While working with Javascript’s built-in date object is good for most basic operations such as parsing, comparisons, and modifying, there are advanced cases where it does not provide the functionality needed.
And writing workarounds manually can be time-consuming!
This is where the popular moment.js javascript library shines.
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Using Different Date Formats
While working on a custom web application for a client that is used in multiple time zones, it presented a need to deal with dates in different date formats.
While in the United States we would use the “mm/dd/yyyy” format, other countries may use formats like “yyyy/mm/dd” or “dd/mm/yyyy”.
Our application was set up to allow each individual to set up date formats not just by browser setting but rather with a manual profile setting that propagated throughout the application.
This caused trouble when needed to perform client-side Javascript date validations.
Users could be entering dates in different formats, and trying to parse this in standard javascript date format was not supported directly.
As a result, we needed to utilize moment.js to work with these variable date formats.
Using Moment.js
Without moment.js, you would create a date object from a string using the following:
New Date(date_string);
Using this directly would result in some different results. For example, if input is Jan 31, 2007:
New Data(“1/31/2007”); ok New Data(“2007/1/31”); ok New Data(“31/1/2007”); error
To get around this limitation, we can use moment.js.
When creating a moment.js object, we can specify the date format as a string.
In our app, we can supply this value based on each individual client’s international date format.
New moment(date_string, date_format_string); New moment(“31/1/2007”, “DD/MM/YYYY”); ok
Once you have successfully created the moment.js object, you can perform all necessary date-related functions.
moment(value,dateFormat).isValid(); – To check if the date is entered in the specified format
function CompareDates(date1, date2) {
var date1 = moment(date1, dateFormatJS);
var date2 = moment(date2, dateFormatJS);
if (date1.isBefore(date2)) {
return -1;
} else if (date1.isSame(date2)) {
return 0;
} else if (date1.isAfter(date2)) {
return 1;
}
}
This function can be used to compare date values.
Conclusion
JavaScript’s built-in date object handles basic date operations but lacks flexibility for complex needs.
Writing manual workarounds can be challenging and time-consuming, especially for varied date formats.
Moment.js offers powerful solutions for handling dates, including multiple format compatibility.
For applications operating across different time zones, moment.js simplifies date management, respecting diverse regional date formats.
It enables users to set date formats based on profile settings, ensuring consistency throughout the application.
By using moment.js, you can validate, parse, and compare dates reliably, without struggling with JavaScript’s native date limitations.
This library saves time and enhances functionality, especially for client-side validations and internationalized applications.