This function will return a string value showing how long since or how long until such as "3 months, 2 days ago."

Examples

Assuming today's date is 8/23/2020 - min and sec are advancing as I'm typing this, but you get the point

HowLong(#8/1/2018#)                           2 years ago
HowLong(#8/1/2020#)                           22 days ago
HowLong(#8/22/2020 10pm#)                     17 hours ago
HowLong(#8/22/2020 10pm#, True)               17 hours, 30 minutes, 23 seconds ago
HowLong(#8/22/2020 10pm#, True, "hn")         17 hours, 30 minutes ago
HowLong(#8/1/2018#, True)                     2 years, 22 days, 15 hours, 39 minutes, 14 seconds ago
HowLong(#8/1/2018#, True, "ymdhn")            2 years, 22 days, 15 hours, 39 minutes ago
HowLong(#8/1/2018#, True, "ymdhn", False)     2 years, 22 days, 15 hours, 39 minutes
HowLong(#6/1/2018#, True, "ym", False, True)  2 yr, 2 mo
HowLong(#1/1/2010#, False, "mmdd")            127 months ago
HowLong(#1/1/2010#, True, "mmdd")             127 months, 22 days ago
HowLong(#1/1/2025#)                           in 4 years
HowLong(#1/1/2025#, True, "ymdh")             in 4 years, 4 months, 8 days, 8 hours
HowLong(#1/1/2021#, True, "hn", True, True)   in 3128 hr, 9 min
HowLong(#8/1/2018#,,,,,#1/1/2022#)            3 years ago
HowLong(#8/1/2018#, True,,,,#1/1/2022#)       3 years, 5 months ago
HowLong(#8/1/2018#, True,"ymd",,,#1/13/2022#) 3 years, 5 months, 12 days ago

Parameters

Public Function HowLong(T As Date, Optional Exact As Boolean = False, _
            Optional Accuracy As String = "ymwdhns", Optional InAgo As Boolean = True, _
            Optional Abbrev As Boolean = False, Optional T2 As Date = 0) As String

• T - Date you're checking (required)
• Exact - If you want the exact date to the second
• Accuracy - a string indicating what date components you want to see (years, months, days, hours, etc.)
• InAgo - do you want to see "in 3 years" or "3 years go" instead of just "3 years"
• Abbrev - do want abbreviated date parts like "2 yr, 2 mo" instead of "2 years, 2 months"
• T2 - optional second date, so that you can determine the time difference between two dates instead of Now()

Updates

• 2021-02-22 - Fixed some bugs and added weeks (w)
• 2022-03-16 - Added T2 as an optional second date/time value. If you don't specify it, then Now() will still be used to give you the current system date/time. However, if you want to get the difference between two date/time values, you can now specify T2 and it will calculate that for you.
• And yes, I've noticed that VBA ignores your system date format. Even though I recently switched everything I have over to the ISO Date Standard Format, Access VBA doesn't seem to care. It still wants dates as mm/dd/yy. Not much I can do there.

Code

• The function's source code is available for Gold Members only.

Questions

• Post 'em below