Mac OS X in a Nutshell

Name

date

Synopsis

date [option] [+format]
date [options] [string]

In the first form, prints the current date and time, specifying an optional display format. In the second form, a privileged user can set the current date by supplying a numeric string. format can consist of literal text strings (blanks must be quoted) as well as field descriptors, whose values will appear as described below (the listing shows some logical groupings).

Format

%n

Insert a newline.

%t

Insert a tab.

%m

Month of year (01-12).

%d

Day of month (01-31).

%y

Last two digits of year (00-99).

%D

Date in %m/%d/%y format.

%b

Abbreviated month name.

%e

Day of month (1-31); pad single digits with a space.

%Y

Four-digit year (e.g., 1996).

%g

Week-based year within century (00-99).

%G

Week-based year, including the century (0000-9999).

%h

Same as %b.

%B

Full-month name.

%H

Hour in 24-hour format (00-23).

%M

Minute (00-59).

%S

Second (00-61); 61 permits leap seconds and double-leap seconds.

%R

Time in %H:%M format.

%T

Time in %H:%M:%S format.

%k

Hour (24-hour clock; 0-23); single digits are preceded by a space.

%l

Hour (12-hour clock; 1-12); single digits are preceded by a space.

%I

Hour in 12-hour format (01-12).

%p

String to indicate a.m. or p.m. (default is AM or PM).

%r

Time in %I:%M:%S %p format.

%a

Abbreviated weekday.

%A

Full weekday.

%w

Day of week (Sunday = 0).

%u

Weekday as a decimal number (1-7), Sunday = 1.

%U

Week number in year (00-53); start week on Sunday.

%W

Week number in year (00-53); start week ...