Converting Dates to Unix Timestamps: A Simple yet Powerful Technique

As developers, we often work with dates and timestamps in our applications. One common requirement is to convert a date into a Unix timestamp, which is the number of seconds that have elapsed since January 1, 1970, at 00:00:00 UTC. In this article, we’ll explore a simple yet effective way to achieve this conversion using a formula.

The Formula

The formula to convert a date into a Unix timestamp is as follows:

= ((NOW() - DATE(1970,1,1) + TIME(6,0,0)) * 86400)

Here’s a breakdown of what each part of the formula does:

• NOW(): Returns the current date and time.
• DATE(1970,1,1): Returns the date January 1, 1970, which is the starting point for Unix timestamps.
• TIME(6,0,0): Adds 6 hours to the date, which is equivalent to the UTC offset.
• 86400: The number of seconds in a day, used to convert the date difference into a Unix timestamp.

Using the Formula

To use this formula, simply replace NOW() with the date you want to convert. For example:

= (({your_date} - DATE(1970,1,1) + TIME(6,0,0)) * 86400)

Practical Application

So, why would you want to convert a date into a Unix timestamp? One common use case is when working with data that has a date column, and you need to fetch data for a specific date. By converting the date into a Unix timestamp, you can easily compare it with other timestamps and retrieve the relevant data.

For instance, let’s say you have a table with a date column and a data column, and you want to fetch the data for a specific date. You can use the formula to convert the date into a Unix timestamp, and then use that timestamp to filter the data.

Example Use Case

Suppose you have the following data:

| date | data | | — | — | | 2022-01-01 | Foo | | 2022-01-02 | Bar | | 2022-01-03 | Baz |

To fetch the data for January 2, 2022, you can use the formula to convert the date into a Unix timestamp:

= ((2022-01-02 - DATE(1970,1,1) + TIME(6,0,0)) * 86400)

This will give you the Unix timestamp for January 2, 2022. You can then use this timestamp to filter the data and retrieve the relevant row.

By using this simple formula, you can easily convert dates into Unix timestamps and work with date-based data in your applications.