gwp_now
The gwp_now Merge Tag returns the currrent date and / or time or a modified and formatted date / time relative to the current date / time.
Options
| modify (optional) | For available date time modifications, see https://www.php.net/manual/en/datetime.formats.php#datetime.formats.relative. |
| format (optional, default =’Y-m-d H:i:s’) | For an explanation of available format options, see https://www.php.net/manual/en/datetime.format.php. Regular character can be escaped using a backslash /. For example: ‘d/m/Y\ \a\t\ H:i:s’. |
| timezone (optional, default is WordPress timezone setting) | For available timezones, see https://www.php.net/manual/en/timezones.php. For example: Europe/Amsterdam It is also possible to use an offset value: +0200 |
Examples
{gwp_now modify="next monday" format="d-m-Y H:i:s"}When the current time is 2022-03-24 11:21:23, this returns 27-03-2022 11:21:23
{gwp_now modify="-1 day" format="d-m-Y"}When the current time is 2023-03-30 12:21:23, this will return 29-03-2023
Frequently Asked Questions
To show the current date inside a confirmation message or notification, you can use {gwp_now} with a custom format. By default, it follows Y-m-d H:i:s, but you can personalize it using PHP’s date() format.
Example:{gwp_now format="l, F j, Y"}
This would return something like: Thursday, July 10, 2025.
Yes! Use the modify attribute to calculate future dates relative to today. This is helpful for showing deadlines, booking confirmations, or time-limited offers.
Example:{gwp_now modify="+7 days" format="l, F j, Y"}
This outputs: Thursday, July 17, 2025 (assuming today is July 10, 2025).
You can add the timezone parameter to adjust the output based on your target audience’s location. Just use a valid PHP timezone string.
Example:{gwp_now format="H:i:s" timezone="Asia/Manila"}
If your server is in UTC, this will correctly show the local time in Manila (e.g., 02:16:09).
Absolutely. You can escape static characters with a backslash (\) to mix readable text with dynamic output.
Example:{gwp_now format="d/m/Y \a\t H:i:s"}
This will display: 10/07/2025 at 02:16:09.
If you don’t specify format, modify, or timezone, the merge tag defaults to showing the current date and time based on your WordPress timezone in this format:Y-m-d H:i:s
So, {gwp_now} alone might return: 2025-07-10 02:16:09.
Last updated: 21-07-2025
