使用解构主义和Linq得到“n（最大时间单位）前”的“一行”：

TimeSpan timeSpan = DateTime.Now - new DateTime(1234, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9);

(string unit, int value) = new Dictionary<string, int>
{
    {"year(s)", (int)(timeSpan.TotalDays / 365.25)}, //https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Year#Intercalation
    {"month(s)", (int)(timeSpan.TotalDays / 29.53)}, //https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Month
    {"day(s)", (int)timeSpan.TotalDays},
    {"hour(s)", (int)timeSpan.TotalHours},
    {"minute(s)", (int)timeSpan.TotalMinutes},
    {"second(s)", (int)timeSpan.TotalSeconds},
    {"millisecond(s)", (int)timeSpan.TotalMilliseconds}
}.First(kvp => kvp.Value > 0);

Console.WriteLine($"{value} {unit} ago");

你在786年前

当前年份和月份，如

TimeSpan timeSpan = DateTime.Now - new DateTime(2020, 12, 6, 7, 8, 9);

您4天前收到

实际日期，比如

TimeSpan timeSpan = DateTime.Now - DateTime.Now.Date;

9小时前到达

用于客户端gwt的Java：

import java.util.Date;

public class RelativeDateFormat {

 private static final long ONE_MINUTE = 60000L;
 private static final long ONE_HOUR = 3600000L;
 private static final long ONE_DAY = 86400000L;
 private static final long ONE_WEEK = 604800000L;

 public static String format(Date date) {

  long delta = new Date().getTime() - date.getTime();
  if (delta < 1L * ONE_MINUTE) {
   return toSeconds(delta) == 1 ? "one second ago" : toSeconds(delta)
     + " seconds ago";
  }
  if (delta < 2L * ONE_MINUTE) {
   return "one minute ago";
  }
  if (delta < 45L * ONE_MINUTE) {
   return toMinutes(delta) + " minutes ago";
  }
  if (delta < 90L * ONE_MINUTE) {
   return "one hour ago";
  }
  if (delta < 24L * ONE_HOUR) {
   return toHours(delta) + " hours ago";
  }
  if (delta < 48L * ONE_HOUR) {
   return "yesterday";
  }
  if (delta < 30L * ONE_DAY) {
   return toDays(delta) + " days ago";
  }
  if (delta < 12L * 4L * ONE_WEEK) {
   long months = toMonths(delta);
   return months <= 1 ? "one month ago" : months + " months ago";
  } else {
   long years = toYears(delta);
   return years <= 1 ? "one year ago" : years + " years ago";
  }
 }

 private static long toSeconds(long date) {
  return date / 1000L;
 }

 private static long toMinutes(long date) {
  return toSeconds(date) / 60L;
 }

 private static long toHours(long date) {
  return toMinutes(date) / 60L;
 }

 private static long toDays(long date) {
  return toHours(date) / 24L;
 }

 private static long toMonths(long date) {
  return toDays(date) / 30L;
 }

 private static long toYears(long date) {
  return toMonths(date) / 365L;
 }

}

在Java中有没有一种简单的方法可以做到这一点？java.util.Date类似乎相当有限。

下面是我的快速而肮脏的Java解决方案：

import java.util.Date;
import javax.management.timer.Timer;

String getRelativeDate(Date date) {     
  long delta = new Date().getTime() - date.getTime();
  if (delta < 1L * Timer.ONE_MINUTE) {
    return toSeconds(delta) == 1 ? "one second ago" : toSeconds(delta) + " seconds ago";
  }
  if (delta < 2L * Timer.ONE_MINUTE) {
    return "a minute ago";
  }
  if (delta < 45L * Timer.ONE_MINUTE) {
    return toMinutes(delta) + " minutes ago";
  }
  if (delta < 90L * Timer.ONE_MINUTE) {
    return "an hour ago";
  }
  if (delta < 24L * Timer.ONE_HOUR) {
    return toHours(delta) + " hours ago";
  }
  if (delta < 48L * Timer.ONE_HOUR) {
    return "yesterday";
  }
  if (delta < 30L * Timer.ONE_DAY) {
    return toDays(delta) + " days ago";
  }
  if (delta < 12L * 4L * Timer.ONE_WEEK) { // a month
    long months = toMonths(delta); 
    return months <= 1 ? "one month ago" : months + " months ago";
  }
  else {
    long years = toYears(delta);
    return years <= 1 ? "one year ago" : years + " years ago";
  }
}

