The <time> element and datetime attribute are used to represent dates and times in a structured, machine-readable format. 1. The <time> element provides semantic meaning when paired with the datetime attribute, which specifies dates and times in standardized formats such as YYYY-MM-DD, HH:MM, or full datetime with timezone. 2. Common use cases include marking timestamps for blog posts, event schedules, and historical or future dates. 3. While <time> can be used without datetime, it loses most of its semantic value unless representing vague or invalid dates like "Next week".
Time element and datetime attribute come into play when you want to mark up dates and times in a machine-readable format on the web. The <time></time>
element is an HTML5 tag that allows you to represent a date or time in a structured way, while the datetime
attribute within it provides the actual timestamp in a standardized format.

Why Use the <time></time>
Element?
The main reason for using the <time></time>
element is to give machines—like search engines, browsers, or other software—a clear, unambiguous representation of a specific moment in time.
For example:

<time datetime="2024-10-30">October 30, 2024</time>
In this case, users see “October 30, 2024,” but machines can read the ISO-formatted date from the datetime
attribute.
Here are a few use cases:

- Publishing blog posts with timestamps
- Marking event start and end times
- Displaying historical or future dates in a readable and parseable way
What Does the datetime
Attribute Do?
The datetime
attribute inside the <time>
tag defines the actual date and/or time in a format that computers can understand. It supports several formats depending on what you're trying to represent.
Some common formats include:
- Date only:
YYYY-MM-DD
- Time only:
HH:MM
,HH:MM:SS
, or with timezone likeHH:MM:SS±HH:MM
- Full datetime:
YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS±HH:MM
Example with both date and time:
<time datetime="2024-10-30T19:00:00 08:00">7 PM on October 30</time>
This tells machines the exact point in time (including timezone), even though the displayed text might be more casual or localized.
Can You Use <time>
Without datetime
?
Yes, you can use the <time>
element without specifying the datetime
attribute—but doing so removes most of its value. If there's no datetime
, it just becomes a regular inline element visually similar to a <span>
. So, always pair <time>
with datetime
if you want semantic meaning.
One exception is when marking up invalid dates or durations:
<time>Next week</time>
This doesn’t have a fixed date, so it wouldn't make sense to add a datetime
.
Basically, the <time></time>
element and datetime
attribute help bridge how humans and machines interpret time. It’s not complicated, but it does require attention to formatting.
The above is the detailed content of What is the time element and the datetime attribute?. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!

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