在Java中有没有一种简单的方法可以做到这一点？java.util.Date类似乎相当有限。

下面是我的快速而肮脏的Java解决方案：

import java.util.Date;
import javax.management.timer.Timer;

String getRelativeDate(Date date) {     
  long delta = new Date().getTime() - date.getTime();
  if (delta < 1L * Timer.ONE_MINUTE) {
    return toSeconds(delta) == 1 ? "one second ago" : toSeconds(delta) + " seconds ago";
  }
  if (delta < 2L * Timer.ONE_MINUTE) {
    return "a minute ago";
  }
  if (delta < 45L * Timer.ONE_MINUTE) {
    return toMinutes(delta) + " minutes ago";
  }
  if (delta < 90L * Timer.ONE_MINUTE) {
    return "an hour ago";
  }
  if (delta < 24L * Timer.ONE_HOUR) {
    return toHours(delta) + " hours ago";
  }
  if (delta < 48L * Timer.ONE_HOUR) {
    return "yesterday";
  }
  if (delta < 30L * Timer.ONE_DAY) {
    return toDays(delta) + " days ago";
  }
  if (delta < 12L * 4L * Timer.ONE_WEEK) { // a month
    long months = toMonths(delta); 
    return months <= 1 ? "one month ago" : months + " months ago";
  }
  else {
    long years = toYears(delta);
    return years <= 1 ? "one year ago" : years + " years ago";
  }
}

private long toSeconds(long date) {
  return date / 1000L;
}

private long toMinutes(long date) {
  return toSeconds(date) / 60L;
}

private long toHours(long date) {
  return toMinutes(date) / 60L;
}

private long toDays(long date) {
  return toHours(date) / 24L;
}

private long toMonths(long date) {
  return toDays(date) / 30L;
}

private long toYears(long date) {
  return toMonths(date) / 365L;
}

我想我应该用类和多态性来尝试一下。我以前的迭代使用了子类，结果开销太大。我已经切换到一个更灵活的委托/公共属性对象模型，这明显更好。我的代码稍微准确一点，我希望我能想出一种更好的方法来生成“几个月前”的代码，而这种方法看起来并没有过度设计。

我想我还是会坚持Jeff的if-then-cascade，因为它的代码更少，而且更简单（肯定更容易确保它按预期工作）。

对于以下代码，PrintRelativeTime.GetRelativeTime message（TimeSpan ago）返回相对时间消息（例如“昨天”）。

public class RelativeTimeRange : IComparable
{
    public TimeSpan UpperBound { get; set; }

    public delegate string RelativeTimeTextDelegate(TimeSpan timeDelta);

    public RelativeTimeTextDelegate MessageCreator { get; set; }

    public int CompareTo(object obj)
    {
        if (!(obj is RelativeTimeRange))
        {
            return 1;
        }
        // note that this sorts in reverse order to the way you'd expect, 
        // this saves having to reverse a list later
        return (obj as RelativeTimeRange).UpperBound.CompareTo(UpperBound);
    }
}

public class PrintRelativeTime
{
    private static List<RelativeTimeRange> timeRanges;

    static PrintRelativeTime()
    {
        timeRanges = new List<RelativeTimeRange>{
            new RelativeTimeRange
            {
                UpperBound = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(1),
                MessageCreator = (delta) => 
                { return "one second ago"; }
            }, 
            new RelativeTimeRange
            {
                UpperBound = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(60),
                MessageCreator = (delta) => 
                { return delta.Seconds + " seconds ago"; }

