Timestamps

LIGO features timestamps by means of the predefined type timestamp, as Michelson does. Bakers making the block (including the transaction in a block) are responsible for providing the given current timestamp for the contract.

Now

You can obtain the starting time of the current block using the function Tezos.get_now from the standard library. This timestamp does not change during the execution of the contract. Please be aware that it is up to the baker to set the current timestamp value.

const today: timestamp = Tezos.get_now();

When testing your code, the LIGO CLI option --now allows you to control what Tezos.get_now returns.

Arithmetic

In LIGO, timestamps can be added to integers, allowing you to set time constraints on your smart contracts. Consider the following scenarios.

Incrementing

const today: timestamp = Tezos.get_now();

const one_day: int = 86_400;

const in_24_hrs: timestamp = today + one_day;

const some_date: timestamp = "2000-01-01t10:10:10Z" as timestamp;

const one_day_later: timestamp = some_date + one_day;

Decrementing

const today: timestamp = Tezos.get_now();

const one_day: int = 86400;

const in_24_hrs: timestamp = today - one_day;

Subtracting

Timestamps can be subtracted, that means, we can use minus (-) between two timestamps:

const today: timestamp = Tezos.get_now();

const some_date: timestamp = "2035-01-01t10:10:10Z" as timestamp;

const secs_until_some_date: int = some_date - today;

Notice that the result of such subtraction is an int, which describes the difference in seconds between the two timestamps.

Comparing

You can compare timestamps using the same comparison operators applying to numerical value.

const today: timestamp = Tezos.get_now();

const one_day: int = 86400;

const in_24_hrs: timestamp = today - one_day;

const not_tomorrow: bool = (Tezos.get_now() == in_24_hrs);