Dts/doc stands for Date Table Sorting and is used to correctly sort and display dates in a sortable table (see Help:Sorting).

Normally, for proper sorting, dates must be entered in YYYY-MM-DD format. However, that format does not conform to the for date display. This template automatically creates the hidden key for sorting purposes whilst displaying the date in an alternative format (e.g. day-month-year).

The year, month and day can either be entered separately or as a single date.
{{dts|year|month|day|BC}} {{dts|date}}
  • 1st parameter – Year (optional if month is given)
    • Positive number (1 to 9999) represent years AD or BC (dependant on the fourth parameter).
    • Negative numbers (−1 to −9999) represent years BC (without the fourth parameter).
  • 2nd parameter – Month (optional if the day is not given either)
    • Full month name – e.g. February
    • Abbreviated month name – e.g. Feb
    • Month number – (either zero-padded or not) e.g. 2 or 02
  • 3rd parameter – Day (optional)
    • Day number – (either zero-padded or not) e.g. 7 or 07
  • 4th parameter – (optional)
    • May be BC, AD, BCE or CE
    • Used with a positive year number
  • 1st parameter – the full date
    • By default YYYY-MM-DD format becomes month-day-year format while other formats remain as input.
    • Abbreviated months are accepted and are returned as input.
    • Capitalisation and comma mistakes are corrected.
    • A single number is interpreted as a year otherwise the date is accepted and interpreted according to the php date/time format (since the {{#time:}} parser is used). Certain limits (e.g. it won't go before 100 AD) therefore apply.
Examples
input style input code hidden sort key visible output
{{dts|year}} {{dts|1893}} 01893-01-01-0000 1893
{{dts|-89}} -9911-01-01-0000 89 BC
{{dts|month}} {{dts|Oct}} 0೨೦೨೪-೧೦-೦೧-0000 Oct
{{dts|month year}} {{dts|February 1767}} 0೧೭೬೭-೦೨-೦೧-0000 February 1767
{{dts|day month year}} {{dts|12 Aug 1987}} 0೧೯೮೭-೦೮-೧೨-0000 12 Aug 1987
{{dts|month day, year}} {{dts|July 1, 1867}} 0೧೮೬೭-೦೭-೦೧-0000 July 1, 1867
{{dts|day month}} {{dts|25 October}} 0೨೦೨೪-೧೦-೨೫-0000 25 October
{{dts|month day}} {{dts|Jan 1}} 0೨೦೨೪-೦೧-೦೧-0000 Jan 1
{{dts|YYYY-MM-DD}} {{dts|2014-12-09}} 0೨೦೧೪-೧೨-೦೯-0000 ಡಿಸೆಂಬರ್ ೯, ೨೦೧೪
{{dts|year|month}} {{dts|1990|10}} 01990-10-01-0000 ಅಕ್ಟೋಬರ್ 1990
{{dts|1980|Dec}} 01980-೧೨-01-0000 Dec 1980
{{dts|1970|August}} 01970-೦೮-01-0000 August 1970
{{dts|year|month|day}} {{dts|2024|Jun|12}} 02024-೦೭-12-0000 Jun 12, 2024
{{dts|-204|11|22}} -9796-11-22-0000 ನವೆಂಬರ್ 22, 204 BC
{{dts|year|month|day|era}} {{dts|44|3|15|BC}} -9956-03-15-0000 ಮಾರ್ಚ್ 15, 44 BC
{{dts|94|Oct|17|AD}} 00094-೧೦-17-0000 Oct 17, 94 AD
{{dts|month}} {{dts||May}} 0೨೦೨೪-೦೫-01-0000 May
{{dts|month|day}} {{dts||Sep|12}} 0೨೦೨೪-೧೦-12-0000 Sep 12

Using format produces a format that depends on, but is not necessarily equal to the format of the supplied date. This requires multiple calls of function #time, reducing the maximum number of calls of this template on a page in the worst case to 88, see below. The format parameter can take nine values.

Examples
value function input code hidden sort key visible output
  format depends on the input {{dts|26 Jan 1788}} 0೧೭೮೮-೦೧-೨೬-0000 26 Jan 1788
{{dts|March 12, 1557}} 0೧೫೫೭-೦೩-೧೨-0000 March 12, 1557
{{dts|1975-02-13}} 0೧೯೭೫-೦೨-೧೩-0000 ಫೆಬ್ರವರಿ ೧೩, ೧೯೭೫
dmy displays the date in day-month-year format {{dts|Sep 13, 1888|format=dmy}} 0೧೮೮೮-೦೯-೧೩-0000 ೧೩ Sep 13 1888 ೧೮೮೮
{{dts|1983-01-03|format=dmy}} 0೧೯೮೩-೦೧-೦೩-0000 ೩ ಜನವರಿ ೧೯೮೩
dm displays only the day and month in day-month format {{dts|Feb 26, 1788|format=dm}} 0೧೭೮೮-೦೨-೨೬-0000 ೨೬ Feb 26 1788
{{dts|2020-10-15|format=dm}} 0೨೦೨೦-೧೦-೧೫-0000 ೧೫ ಅಕ್ಟೋಬರ್
mdy displays the date in month-day-year format {{dts|August 31, 1901|format=mdy}} 0೧೯೦೧-೦೮-೩೧-0000 August 31 1901 ೩೧, ೧೯೦೧
{{dts|2006-11-08|format=mdy}} 0೨೦೦೬-೧೧-೦೮-0000 ನವೆಂಬರ್ ೮, ೨೦೦೬
md displays only the day and month in month-day format {{dts|26 Jun 1988|format=md}} 0೧೯೮೮-೦೬-೨೬-0000 26 Jun 1988 ೨೬
{{dts|2002-05-27|format=md}} 0೨೦೦೨-೦೫-೨೭-0000 ಮೇ ೨೭
my displays only the month and year in month-year format {{dts|16 November 1488|format=my}} 0೧೪೮೮-೧೧-೧೬-0000 16 November 1488 ೧೪೮೮
d displays only the day {{dts|6 July 1666|format=d}} 0೧೬೬೬-೦೭-೦೬-0000
m displays only the month {{dts|1980-02-12|format=m}} 0೧೯೮೦-೦೨-೧೨-0000 ಫೆಬ್ರವರಿ
y displays only the year {{dts|-26|Jan|18|format=y}} -9974-೦೧-18-0000 26 BC
hide hides the date {{dts|15 October 1800|format=hide}} 0೧೮೦೦-೧೦-೧೫-0000

