JavaScript to get Timezone (IST, EST, etc)

Shell Programming and Scripting
1

Friends,

I am trying to write a Javascript to get the local timezone (not UTC+5.30, etc but exactly like IST, PST, etc). I been trying for two days and I am finally here to ask for some pointers. I did googling and found the getTimezoneOffset function as well but I can not make use of it to get the desired result.

var d = new Date();
document.writeln(d)

This code gives

Wed Nov 3 10:34:18 UTC+0530 2010

Here, the UTC+0530 is the timezone which I have set in my system. but how will I make this UTC+0530 to become IST ?

I can go ahead and make a if condition for it but what if someone else in the US/any other country is trying to use this script? their case will be left out. So, it is practically impossible to put a lot of such IF conditions to check and print the Timezone as such.

I even checked out this site

hunlock.com/blogs/Javascript_Dates-The_Complete_Reference

I have tried all the functions which they have shown their but none of them seem to help me with what I want.

So, is there any way anyone aware of to print the timezone in ISt, GMT, EST, PST formats?

---------- Post updated at 11:42 AM ---------- Previous update was at 10:42 AM ----------

Guess I have found a way.. might not be the best

document.write(d.toTimeString());

this returns

11:41:26 GMT+0530 (India Standard Time)

So, i think I may have to cut the Initial Alphabets of that string that's inside the bracket.

---------- Post updated at 12:21 PM ---------- Previous update was at 11:42 AM ----------

In case anyone else is interested, here is the script that gives you the timezone abbrviation alone

 <script type="text/javascript">
var d = new Date();
sd=d.toTimeString();
var a1 = new Array();
a1=sd;
var tz = new Array();
var k=0;
for (i=0;i<a1.length;i++)
{
if (a1 == "(")
    {
        tz[k]=a1[i+1];
        for (j=i+1;j<a1.length;j++)
        {
            if (a1[j] == " ")
            {
            tz[k+1]=a1[j+1];
            k=k+1;
            }
        }
    }
}
for (i=0;i<3;i++)
{
document.write(tz);
}

</script>

---------- Post updated at 01:05 PM ---------- Previous update was at 12:21 PM ----------

Oh damn! This works only in firefox.

The stupid IE, outputs only

toString

Sample Title

Wed Nov 3 13:02:27 UTC+0530 2010

or

toTimeString

Sample Title

13:04:35 UTC+0530

So, there is no way I can manipulate the timezone string IST there :frowning:

2

There is no standard way of retrieving timezone information across browsers using JavaScript.

Even on Firefox, what is returned depends on whether you are using the SpiderMonkey or TraceMonkey engine. Here is what is outputted by the TraceMonkey JavaScript shell:

$ date
Thu Nov  4 03:41:06 PHT 2010
$ js
js> var d = new Date();
js> print(d);
Thu Nov 04 2010 03:41:07 GMT+0800 (PHT)
js> print(d.toTimeString());
03:41:07 GMT+0800 (PHT)
js> quit()
$

PHT = Philippines Time Zone