下面是我作为DateTime类的扩展方法添加的一个实现，它处理未来和过去的日期，并提供了一个近似选项，允许您指定要查找的详细程度（“3小时前”与“3小时、23分钟、12秒前”）：

using System.Text;

/// <summary>
/// Compares a supplied date to the current date and generates a friendly English 
/// comparison ("5 days ago", "5 days from now")
/// </summary>
/// <param name="date">The date to convert</param>
/// <param name="approximate">When off, calculate timespan down to the second.
/// When on, approximate to the largest round unit of time.</param>
/// <returns></returns>
public static string ToRelativeDateString(this DateTime value, bool approximate)
{
    StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder();

    string suffix = (value > DateTime.Now) ? " from now" : " ago";

    TimeSpan timeSpan = new TimeSpan(Math.Abs(DateTime.Now.Subtract(value).Ticks));

    if (timeSpan.Days > 0)
    {
        sb.AppendFormat("{0} {1}", timeSpan.Days,
          (timeSpan.Days > 1) ? "days" : "day");
        if (approximate) return sb.ToString() + suffix;
    }
    if (timeSpan.Hours > 0)
    {
        sb.AppendFormat("{0}{1} {2}", (sb.Length > 0) ? ", " : string.Empty,
          timeSpan.Hours, (timeSpan.Hours > 1) ? "hours" : "hour");
        if (approximate) return sb.ToString() + suffix;
    }
    if (timeSpan.Minutes > 0)
    {
        sb.AppendFormat("{0}{1} {2}", (sb.Length > 0) ? ", " : string.Empty, 
          timeSpan.Minutes, (timeSpan.Minutes > 1) ? "minutes" : "minute");
        if (approximate) return sb.ToString() + suffix;
    }
    if (timeSpan.Seconds > 0)
    {
        sb.AppendFormat("{0}{1} {2}", (sb.Length > 0) ? ", " : string.Empty, 
          timeSpan.Seconds, (timeSpan.Seconds > 1) ? "seconds" : "second");
        if (approximate) return sb.ToString() + suffix;
    }
    if (sb.Length == 0) return "right now";

    sb.Append(suffix);
    return sb.ToString();
}

通过在客户端执行此逻辑，可以减少服务器端负载。在一些Digg页面上查看源代码以供参考。它们让服务器发出一个由Javascript处理的历元时间值。这样，您就不需要管理最终用户的时区。新的服务器端代码类似于：

public string GetRelativeTime(DateTime timeStamp)
{
    return string.Format("<script>printdate({0});</script>", timeStamp.ToFileTimeUtc());
}

您甚至可以在那里添加一个NOSCRIPT块，然后执行ToString（）。

@杰夫

var ts=新时间跨度（DateTime.UtcNow.Ticks-dt.Ticks）；

对DateTime执行减法仍会返回TimeSpan。

所以你可以这样做

(DateTime.UtcNow - dt).TotalSeconds

我也很惊讶地看到常数用手相乘，然后注释加上乘法。这是错误的优化吗？

Jeff，您的代码很好，但使用常量可以更清晰（如代码完成中所建议的）。

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 == 1 ? "one second ago" : ts.Seconds + " seconds ago";

if (delta < 2 * MINUTE)
  return "a minute ago";

if (delta < 45 * MINUTE)
  return ts.Minutes + " minutes ago";

if (delta < 90 * MINUTE)
  return "an hour ago";

if (delta < 24 * HOUR)
  return ts.Hours + " hours ago";

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

if (delta < 30 * DAY)
  return ts.Days + " days ago";

if (delta < 12 * MONTH)
{
  int months = Convert.ToInt32(Math.Floor((double)ts.Days / 30));
  return months <= 1 ? "one month ago" : months + " months ago";
}
else
{
  int years = Convert.ToInt32(Math.Floor((double)ts.Days / 365));
  return years <= 1 ? "one year ago" : years + " years ago";
}

简单且100%的工作解决方案。

处理过去和将来的时间。。以防万一

        public string GetTimeSince(DateTime postDate)
    {
        string message = "";
        DateTime currentDate = DateTime.Now;
        TimeSpan timegap = currentDate - postDate;

     
        if (timegap.Days > 365)
        {
            message = string.Format(L("Ago") + " {0} " + L("Years"), (((timegap.Days) / 30) / 12));                
        }
        else if (timegap.Days > 30)
        {
            message = string.Format(L("Ago") + " {0} " + L("Months"), timegap.Days/30);                
        }
        else if (timegap.Days > 0)
        {
            message = string.Format(L("Ago") + " {0} " + L("Days"), timegap.Days);
        }           
        else if (timegap.Hours > 0)
        {
            message = string.Format(L("Ago") + " {0} " + L("Hours"), timegap.Hours);
        }           
        else if (timegap.Minutes > 0)
        {
            message = string.Format(L("Ago") + " {0} " + L("Minutes"), timegap.Minutes);
        }
        else if (timegap.Seconds > 0)
        {
            message = string.Format(L("Ago") + " {0} " + L("Seconds"), timegap.Seconds);
        }

        // let's handle future times..just in case       
        else if (timegap.Days < -365)
        {
            message = string.Format(L("In") + " {0} " + L("Years"), (((Math.Abs(timegap.Days)) / 30) / 12));                
        }
        else if (timegap.Days < -30)
        {
            message = string.Format(L("In") + " {0} " + L("Months"), ((Math.Abs(timegap.Days)) / 30));                
        }
        else if (timegap.Days < 0)
        {
            message = string.Format(L("In") + " {0} " + L("Days"), Math.Abs(timegap.Days));                
        }           
      
        else if (timegap.Hours < 0)
        {
            message = string.Format(L("In") + " {0} " + L("Hours"), Math.Abs(timegap.Hours));                
        }
        else if (timegap.Minutes < 0)
        {
            message = string.Format(L("In") + " {0} " + L("Minutes"), Math.Abs(timegap.Minutes));                
        }
        else if (timegap.Seconds < 0)
        {
            message = string.Format(L("In") + " {0} " + L("Seconds"), Math.Abs(timegap.Seconds));                
        }


        else
        {
            message = "a bit";
        }

        return message;
    }

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;
}