# Formatting Dates in Liquid

When working with **Onboarded**, you may encounter dates related to employee onboarding, such as when an employee signed a document, their date of birth, or their hiring date. To display these dates in a readable format, you can use **Liquid’s `date` filter**.

The `date` filter allows you to convert raw date values into **user-friendly formats**. This is useful when displaying dates in emails, documents, or within your onboarding platform.

## **How the `date` Filter Works**

The `date` filter takes a **date value** (e.g., `employee.dob`) and formats it according to the specified format string.

### **Basic Syntax**


```liquid
{{ employee.signature.signed_at | date: "%B %d, %Y" }}
```

This would output: **"February 6, 2025"** (assuming the signing date was February 6, 2025).

## **Common Use Cases & Examples**

### **1. Display an Employee's Date of Birth**


```liquid
{{ employee.dob | date: "%B %d, %Y" }}
```

➡️ Outputs: **"July 15, 1990"**

### **2. Show the Hire Date in a Formal Format**


```liquid
{{ form.hired_date | date: "%A, %B %d, %Y" }}
```

➡️ Outputs: **"Monday, June 10, 2024"**

### **3. Display a Signed Date with Time**


```liquid
{{ employee.signature.signed_at | date: "%B %d, %Y at %I:%M %p" }}
```

➡️ Outputs: **"February 6, 2025 at 02:30 PM"**

### **4. Show the Hire Date in a Shorter Format**


```liquid
{{ form.hired_date | date: "%d-%m-%Y" }}
```

➡️ Outputs: **"10-06-2024"**

### **5. Show Only the Year of Birth**


```liquid
{{ employee.dob | date: "%Y" }}
```

➡️ Outputs: **"1990"**

## **Date Formatting Options**

Below is a reference table for **Liquid date format options**:

| Format | Description | Example Output (for February 6, 2025) |
|  --- | --- | --- |
| `%Y` | Full year (4 digits) | `2025` |
| `%y` | Short year (last 2 digits) | `25` |
| `%m` | Month (01-12) | `02` |
| `%B` | Full month name | `February` |
| `%b` | Abbreviated month name | `Feb` |
| `%d` | Day of the month (01-31) | `06` |
| `%e` | Day of the month (1-31, no zero-padding) | `6` |
| `%A` | Full weekday name | `Thursday` |
| `%a` | Abbreviated weekday name | `Thu` |
| `%H` | Hour (24-hour format, 00-23) | `14` |
| `%I` | Hour (12-hour format, 01-12) | `02` |
| `%p` | AM or PM | `PM` |
| `%M` | Minutes (00-59) | `30` |
| `%S` | Seconds (00-59) | `45` |
| `%Z` | Time zone name | `UTC` |
| `%z` | Time zone offset | `+0000` |


## **Conclusion**

By using Liquid’s `date` filter, you can easily format onboarding-related dates in a way that is clear and professional. Whether you’re displaying **hiring dates, birthdates, or document signing times**, this feature ensures a polished and user-friendly experience.

For more advanced formatting options, refer to [Liquid documentation](https://shopify.dev/docs/api/liquid/filters/date).