Entries tagged "dates"

Formatting Dates within the MySQL Query

Before displaying dates from a MySQL database, do you change the format? If so, how are you formatting those dates? For me, I typically went straight to PHP for the answer. That is until it was brought to my attention that MySQL has a built in function for formatting dates. Let's talk about the date_format() function. [Continue reading]

Sorting Two MySQL Table Columns as One

How do you sort database entries chronologically when there are two different date fields? One shows when the entry was updated. The other indicates when it was created. If the developer didn't have the hindsight to set both fields to the same date when an entry is created, how do you work with the fields for sorting? [Continue reading]

Using the Date Format Chosen by the User Instead of Hard-Coding Your Own in the WordPress Theme

WordPress has a setting under the admin panel where blog owners can indicate how dates should be displayed for blog posts and comments made to the blog. The setting isn't very useful though when the date format is hard coded into the theme. Instead of making users edit the theme files, let's take advantage of the WordPress setting. [Continue reading]

Choosing the Date Format in WordPress Themes: Let’s Give Control Back to the User

So many WordPress themes have the date format hard coded into the theme files. The problem is that some users will prefer to display the date in another way. Maybe the chosen format doesn't match their organization's style guidelines or maybe the format isn't grammatically correct. Changing a hard-coded date requires users to dig through file after file to modify every instance. Plus, if the theme developer releases an update, the user may need to do it all over again. To save users the hassle, why not let them decide how the dates are displayed. There is a setting in WordPress after all. [Continue reading]

You Haven’t Even Started Blogging and You Already Have a Typo

There are a number of blogs out there which list dates incorrectly. It doesn't help that many of the templates built for popular blogging platforms like WordPress, display the dates incorrectly be default. If you maintain a blog, develop templates, or have ever typed out the date; please stop writing them as October 3rd, 2011. [Continue reading]

Remember, It’s 2011: Tips for Remembering the New Year

It's that time of year again. The time when people vow to change some aspect of their life. Maybe they want to get in shape, stop smoking, get out of debt, etc. Well here is my suggestion for a New Year's resolution.

With the new year comes…well a new year. It's 2011, but some of us have a difficult time dealing with the change. We're so used to typing 2010 that our brain continues that trend in January. Over the past few years I've been working toward getting past this road block. Here are the techniques that seem to work for me:

• 2011 Mantra – throughout the day I find it useful to tell myself "It's 2011. It's 2011…" in an attempt to bring the current year to the forefront of my mind. For me the mantra works best in the morning while getting ready for work. And I repeat the process whenever I find myself typing the incorrect year.
• Double Check Your Work – even when I remember it's 2011, my brain still finds a way to type 2010. So I'm always in the habit of double checking dates.
• Post-it Note Reminder – for the first year of attempting to remember the year, I stuck a Post-it note to my computer that said "It's 2011". In addition to helping me remember the date, the note reminded to keep up with the other techniques.

Now keep in mind, this type of mistake is very common this time of year. So if you're in charge of posting information online for someone else you'll need to double check their work also. If you notice any mistakes, don't forget to let them know. That way they can correct the mistake on their end before sending the information to anyone else. Even if they don't send the information, letting them know may help them avoid making the mistake again.

Luckily this type of mistake seems to be so common that your audience may not even notice it. If they do notice they'll probably know what you mean. Of course it's still a good idea to type the correct year.

Feedback

Do you have any tips or tricks for remembering the correct year? Or maybe you would like to share a funny or interesting story of a time where you (or a "friend") listed the wrong year?

Don’t Forget the Details

I recently heard an advertisment which said "Midnight movies are back starting this Friday with Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark." When I visited the theatre's website for the complete list of movies, I found out that Indiana Jones was shown a few weeks earlier. But there was some doubt in my mind since the website didn't list the year (See Figure 1); maybe I was looking at old information. However my confusion was cleared up when I heard the exact same advertisment over the next few weeks.

Figure 1. Midnight Movies Poster

When posting information on a website, developing a radio advertisement, etc.; it's important to step back and think like your audience. Keep in mind that they will likely to be less familiar with your organization, website, event, etc. If you were in their shoes, what questions would you need answered. Of course, you'll want to keep the message concise. If you feel like you might overwhelm your customers with too many details, you can always provide a method for them to ask questions.

So how could the message from the radio advertisement have been improved. First off, they could have mentioned the start date; "Midnight movies are back starting Friday, Sept. 17 with Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark." I would also recommend adding the year to the poster advertising the movie lineup.

Feedback

Do you have any examples where you felt a website, advertisement, etc. was missing critical details? Or maybe you would like to share a situation where you were in charge of something and didn't provide the necessary details; what was the outcome?