            }, 
            new RelativeTimeRange
            {
                UpperBound = TimeSpan.FromMinutes(2),
                MessageCreator = (delta) => 
                { return "one minute ago"; }
            }, 
            new RelativeTimeRange
            {
                UpperBound = TimeSpan.FromMinutes(60),
                MessageCreator = (delta) => 
                { return delta.Minutes + " minutes ago"; }
            }, 
            new RelativeTimeRange
            {
                UpperBound = TimeSpan.FromHours(2),
                MessageCreator = (delta) => 
                { return "one hour ago"; }
            }, 
            new RelativeTimeRange
            {
                UpperBound = TimeSpan.FromHours(24),
                MessageCreator = (delta) => 
                { return delta.Hours + " hours ago"; }
            }, 
            new RelativeTimeRange
            {
                UpperBound = TimeSpan.FromDays(2),
                MessageCreator = (delta) => 
                { return "yesterday"; }
            }, 
            new RelativeTimeRange
            {
                UpperBound = DateTime.Now.Subtract(DateTime.Now.AddMonths(-1)),
                MessageCreator = (delta) => 
                { return delta.Days + " days ago"; }
            }, 
            new RelativeTimeRange
            {
                UpperBound = DateTime.Now.Subtract(DateTime.Now.AddMonths(-2)),
                MessageCreator = (delta) => 
                { return "one month ago"; }
            }, 
            new RelativeTimeRange
            {
                UpperBound = DateTime.Now.Subtract(DateTime.Now.AddYears(-1)),
                MessageCreator = (delta) => 
                { return (int)Math.Floor(delta.TotalDays / 30) + " months ago"; }
            }, 
            new RelativeTimeRange
            {
                UpperBound = DateTime.Now.Subtract(DateTime.Now.AddYears(-2)),
                MessageCreator = (delta) => 
                { return "one year ago"; }
            }, 
            new RelativeTimeRange
            {
                UpperBound = TimeSpan.MaxValue,
                MessageCreator = (delta) => 
                { return (int)Math.Floor(delta.TotalDays / 365.24D) + " years ago"; }
            }
        };

        timeRanges.Sort();
    }

    public static string GetRelativeTimeMessage(TimeSpan ago)
    {
        RelativeTimeRange postRelativeDateRange = timeRanges[0];

        foreach (var timeRange in timeRanges)
        {
            if (ago.CompareTo(timeRange.UpperBound) <= 0)
            {
                postRelativeDateRange = timeRange;
            }
        }

        return postRelativeDateRange.MessageCreator(ago);
    }
}

public string getRelativeDateTime(DateTime date)
{
    TimeSpan ts = DateTime.Now - date;
    if (ts.TotalMinutes < 1)//seconds ago
        return "just now";
    if (ts.TotalHours < 1)//min ago
        return (int)ts.TotalMinutes == 1 ? "1 Minute ago" : (int)ts.TotalMinutes + " Minutes ago";
    if (ts.TotalDays < 1)//hours ago
        return (int)ts.TotalHours == 1 ? "1 Hour ago" : (int)ts.TotalHours + " Hours ago";
    if (ts.TotalDays < 7)//days ago
        return (int)ts.TotalDays == 1 ? "1 Day ago" : (int)ts.TotalDays + " Days ago";
    if (ts.TotalDays < 30.4368)//weeks ago
        return (int)(ts.TotalDays / 7) == 1 ? "1 Week ago" : (int)(ts.TotalDays / 7) + " Weeks ago";
    if (ts.TotalDays < 365.242)//months ago
        return (int)(ts.TotalDays / 30.4368) == 1 ? "1 Month ago" : (int)(ts.TotalDays / 30.4368) + " Months ago";
    //years ago
    return (int)(ts.TotalDays / 365.242) == 1 ? "1 Year ago" : (int)(ts.TotalDays / 365.242) + " Years ago";
}

一个月和一年中的天数的转换值取自谷歌。

@杰夫

我知道你的有点长。然而，随着对“昨天”和“几年”的支持，它似乎确实更为有力。但根据我的经验，当使用此选项时，用户最有可能在前30天内查看内容。只有真正的铁杆人才会在这之后出现。所以，我通常选择保持简短。

