Modified Date Block Shows Updated Date Only

  • Resolved bigfatty

    (@bigfatty)


    2 years, 1 month ago

    I realized after discovering the “Modified Date” block that I don’t need to add code to a file or install a plugin to display a post’s updated date. I understand the “Modified Date” block is designed to show the updated date only, but when implemented in a post it looks funny and not understandable to viewers when there’s no additional text next to it, such as “Last Updated On”.

    For example, an updated post with the “Modified Date” block in the template would display the post as follows:

    TITLE IS HERE
    Published on April 1, 2023 — by John Henry March 21, 2024

    I can add a paragraph block with text, such as “Last updated on”, in the template, placing it just prior to the “Modified Date”’ block, but if the post has not been updated, the post would then display:

    Published on April 1, 2023 — by John Henry Last Updated on

    The updated date doesn’t appear unless the post is updated, but the paragraph text, “Last updated on”, will appear when the post is originally published, which will look funny until the post is updated and the updated date appears alongside the “Last updated on” text.

    The Modified Date block is a great feature, but I was wondering if I’m overlooking an easy fix.

Viewing 7 replies - 1 through 7 (of 7 total)
  • Moderator threadi

    (@threadi)

    2 years, 1 month ago

    The block has the option “Display last modified date”. The date is only displayed if this is activated. See: https://wordpress.org/documentation/article/post-modified-date-block/

    Disadvantage: the creation date is displayed instead of nothing.

    I am therefore afraid that there is (currently) no solution for what you are looking for. You are welcome to submit your request to the Gutenberg team here for further development: https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/issues

    Thread Starter bigfatty

    (@bigfatty)

    2 years, 1 month ago

    I didn’t realize the Modified Date block had the “Display last modified date” option. That’s a nice feature when making only minor edits. I had a plugin to do that, so now I can delete it and use the Modified Date block instead. Thanks for pointing that out.

    Moderator threadi

    (@threadi)

    2 years, 1 month ago

    Nice if I could help. You are welcome to set the topic to solved.

    Thread Starter bigfatty

    (@bigfatty)

    2 years ago

    One other question I had regarding the Modified Date block is that can the block’s updated date be changed? I wrote an article a while back that ranks high in Google. Recently, from the dashboard, I clicked on the post to review it, and the post’s date updated without me making any changes. I read that this could affect SEO by simply updating the date but not actually making significant edits. In other words, Google may view this unfavorably.

    Thank you for any advice.

    Moderator threadi

    (@threadi)

    2 years ago

    There are plugins like this one for this: https://wordpress.org/plugins/change-last-modified-date/

    And feel free to create a new topic next time. Then it will be easier for others to see and they can give further tips if necessary.

    Thread Starter bigfatty

    (@bigfatty)

    2 years ago

    Thank you for the quick response. I read the WP documentation on the block, however, and it says there are 5 options on the toolbar, one of them being a “Change Date” option. However, it is not there. The documentation on this is recent, too…August 2023.

    Thread Starter bigfatty

    (@bigfatty)

    2 years ago

    Do you know if the “Change Date” edit option for the Modified Date block that the WP documentation references was in error, or has something changed since August 2023?

Viewing 7 replies - 1 through 7 (of 7 total)

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