{CURRENTMONTH}}, then it's "this month", and a {{CURRENTDAY}}-level of precision could return "today". WhatamIdoing (talk) 04:27, 20 October 2024 (UTC)

Use of this template in article body text?

I just encountered this in the body of an article for the first time. I had already spotted several WP:RELTIME problems in the article, so my first assumption before I opened it for editing was that this was another one (even though the math checked out):

FieldTurf was installed Lua error at line 1: unexpected symbol near '{'. in the summer of 2011...

I feel like using this template in this way is problematic; it's a little jarring to have the article be self-aware like this, and I'm guessing it will bug other RELTIME-aware editors. It's at the very least redundant -- yes, 2011 was indeed Lua error at line 1: unexpected symbol near '{'., tyvm for doing the math for me.

Because of this I'd like to add something to the template doc discouraging its use in body prose (excluding well-defined areas such as infoboxes). Any objections? NapoliRoma (talk) 21:00, 23 November 2024 (UTC)

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