这是我目前在我的一个网站上使用的方法。这只返回相对的日期、小时和时间。然后用户必须在输出中加上“ago”。

public static string ToLongString(this TimeSpan time)
{
    string output = String.Empty;

    if (time.Days > 0)
        output += time.Days + " days ";

    if ((time.Days == 0 || time.Days == 1) && time.Hours > 0)
        output += time.Hours + " hr ";

    if (time.Days == 0 && time.Minutes > 0)
        output += time.Minutes + " min ";

    if (output.Length == 0)
        output += time.Seconds + " sec";

    return output.Trim();
}

文斯回答的土耳其语本地化版本。

    const int SECOND = 1;
    const int MINUTE = 60 * SECOND;
    const int HOUR = 60 * MINUTE;
    const int DAY = 24 * HOUR;
    const int MONTH = 30 * DAY;

    var ts = new TimeSpan(DateTime.UtcNow.Ticks - yourDate.Ticks);
    double delta = Math.Abs(ts.TotalSeconds);

    if (delta < 1 * MINUTE)
        return ts.Seconds + " saniye önce";

    if (delta < 45 * MINUTE)
        return ts.Minutes + " dakika önce";

    if (delta < 24 * HOUR)
        return ts.Hours + " saat önce";

    if (delta < 48 * HOUR)
        return "dün";

    if (delta < 30 * DAY)
        return ts.Days + " gün önce";

    if (delta < 12 * MONTH)
    {
        int months = Convert.ToInt32(Math.Floor((double)ts.Days / 30));
        return months + " ay önce";
    }
    else
    {
        int years = Convert.ToInt32(Math.Floor((double)ts.Days / 365));
        return years + " yıl önce";
    }

聚会晚了几年，但我有一个要求，无论是过去还是将来的约会，都要这样做，所以我把杰夫和文森特的约会结合在一起。这是一场盛大的盛会！：）

public static class DateTimeHelper
    {
        private const int SECOND = 1;
        private const int MINUTE = 60 * SECOND;
        private const int HOUR = 60 * MINUTE;
        private const int DAY = 24 * HOUR;
        private const int MONTH = 30 * DAY;

        /// <summary>
        /// Returns a friendly version of the provided DateTime, relative to now. E.g.: "2 days ago", or "in 6 months".
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="dateTime">The DateTime to compare to Now</param>
        /// <returns>A friendly string</returns>
        public static string GetFriendlyRelativeTime(DateTime dateTime)
        {
            if (DateTime.UtcNow.Ticks == dateTime.Ticks)
            {
                return "Right now!";
            }

            bool isFuture = (DateTime.UtcNow.Ticks < dateTime.Ticks);
            var ts = DateTime.UtcNow.Ticks < dateTime.Ticks ? new TimeSpan(dateTime.Ticks - DateTime.UtcNow.Ticks) : new TimeSpan(DateTime.UtcNow.Ticks - dateTime.Ticks);

            double delta = ts.TotalSeconds;

            if (delta < 1 * MINUTE)
            {
                return isFuture ? "in " + (ts.Seconds == 1 ? "one second" : ts.Seconds + " seconds") : ts.Seconds == 1 ? "one second ago" : ts.Seconds + " seconds ago";
            }
            if (delta < 2 * MINUTE)
            {
                return isFuture ? "in a minute" : "a minute ago";
            }
            if (delta < 45 * MINUTE)
            {
                return isFuture ? "in " + ts.Minutes + " minutes" : ts.Minutes + " minutes ago";
            }
            if (delta < 90 * MINUTE)
            {
                return isFuture ? "in an hour" : "an hour ago";
            }
            if (delta < 24 * HOUR)
            {
                return isFuture ? "in " + ts.Hours + " hours" : ts.Hours + " hours ago";
            }
            if (delta < 48 * HOUR)
            {
                return isFuture ? "tomorrow" : "yesterday";
            }
            if (delta < 30 * DAY)
            {
                return isFuture ? "in " + ts.Days + " days" : ts.Days + " days ago";
            }
            if (delta < 12 * MONTH)
            {
                int months = Convert.ToInt32(Math.Floor((double)ts.Days / 30));
                return isFuture ? "in " + (months <= 1 ? "one month" : months + " months") : months <= 1 ? "one month ago" : months + " months ago";
            }
            else
            {
                int years = Convert.ToInt32(Math.Floor((double)ts.Days / 365));
                return isFuture ? "in " + (years <= 1 ? "one year" : years + " years") : years <= 1 ? "one year ago" : years + " years ago";
            }
        }
    }