Understanding relative and absolute dates in the AEM timeline

The timeline feature in Adobe Experience Manager as a Cloud Service (AEMaaCS) displays dates in either relative format, like “3 days ago”, or absolute format, like “7/2/25, 2:33 PM”. This article explains when each format appears and how to change this behavior.

Description description

Environment

Adobe Experience Manager as a Cloud Service (AEMaaCS) - Sites

Issue/Symptoms

  • The timeline shows dates in a relative format for recent events and switches to an absolute format for older events.
  • The criteria for switching formats isn’t clear.

Resolution resolution

Note: Users customize the threshold for showing relative versus absolute dates by adjusting their preferences.

To resolve this issue, follow these steps:

  1. By default, the timeline displays dates in a relative format for events that happened within the last 7 days. For events older than 7 days, it switches to absolute format.
  2. To change this threshold, go to My Preferences >  Relative Date Presentation settings.
  3. Adjust the threshold to fit your needs.
  4. Save your changes.
  5. Check that the timeline now shows dates according to your updated preferences.
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