JavaScript Date Get Methods

Common Get Methods

let date = new Date("2024-03-15");
console.log(date.getFullYear()); // 2024
console.log(date.getMonth());    // 2 (0-based)
console.log(date.getDate());     // 15

let date = new Date("2024-03-15 14:30:25");
console.log(date.getHours());   // 14
console.log(date.getMinutes()); // 30
console.log(date.getSeconds()); // 25

let date = new Date("2024-03-15");
console.log(date.getDay()); // 5 (Friday)
// 0=Sunday, 1=Monday, etc.

let date = new Date();
console.log(date.getTime()); // Milliseconds since 1970
console.log(date.getMilliseconds()); // 0-999

🔹 Basic Get Methods

Here are the most commonly used get methods:

let date = new Date("2024-03-15 14:30:25");

// Date components
console.log("Year:", date.getFullYear());    // 2024
console.log("Month:", date.getMonth());      // 2 (March = 2, 0-based)
console.log("Date:", date.getDate());        // 15
console.log("Day:", date.getDay());          // 5 (Friday)

// Time components
console.log("Hours:", date.getHours());      // 14
console.log("Minutes:", date.getMinutes());  // 30
console.log("Seconds:", date.getSeconds());  // 25
console.log("Milliseconds:", date.getMilliseconds()); // 0

🔹 Understanding Month Numbers

JavaScript months are 0-based (0 = January, 11 = December):

let date = new Date("2024-03-15");

// Month is 0-based
console.log("Month number:", date.getMonth()); // 2 (March)

// Convert to month name
let months = ['January', 'February', 'March', 'April', 'May', 'June',
              'July', 'August', 'September', 'October', 'November', 'December'];

console.log("Month name:", months[date.getMonth()]); // March

// Or use a function
function getMonthName(date) {
    return months[date.getMonth()];
}

console.log("Month:", getMonthName(date)); // March

🔹 Day of Week Names

Convert day numbers to day names:

let date = new Date("2024-03-15");

// Day is 0-based (0 = Sunday)
console.log("Day number:", date.getDay()); // 5 (Friday)

// Convert to day name
let days = ['Sunday', 'Monday', 'Tuesday', 'Wednesday', 
            'Thursday', 'Friday', 'Saturday'];

console.log("Day name:", days[date.getDay()]); // Friday

// Function to get day name
function getDayName(date) {
    return days[date.getDay()];
}

console.log("Today is:", getDayName(date)); // Today is: Friday

🔹 UTC Get Methods

Get UTC (Universal Time) values instead of local time:

let date = new Date("2024-03-15 14:30:25");

// Local time methods
console.log("Local Hours:", date.getHours());     // 14
console.log("Local Minutes:", date.getMinutes()); // 30

// UTC time methods
console.log("UTC Hours:", date.getUTCHours());     // May differ based on timezone
console.log("UTC Minutes:", date.getUTCMinutes()); // 30

// All UTC methods
console.log("UTC Year:", date.getUTCFullYear());
console.log("UTC Month:", date.getUTCMonth());
console.log("UTC Date:", date.getUTCDate());
console.log("UTC Day:", date.getUTCDay());

🔹 Practical Examples

Real-world examples using get methods:

let now = new Date();

// Display current date and time
function displayDateTime() {
    let hours = now.getHours().toString().padStart(2, '0');
    let minutes = now.getMinutes().toString().padStart(2, '0');
    let seconds = now.getSeconds().toString().padStart(2, '0');
    
    let day = now.getDate().toString().padStart(2, '0');
    let month = (now.getMonth() + 1).toString().padStart(2, '0');
    let year = now.getFullYear();
    
    console.log(`Time: ${hours}:${minutes}:${seconds}`);
    console.log(`Date: ${day}/${month}/${year}`);
}

displayDateTime();

// Check if it's weekend
function isWeekend(date) {
    let day = date.getDay();
    return day === 0 || day === 6; // Sunday or Saturday
}

console.log("Is weekend?", isWeekend(now));

// Age calculator
function calculateAge(birthDate) {
    let today = new Date();
    let age = today.getFullYear() - birthDate.getFullYear();
    
    // Check if birthday hasn't occurred this year
    if (today.getMonth() < birthDate.getMonth() || 
        (today.getMonth() === birthDate.getMonth() && today.getDate() < birthDate.getDate())) {
        age--;
    }
    
    return age;
}

let birthDate = new Date("1990-05-15");
console.log("Age:", calculateAge(birthDate));