Why Doesn\'t Go\'s `time.Parse` Use Timezone Information Correctly?

Time.Parse Not Using Timezone Information

Q: Why does time.Parse not utilize timezone information? It should yield distinct time values for different timezones.

In the provided example code, the time.Parse function is used to parse two timestamps, "2018-05-11 IST" and "2018-05-11 UTC", using the "2006-01-02 MST" layout. However, the output shows that both timestamps result in the same Unix time:

Output:
1525996800
1525996800

This doesn't make sense because IST and UTC have different time offsets.

A: Ambiguous Timezone Abbreviations and Zero Offset

The root of this issue lies in the handling of ambiguous timezone abbreviations in time.Parse. Specifically, in the absence of a known offset for the given timezone abbreviation, time.Parse assumes a timezone with the same abbreviation and a zero offset.

In the provided example, "IST" is an ambiguous abbreviation that could refer to multiple timezones (India, Ireland, Israel, etc.). Therefore, time.Parse interprets it as a fabricated timezone with a zero offset, effectively ignoring the actual time difference between IST and UTC.

Solution: Using Numeric Timezone Offsets or Time.ParseInLocation()

To resolve this issue, there are several options available:

• Use numeric timezone offsets: This involves specifying the timezone offset directly in the layout string, ensuring accuracy.
• Use time.ParseInLocation(): This function allows you to specify a custom timezone when parsing the time, eliminating the ambiguity issue.
• Load the desired timezone: By loading the specific timezone (e.g., "Asia/Kolkata" for IST) and using time.ParseInLocation(), you can ensure that the time is parsed using the correct offset.

The above is the detailed content of Why Doesn\'t Go\'s `time.Parse` Use Timezone Information Correctly?. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!