Home Contents | # os.date | OS | Lua Commands

## SYNOPSIS

os.date([format[,time]])

## DESCRIPTION

Returns a string or a table containing date and time, formatted according to the given string format.

If the time argument is present, this is the time to be formatted (see the os.time function for a description of this value). Otherwise, date formats the current time.

If format starts with '!', then the date is formatted in Coordinated Universal Time. After this optional character, if format is the string "*t", then date returns a table with the following fields: year (four digits), month (1--12), day (1--31), hour (0--23), min (0--59), sec (0--61), wday (weekday, Sunday is 1), yday (day of the year), and isdst (daylight saving flag, a boolean).

If format is not "*t", then date returns the date as a string, formatted according to the same rules as the C function strftime.

When called without arguments, date returns a reasonable date and time representation that depends on the current locale (that is, os.date() is equivalent to os.date("%c")).

## RETURN VALUE

Returns a string or a table containing date and time, formatted according to the given string format.

## NOTES

This function is part of the original Lua specification. We recommend using the Core4 specific date/time functions instead.

Using locales is not officially supported by the Core4 libc.

## EXAMPLE

>
print(os.date())
Tue May 19 23:48:58 1970

## SEE ALSO

os.time