It can be used out-of-loop or in-loop.
Off-loop usage
It returns the current date.
It is the <time datetime='#DATE'>[(#DATE|affdate)]</time>
produces the following HTML code
It is the<time datetime='2018-05-25 16:54:42'>25 may 2018</time>
Use in a loop
In general, it returns the date of publication of an object (article, news item, etc.)
<BOUCLE_actu(ARTICLE){id_article}>
<div class='bloc_actu'>
<h3>#TITRE</h3>
<div class='date'>Posted on the <time datetime='#DATE'>[(#DATE|affdate)]</time></div>
[<div class='texte'>(#TEXTE)</div>]
</div>
</BOUCLE>
Special note
If a date is entered incompletely, you must use a "*" after the #DATE tag for understandable display in the public area.
For example, with
[(#DATE*|affdate)]
- your date has been entered as "nc-juillet-2009", you will have on display "July 2009"
- your date has been entered as "nc-non connu-2009", you will have on display "2009"
See also
The article on Managing Dates
The other date tags : #DATE_MODIF, #DATE_REDAC
Filters applying to #DATE
Variants of affdate :
and also
Filters returning partial information of a date
and also