private long toSeconds(long date) {
  return date / 1000L;
}

private long toMinutes(long date) {
  return toSeconds(date) / 60L;
}

private long toHours(long date) {
  return toMinutes(date) / 60L;
}

private long toDays(long date) {
  return toHours(date) / 24L;
}

private long toMonths(long date) {
  return toDays(date) / 30L;
}

private long toYears(long date) {
  return toMonths(date) / 365L;
}

当然，解决“1小时前”问题的一个简单方法是增加“一小时前”有效的窗口。改变

if (delta < 5400) // 90 * 60
{
    return "an hour ago";
}

into

if (delta < 7200) // 120 * 60
{
    return "an hour ago";
}

这意味着110分钟前发生的事情将被解读为“一小时前”——这可能并不完美，但我认为这比“1小时前”的现状要好。

在PHP中，我是这样做的：

<?php
function timesince($original) {
    // array of time period chunks
    $chunks = array(
        array(60 * 60 * 24 * 365 , 'year'),
        array(60 * 60 * 24 * 30 , 'month'),
        array(60 * 60 * 24 * 7, 'week'),
        array(60 * 60 * 24 , 'day'),
        array(60 * 60 , 'hour'),
        array(60 , 'minute'),
    );

    $today = time(); /* Current unix time  */
    $since = $today - $original;

    if($since > 604800) {
    $print = date("M jS", $original);

    if($since > 31536000) {
        $print .= ", " . date("Y", $original);
    }

    return $print;
}

// $j saves performing the count function each time around the loop
for ($i = 0, $j = count($chunks); $i < $j; $i++) {

    $seconds = $chunks[$i][0];
    $name = $chunks[$i][1];

    // finding the biggest chunk (if the chunk fits, break)
    if (($count = floor($since / $seconds)) != 0) {
        break;
    }
}

$print = ($count == 1) ? '1 '.$name : "$count {$name}s";

return $print . " ago";

} ?>

我也建议在客户端进行计算。服务器工作更少。

以下是我使用的版本（来自Zach Leatherman）

/*
 * Javascript Humane Dates
 * Copyright (c) 2008 Dean Landolt (deanlandolt.com)
 * Re-write by Zach Leatherman (zachleat.com)
 * 
 * Adopted from the John Resig's pretty.js
 * at http://ejohn.org/blog/javascript-pretty-date
 * and henrah's proposed modification 
 * at http://ejohn.org/blog/javascript-pretty-date/#comment-297458
 * 
 * Licensed under the MIT license.
 */

function humane_date(date_str){
        var time_formats = [
                [60, 'just now'],
                [90, '1 minute'], // 60*1.5
                [3600, 'minutes', 60], // 60*60, 60
                [5400, '1 hour'], // 60*60*1.5
                [86400, 'hours', 3600], // 60*60*24, 60*60
                [129600, '1 day'], // 60*60*24*1.5
                [604800, 'days', 86400], // 60*60*24*7, 60*60*24
                [907200, '1 week'], // 60*60*24*7*1.5
                [2628000, 'weeks', 604800], // 60*60*24*(365/12), 60*60*24*7
                [3942000, '1 month'], // 60*60*24*(365/12)*1.5
                [31536000, 'months', 2628000], // 60*60*24*365, 60*60*24*(365/12)
                [47304000, '1 year'], // 60*60*24*365*1.5
                [3153600000, 'years', 31536000], // 60*60*24*365*100, 60*60*24*365
                [4730400000, '1 century'] // 60*60*24*365*100*1.5
        ];

        var time = ('' + date_str).replace(/-/g,"/").replace(/[TZ]/g," "),
                dt = new Date,
                seconds = ((dt - new Date(time) + (dt.getTimezoneOffset() * 60000)) / 1000),
                token = ' ago',
                i = 0,
                format;

        if (seconds < 0) {
                seconds = Math.abs(seconds);
                token = '';
        }

        while (format = time_formats[i++]) {
                if (seconds < format[0]) {
                        if (format.length == 2) {
                                return format[1] + (i > 1 ? token : ''); // Conditional so we don't return Just Now Ago
                        } else {
                                return Math.round(seconds / format[2]) + ' ' + format[1] + (i > 1 ? token : '');
                        }
                }
        }

        // overflow for centuries
        if(seconds > 4730400000)
                return Math.round(seconds / 4730400000) + ' centuries' + token;

        return date_str;
};

if(typeof jQuery != 'undefined') {
        jQuery.fn.humane_dates = function(){
                return this.each(function(){
                        var date = humane_date(this.title);
                        if(date && jQuery(this).text() != date) // don't modify the dom if we don't have to
                                jQuery(this).text(date);
                });
        };
}