date

Gamma: Version 4.0
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# `date`

`date` -- gets the OS date and time; translates seconds into dates.

## Syntax

    date (seconds?, is_utc?)

## Arguments

`seconds`

  A number of seconds, such as returned from a call to `clock`.

`is_utc`

  A value of t puts the date in Coordinated Universal Time (formerly known as Greenwich Mean Time, GMT).

## Returns

The date as a character string.

## Description

This function returns a character string which represents the current date and time in human-readable form. This form depends on the operating system, but will look like "Sat Mar 21 15:58:27 2000" on most UNIX systems. The `seconds` parameter returns the date that corresponds to the number of seconds since Jan 1, 1970, Coordinated Universal Time.

## Example

        Gamma> date();
        "Fri Mar 31 09:18:27 2000"
        Gamma> date(987654321);
        "Thu Apr 19 00:25:21 2001"
        Gamma> date(987654321,t);
        "Thu Apr 19 04:25:21 2001"
        Gamma> date(0,t);
        "Thu Jan  1 00:00:00 1970"
        Gamma>

See the Common: Plot Setup section of the History Functions chapter in the Cogent Tools Demo and Tutorials book for an example of this function used in context.

## See Also

`clock`

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`clock`, `nanoclock` | Up | `date_of`

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