RE: [PEAR-DEV] Date_HumanDiff: support for different formats

How about making the "mode" part of the format? Perhaps separate it with space or something, like:

$dh->setFormat('short');
$dh->get(time() - 60);// "1m ago"

$dh->setFormat('short diffonly');
$dh->get(time() - 60);// "1m"

$dh->setFormat('short array');
$dh->get(time() - 60);// array('+', '1m');

Also, IMHO, an object (or at least an associative array) would be nicer than a numeric array, though I guess you could add that as just an alternative option to "array".

It might also be worth to have an option to separate the unit from the number (disabled by default). So something like:

$dh->setFormat('short diffonly array unit-separated');
$dh->get(time() - 60));// array('+', 1, 'm');

BTW, I'm not sure if the signs make sense. I'd expect an event in the past to use "-" as a sign, and event in the future to use "+". The signs only make sense in the context of "time remaining" rather than the more general "time relative to the present".



-----Original Message-----
From: Christian Weiske [mailto:[email protected]] 
Sent: Friday, August 31, 2012 11:24 PM
To: pear-dev
Subject: [PEAR-DEV] Date_HumanDiff: support for different formats

Hi,


Date_HumanDiff generates human readable time differences from timestamps, e.g. "3 hours ago" or "just now".

I want to implement more options now since I got some requests for it, and think that they are needed.

First, I need support for negative differences: "in 4 hours". This is a no-brainer.

Second, I'd like to add a "short" mode: "in 3h", "5m ago".
Further, I guess that it'd be helpful to have the time difference only, without "ago" and "in". And an option to get both the time difference as well as a past/future indicator.

I thought about something like that:

$dh = new Date_HumanDiff();
$dh->get(time() - 60));// "a minute ago"

$dh->setFormat('short');
$dh->get(time() - 60));// "1m ago"

$dh->setFormat('short')->setMode('diffonly');
$dh->get(time() - 60));// "1m"

$dh->setFormat('short')->setMode('array');
$dh->get(time() - 60));// array('+', '1m')


In tabular form:

Format: long (default)
Difference  Full mode    Diff only mode  Array mode
negative    in 3 days    3 days          array('-', '3 days')
near zero   just now     just now        array(0, 'just now')
positive    3 hours ago  3 hours         array('+', '3 hours')

Format: short
Difference  Full mode  Diff only mode  Array mode
negative    in 3d      3d              array('-', '3d')
near zero   now        now             array(0, 'now')
positive    3h ago     3h              array('+', '3h')


Now my questions:

1. Is that sensible?
2. What other formats/modes should be supported?
3. Are the words "mode" and "format" good choices? Are there better
   ones?

Always keep in mind that the strings need to be translatable and have to work for all languages.

--
Regards/Mit freundlichen Grüßen
Christian Weiske

-=≡ Geeking around in the name of science since 1982 ≡=-