wp-locale-and-dates

What problem does it solve?

Prevents timezone mistakes, broken timestamp conversions, and non-localized date/number output in WordPress plugins—especially when mixing modern 5.3+ helpers with legacy patterns.

Core Features & Use Cases

• Timezone-correct date/time handling (5.3+): Uses wp_date(), current_datetime(), wp_timezone(), get_gmt_from_date(), and get_date_from_gmt() to ensure UTC storage and correct local rendering.
• Correct REST date emission: Produces the expected *_gmt conventions and shapes when returning date fields from REST routes.
• Locale-aware number formatting: Applies number_format_i18n() so displayed digits use the site’s number separators and decimal point.
• Safe storage strategies: Recommends pairing site-local MySQL DATETIME with UTC *_gmt columns, or using UTC BIGINT integers for event-like fields.
• Avoids legacy foot-guns: Replaces current_time('timestamp') and date_i18n misuse with modern helpers, and clarifies mysql_to_rfc3339 output behavior.

Quick Start

Use the wp-locale-and-dates skill to refactor your plugin code so it stores UTC consistently, converts site-local inputs at the boundaries, and formats output using wp_date() and number_format_i18n().