Why Does Javascript Getyear Return 108

If you've ever worked with JavaScript's built-in Date object, you might have noticed something puzzling when using the getYear method. When you expect to get the full year, it instead returns a number like 108. So, why does JavaScript's getYear method behave this way, and how can you work around it in your code?

The confusion around the getYear method stems from the way it was implemented in the early days of JavaScript. Originally, the getYear method was meant to return the year minus 1900. This unconventional approach was seen as a way to save memory because it allowed developers to store years in two digits instead of four. For example, the year 2000 would be represented as 100.

However, this implementation proved to be error-prone and caused Y2K (Year 2000) issues in many software systems. To address this problem, the ECMAScript standard, which JavaScript follows, introduced the getFullYear method. The getFullYear method returns the four-digit year, making it a more reliable choice for working with dates in JavaScript.

So, if you find yourself puzzled by the getYear method returning 108 instead of 2022, the solution is simple: use getFullYear instead. By using getFullYear, you ensure that you get the expected four-digit year without any confusion or unnecessary calculations.

Here's a quick example to demonstrate the difference between getYear and getFullYear:

const currentDate = new Date();
console.log(currentDate.getYear()); // This will return 122 (2022 - 1900)
console.log(currentDate.getFullYear()); // This will return 2022

By incorporating getFullYear into your JavaScript code, you can avoid potential pitfalls related to using getYear and ensure consistent and accurate handling of dates and years in your applications.

For backward compatibility reasons, the getYear method is still available in JavaScript, but it's considered deprecated and should be avoided in modern code. It's always best to use getFullYear to future-proof your applications and prevent any unexpected behavior related to date handling.

In conclusion, the getYear method in JavaScript returns a value that is the year minus 1900, which can lead to confusion and errors in date calculations. To avoid these issues, it's recommended to use the getFullYear method, which returns the full four-digit year. By opting for getFullYear, you can ensure that your date-related code is accurate, reliable, and easy to understand.