Using WordPress ‘get_post_timestamp()’ PHP function

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The get_post_timestamp() WordPress PHP function retrieves the post’s published or modified time as a Unix timestamp.

Usage

To use the get_post_timestamp() function, provide the post ID or post object and the type of time (published or modified).

$unix_timestamp = get_post_timestamp($post, 'date');

Parameters

  • $post (int|WP_Post) Optional: Post ID or post object. Default is the global $post object. Default: null
  • $field (string) Optional: Published or modified time to use from the database. Accepts ‘date’ or ‘modified’. Default ‘date’. Default: ‘date’

More information

See WordPress Developer Resources: get_post_timestamp()

Examples

Displaying Published and Modified Dates

This code snippet retrieves and displays the published and modified dates for a post in a human-readable format.

function display_published_modified_dates() {
    // Get UNIX timestamps
    $unix_published_date = get_post_timestamp('', 'date');
    $unix_modified_date = get_post_timestamp('', 'modified');

    // Convert to readable dates
    $published_date = date_i18n(get_option('date_format'), $unix_published_date);
    $modified_date = date_i18n(get_option('date_format'), $unix_modified_date);

    // Display dates
    echo 'Published: ' . $published_date;
    echo 'Modified: ' . $modified_date;
}

Displaying Post Age

This code snippet calculates and displays the age of a post in days.

function display_post_age() {
    // Get published UNIX timestamp
    $unix_published_date = get_post_timestamp('', 'date');

    // Calculate post age in days
    $post_age = floor((time() - $unix_published_date) / 86400);

    // Display post age
    echo 'Post Age: ' . $post_age . ' days';
}

Checking if a Post was Modified

This code snippet checks if a post has been modified after publishing.

function is_post_modified() {
    // Get UNIX timestamps
    $unix_published_date = get_post_timestamp('', 'date');
    $unix_modified_date = get_post_timestamp('', 'modified');

    // Check if modified
    if ($unix_modified_date > $unix_published_date) {
        echo 'This post has been modified.';
    } else {
        echo 'This post has not been modified.';
    }
}

Displaying Time Since Last Modification

This code snippet calculates and displays the time since a post was last modified in hours and minutes.

function display_time_since_modification() {
    // Get modified UNIX timestamp
    $unix_modified_date = get_post_timestamp('', 'modified');

    // Calculate time since modification
    $time_since_modification = time() - $unix_modified_date;
    $hours = floor($time_since_modification / 3600);
    $minutes = floor(($time_since_modification % 3600) / 60);

    // Display time since modification
    echo 'Time Since Modification: ' . $hours . ' hours, ' . $minutes . ' minutes';
}