Genesis has long supported displaying relative post dates such as “6 weeks and 1 day ago” via the [post_date format="relative"] shortcode. By default, the relative display shows up to two segments — for example, days and hours, weeks and days, months and weeks, or years and months — to give readers a clear sense of how recent a post is.
In many designs, particularly compact grid-based layouts, a shorter, simpler date string is preferable. Long relative dates can clutter a tight layout or distract from other elements. For instances like a Grid Loop or a card-style archive, a single-segment relative date such as “8 months ago” is often more readable and visually balanced.
Starting with Genesis 2.3, you can control how many segments the relative date shows using the relative_depth parameter. This option is available on both the [post_date] and [post_modified_date] shortcodes, making it easy to tailor the date presentation across different parts of your site without custom code.
How it works
The relative_depth parameter limits the number of time segments included in the relative date. A value of 1 shows just the largest appropriate unit (for example, months or weeks), while larger values add additional, smaller units up to the limit you set. This gives you control over brevity versus specificity depending on your design needs.
Usage examples
Here are a few examples that illustrate the visual differences:
[post_date format="relative" relative_depth="1"] = 8 months ago
[post_date format="relative" relative_depth="2"] = 8 months and 4 days ago
[post_date format="relative" relative_depth="3"] = 8 months, 4 days and 4 hours ago
By adjusting relative_depth, you can choose the amount of detail to show. A single segment is ideal for compact interfaces and list views; two segments provide a bit more precision without becoming verbose; three or more segments can be used where precise relative timing is important.
Practical tips
- Use
relative_depth="1"for tight grid layouts and summaries where space is limited. - Choose
relative_depth="2"for blog lists or anywhere you want a balance between brevity and clarity. - Reserve higher depths for individual post meta areas, activity streams, or admin views where more granularity helps readers understand timing.
Because the parameter works with both [post_date] and [post_modified_date], you can consistently control how creation and update times are displayed across your theme. This makes it simpler to maintain a tidy, consistent presentation without additional markup or custom functions.
In short, the relative_depth option in Genesis 2.3 provides a lightweight, flexible way to tailor relative date output to your layout and audience, improving readability and preserving design integrity.