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 characters 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
Use a field value in modify
The modify option supports nested merge tags: write a merge tag with *| and |* instead of curly brackets to use a value from the entry.
{gwp_now modify="+*|Number of days:3|* days" format="d-m-Y"}
gwp_now does not need an entry, so it also works in field default values, HTML fields and, with the post content setting enabled, in page content.
For more modify examples, see Relative Date Formats in Gravity Forms.
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.