now ( 'long' | DATEFORMAT )

Summary

The now macro returns the current date and time. It can return the raw Date object, milliseconds since epoch, or a formatted date string.

Syntax

${now[;<format>]}

Parameters

• format (optional) - Either “long” for milliseconds, a date format pattern, or omit for default Date format

Behavior

• No argument: Returns default Date string representation
• “long”: Returns milliseconds since Unix epoch
• Format pattern: Returns formatted date string using SimpleDateFormat

Examples

Get current time in millis:

${now;long}
# Returns: 1700000000000 (example)

Custom format:

${now;yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss}
# Returns: "2024-11-20 10:30:45"

ISO format:

${now;yyyy-MM-dd'T'HH:mm:ss'Z'}
# Returns: "2024-11-20T10:30:45Z"

Default format:

${now}
# Returns: "Wed Nov 20 10:30:45 UTC 2024"

Build timestamp:

Build-Time: ${now;yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm z}

Use Cases

• Build timestamps
• Current time logging
• Time-based conditionals
• Unique identifiers with timestamps
• Build metadata

Notes

• Uses system time zone unless specified in format
• Format uses SimpleDateFormat patterns
• “long” returns milliseconds as number
• Default returns Java Date.toString() format
• See also: ${tstamp} for more control
• See also: ${currenttime} for millis only

See test cases in MacroTestsForDocsExamples.java