How to Insert a Date on Tumblr
By David Nield
Every post that you publish on your Tumblr blog has a date associated with it -- it's then down to the theme you have installed to determine how this date is displayed and in what format. If you're not happy with the way blog post dates are displayed on your Tumblr, or if you can't see them at all, you can edit your theme's HTML directly via the Customize screen.
Log in to Tumblr, and then click the "Customize" link. The blog customization screen appears, and may include integrated options for displaying dates, depending on the theme -- check the list of options on the left.
Click "Edit HTML" to make direct changes to the theme code. Scroll down to find the section showing the structure of each post type, often preceded with a "{block:Date}" label.
Enter the labels "{Month}", "{DayOfMonth}" and "{Year}" (without the quotes) anywhere in the code to display the date in the format "January 1 2014." There are several date variables to choose from; a full list is available in the Tumblr custom HTML documentation (see link in Resources).
Click "Update Preview" to see how your changes look on your blog. If you're happy, select "Save" to confirm the modifications.
Tips
Tumblr offers many different date variables to choose from. You can use "{ShortDayOfWeek}" to display Monday as "Mon," for example, or "{TimeAgo}" to show how long ago the post was published rather than the date it appeared. You can also add the time that a post was published in the local time zone.
If you find your dates aren't appearing, double-check the code you've entered and make sure the variables are surrounded by "{block:Date}" and "{/block:Date}" brackets. Ensure the date variables aren't enclosed in any HTML tags.
Warnings
Editing the HTML code of a Tumblr theme disables the update functionality built into the platform. Usually, when a new version of your theme is released by the author, it is automatically pushed to your blog; once you edit the HTML code, however, this feature is disabled so as not to overwrite the alterations you made.
References
Writer Bio
An information technology journalist since 2002, David Nield writes about the Web, technology, hardware and software. He is an experienced editor, proofreader and copywriter for online publications such as CNET, TechRadar and Gizmodo. Nield holds a Bachelor of Arts in English literature and lives in Manchester, England.