---
title: SystemFormatStyle.DateOffset
framework: swiftui
role: symbol
role_heading: Structure
path: swiftui/systemformatstyle/dateoffset
---

# SystemFormatStyle.DateOffset

A format style that displays the time offset between a comparison date and an anchor date that you provide.

## Declaration

```swift
struct DateOffset
```

## Overview

Overview DateOffset formats the difference between the input date and the specified anchor into a human-readable string. It automatically chooses between a compact time representation (like 5:32) and a units representation (like 2 days, 3 hours) based on what values you set in allowedFields. When you use this with Text, the value the style displays updates automatically as time progresses: let startDate = Date.now

// Shows elapsed time since startDate. Text(.currentDate, format: .offset(to: startDate)) // Output: "3 minutes, 42 seconds" Controlling which units appear By default, the style may show year, month, day, hour, minute, and second fields. You can restrict this with allowedFields: // Only show hours, minutes, and seconds in time format. Text(.currentDate, format: .offset(     to: startDate,     allowedFields: [.hour, .minute, .second],     maxFieldCount: 3)) // Output: "1:23:45" When you limit the allowed fields to [.minute, .second] (with maxFieldCount: 2) or [.hour, .minute, .second] (with maxFieldCount: 3), the style uses a time-pattern format:  |  |   |  |   |  |   |  |   |  |  Controlling the sign The sign parameter determines how the style indicates whether the offset is in the past or future: // .automatic (default): sign only when date is before anchor Text(.currentDate, format: .offset(to: anchor)) // 5 seconds after anchor: "5 seconds" // 5 seconds before anchor: "−5 seconds"

// .never: no sign regardless of direction Text(.currentDate, format: .offset(to: anchor, sign: .never)) // 5 seconds before anchor: "5 seconds"

// .always(includingZero: false): sign for both directions Text(.currentDate, format:     .offset(to: anchor, sign: .always(includingZero: false))) // 5 seconds after anchor: "+5 seconds" // 5 seconds before anchor: "−5 seconds" // 0 seconds from anchor: "0 seconds" Limiting the number of fields The maxFieldCount parameter controls how many units appear in the output. For an offset of 1 hour, 34 minutes, and 23 seconds from the anchor:  |   |   |   |

## Topics

### Initializers

- [init(to:allowedFields:maxFieldCount:sign:)](swiftui/systemformatstyle/dateoffset/init(to:allowedfields:maxfieldcount:sign:).md)

### Instance Methods

- [calendar(_:)](swiftui/systemformatstyle/dateoffset/calendar(_:).md)

## Relationships

### Conforms To

- [Copyable](swift/copyable.md)
- [Decodable](swift/decodable.md)
- [DiscreteFormatStyle](foundation/discreteformatstyle.md)
- [Encodable](swift/encodable.md)
- [Equatable](swift/equatable.md)
- [Escapable](swift/escapable.md)
- [FormatStyle](foundation/formatstyle.md)
- [Hashable](swift/hashable.md)
- [Sendable](swift/sendable.md)
- [SendableMetatype](swift/sendablemetatype.md)