Humanize Dates with timeago: A Dart Library for Conveying Time Elegantly

The timeago library is a Dart library that offers an elegant solution for converting dates into human-readable text. Instead of presenting complex date-time formats like "2020-12-12 18:30", timeago allows you to display friendly expressions such as "now", "an hour ago", or "~1y".

Getting Started

Integrating timeago is a breeze with its top-level function, format(date):

import 'package:timeago/timeago.dart' as timeago;

main() {
  final fifteenAgo = DateTime.now().subtract(Duration(minutes: 15));
  print(timeago.format(fifteenAgo)); // 15 minutes ago
  print(timeago.format(fifteenAgo, locale: 'en_short')); // 15m
  print(timeago.format(fifteenAgo, locale: 'es')); // hace 15 minutos
}

Adding Locales

timeago comes with English and Spanish messages loaded by default. To add more languages, use timeago.setLocaleMessages(..). Refer to the locale messages for supported languages here:

https://github.com/andresaraujo/timeago.dart/blob/master/packages/timeago/packages/timeago/lib/src/messages

Overriding Locales and Adding Custom Messages

You can override existing locales or create custom messages by implementing the LookupMessages interface:

// Override "en" locale messages with custom messages
timeago.setLocaleMessages('en', MyCustomMessages());

// my_custom_messages.dart
class MyCustomMessages implements LookupMessages {
  @override
  String prefixAgo() => '';

  @override
  String prefixFromNow() => '';

  @override
  String suffixAgo() => '';

  @override
  String suffixFromNow() => '';

  @override
  String lessThanOneMinute(int seconds) => 'now';

  // ... Implement other methods
}

Scope

The timeago library focuses on providing:

A single format function for converting dates into humanized text
Abstractions for adding and overriding languages
Community-contributed languages to minimize the need for adding all by default
Dependency-free operation

timeago_flutter Widgets

The timeago_flutter package offers widgets that integrate with timeago:

Timeago: A widget that displays a humanized date
TimerRefresh: A widget that automatically updates its content at a specified interval
TimerRefreshWidget: A widget that wraps another widget and provides a timer refresh functionality