dateFormat is generating strange results

[mwaterous]

Here is the date in the frontmatter (generated using hugo new)

date: 2020-04-09T15:46:08-06:00

Here is the dateFormat I’m attempting to use:

{{ .PublishDate.Format "January 1, 2000" }}

And the result is: April 9, 9000

I’ve also tried

{{ dateFormat "January 2, 2020" .PublishDate }}

and the result is: April 9, 9090

[pointyfar]

Hi there,

The date used in dateFormat is not a random one. It is a specific point in time: https://gohugo.io/functions/format/#gos-layout-string

You will want to use "January 2, 2006".

[mwaterous]

Good lord, I was on that page and it didn’t sink in. Explains why I couldn’t find any other discussion on it, no one else made the same mistake.

[maiki]

Nah, you aren’t the only one; its just hard to know to search, “golang date format losing my mind”.