How to Subtract Days from a JavaScript Date to Get a Past Date?

Calculating Past Dates from a JavaScript Date

Finding the date some days prior to the current date is a common task in programming. This can be achieved effortlessly in JavaScript by manipulating the native Date object.

Question:

How can we subtract a specified number of days from a JavaScript Date to obtain a past date?

Answer:

The solution lies in utilizing the setDate() method of the Date object. This method takes the date value of the object and assigns a new one. To go back X days, we simply subtract X from the current date:

var d = new Date();
d.setDate(d.getDate() - 5);

Explanation:

In the above code, we create a Date object (d) representing the current date. Then, we call setDate() and subtract 5 from the existing date value, effectively moving back 5 days.

Note:

• This method modifies the date object itself. If you prefer an immutable alternative, create a new Date object instead of modifying the existing one.
• The setDate() method returns the updated date's time value.

Example:

var d = new Date();

console.log('Today is: ' + d.toLocaleString());

d.setDate(d.getDate() - 5);

console.log('5 days ago was: ' + d.toLocaleString());

This code will output the current date and the date 5 days prior to it.

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