There are two ways of abbreviating the month name.

  1. Directly input an abbreviated month name.
  2. Use the abbr=on parameter.
Examples
abbreviation method input code hidden sort key visible output
none {{dts|2000-01-01}} 0೨೦೦೦-೦೧-೦೧-0000 ಜನವರಿ ೧, ೨೦೦೦
{{dts|2000|1|1}} 02000-01-01-0000 ಜನವರಿ 1, 2000
{{dts|1 January 2000}} 0೨೦೦೦-೦೧-೦೧-0000 1 January 2000
{{dts|2000|January|1}} 02000-೦೧-01-0000 January 1, 2000
abbreviated input {{dts|1 Jan 2000}} 0೨೦೦೦-೦೧-೦೧-0000 1 Jan 2000
{{dts|2000|Jan|1}} 02000-೦೧-01-0000 Jan 1, 2000
abbr=on {{dts|1 January 2000|abbr=on}} 0೨೦೦೦-೦೧-೦೧-0000 1 January 2000
{{dts|2000|January|1|abbr=on}} 02000-೦೧-01-0000 ಜನವರಿ 1, 2000
{{dts|2000-01-01|abbr=on}} 0೨೦೦೦-೦೧-೦೧-0000 ಜನವರಿ ೧, ೨೦೦೦
{{dts|2000|1|1|abbr=on}} 02000-01-01-0000 ಜನವರಿ 1, 2000

Additional sort key

ಬದಲಾಯಿಸಿ

In case two dates in a table are identical they may be ordered using the addkey parameter.

Examples
input code hidden sort key visible output
{{dts|2010-10-10|addkey=3}} 0೨೦೧೦-೧೦-೧೦-0003 ಅಕ್ಟೋಬರ್ ೧೦, ೨೦೧೦
{{dts|2010-10-09}} 0೨೦೧೦-೧೦-೦೯-0000 ಅಕ್ಟೋಬರ್ ೯, ೨೦೧೦
{{dts|2010-10-10|addkey=1}} 0೨೦೧೦-೧೦-೧೦-0001 ಅಕ್ಟೋಬರ್ ೧೦, ೨೦೧೦
{{dts|2010-10-10}} 0೨೦೧೦-೧೦-೧೦-0000 ಅಕ್ಟೋಬರ್ ೧೦, ೨೦೧೦
{{dts|2010-10-10|addkey=4}} 0೨೦೧೦-೧೦-೧೦-0004 ಅಕ್ಟೋಬರ್ ೧೦, ೨೦೧೦
{{dts|2010-10-11}} 0೨೦೧೦-೧೦-೧೧-0000 ಅಕ್ಟೋಬರ್ ೧೧, ೨೦೧೦
{{dts|2010-10-10|addkey=2}} 0೨೦೧೦-೧೦-೧೦-0002 ಅಕ್ಟೋಬರ್ ೧೦, ೨೦೧೦

To turn off the suppression of word wraps, use the nowrap=off parameter.

Sorting for incomplete dates

ಬದಲಾಯಿಸಿ
Whole months or years

A whole year or month (and year) is sorted according to its first day.

Missing years

If the year is not specified, the date will be sorted as if the year were the current year.

Entering an invalid date format will (generally) produce an error message such as the one below.

Error: 35 June 1900
This is not an acceptable date format. Please check the spelling, numbers, and/or read the documentation at template {{Dts}} for correct date input.

The template is not capable of distinguishing Julian and Gregorian calendar dates. Also, it is not capable of taking a date in one calendar as input and outputting a date in the other calendar. Thus, to insure proper sorting, editors must either use one calendar for all dates, or pick a specific changeover date (for example, deciding that 4 October 1582 is Julian and all later dates are Gregorian); this would be done on an article-by article basis. Editors are also responsible for explaining to the reader whether the visible dates are Julian or Gregorian, if there is any possibility of confusion.

The template formerly linked dates automatically. To turn linking off the parameter link=off was used. In accordance with current guidelines linking is no longer supported. Please do not use this parameter. Please remove it from existing transclusions.

  • {{TBA}}, allows quarters, and allows sorting of time periods by end date.
  • m:Template:dts (backlinks edit), since on Meta e.g. 09999 9999 induces numeric sort mode, "&" is prefixed to force string sort mode.
  • {{Sort}}, sorting by a specified key (also good for complicated numbers, e.g. scientific notation)
  • {{Sortname}}, full name sorting (using "last name, first name" as default sort key)
  • {{Tts}}, for sorting times in result tables of athletic events (only needed in certain cases - see template documentation)
  • {{Mss}}, for sorting times in tables of eclipses
  • {{Nts}}, for numbers