Last Updated Timestamp component

Design options

Text align

• Left
• Right

Guidelines

This component is useful in certain scenarios where it may be required to have a timestamp to reflect when the page was published with revisions.

For example, a very good use for timestamps has been seen with FAQ and guidelines related to COVID-19 — guidelines that changed frequently during the course of the pandemic and sometimes even during the course of a day.

A timestamp is helpful in any situation where the timeliness of the information is important. By default, AEM web pages should reflect the latest state of the information so no timestamp is normally needed, however, there are cases when the last time a page was updated needs to be made absolutely clear.

Examples & use cases

Here is an example of a Last Updated Timestamp component applied just above the content, aligned to the left. It shows the date and time when this page was last activated.

It can also be applied below the content and aligned to the right as seen just below.

Helpful tips & "gotchas"

• Although the timestamp is labelled as “Last Updated,” in fact, it reflects when the page was last activated, regardless of whether an actual change was made or not. So be careful to keep this in mind and avoid activating a page with a timestamp if there aren't any changes to publish since this could give the misleading impression that the information on the page has changed.
• When you make any change to a page while in Authoring mode — even refreshing it — the timestamp will update. However, the new date and time will not display on the live page until the page is activated, at which point it will reflect the time of activation.
• When you apply the Last Updated Timestamp component to a page in the French tree of AEM, the text for the timestamp will be generated in French, e.g., Dernière mise à jour : 1 septembre 2021, 13h26

Training

This Last Updated Timestamp is not covered in the training sessions.