Secret Date Time Filter - Make.com Guide

How to Calculate Time Differences in Make.com

Let me show you how to filter posts based on their age using Make.com's date functions.

The Problem

When grabbing posts, you often need to filter out older content. Here's how to only use posts less than 7 days old.

Understanding Date Formats

First, hover over your date field to check its format. In Make.com:

ISO format is standard

Unix timestamp (seconds since 1970) makes comparisons easier

String formats need conversion

The Basic Setup

Create a filter

Use 'now' for current date

Compare with post dates

Converting to Unix Timestamp

To compare dates:

Use formatDate function

Convert both dates to Unix format

Newer dates have larger numbers

The Formula Breakdown

formatDate(now) - formatDate(posted_date)

This gives difference in seconds. To get days:

Divide by 86400 (seconds in a day)

Wrap entire calculation in parentheses

Setting Up the Filter

For posts less than 7 days old:

Use numeric operators

Compare difference with 7

Set condition: difference < 7

Testing Your Filter

Bundle 1-8: Recent posts pass through

Bundle 9+: Older posts filtered out

Check dates to verify

FAQ

Q: Why use Unix timestamp instead of date comparison?

A: More reliable, avoids format mismatches

Q: How do I get posts older than 7 days?

A: Change operator to greater than (>)

Q: What if dates are in different formats?

A: Convert both to Unix timestamp first

Need Help?

Email me at Adrian@Timehackerslab(dot)com if you need clarification or have a specific workflow you'd like to build.

Let's make your automation journey easier!