Editing Timestamp (section)

{{Short description|Information identifying when an event occurred}}
{{about||Unix (POSIX) timestamp|Unix time|the upcoming documentary film|Timestamp (film)}}
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A '''timestamp''' is a sequence of characters or encoded information identifying when a certain event occurred, usually giving date and time of day, sometimes accurate to a small fraction of a second. Timestamps do not have to be based on some absolute notion of time, however. They can have any epoch, can be relative to any arbitrary time, such as the power-on time of a system, or to some arbitrary time in the past.

A distinction is sometimes made between the terms '''datestamp''', '''timestamp''' and '''date-timestamp''':
* '''Datestamp''' or '''DS''': A date, for example {{CURRENTYEAR}}-{{CURRENTMONTH2}}-{{CURRENTDAY}} according to [[ISO 8601]]
* '''Timestamp''' or '''TS''': A time of day, for example {{CURRENTHOUR}}:{{CURRENTMINUTE}}:{{CURRENTSECOND}} using [[24-hour clock]]
* '''Date-timestamp''' or '''DTS''': Date and time, for example {{CURRENTYEAR}}-{{CURRENTMONTH2}}-{{CURRENTDAY}}, {{CURRENTHOUR}}:{{CURRENTMINUTE}}:{{CURRENTSECOND}}