Returns an autoreleased instance representing the current date/time.

Returns an autoreleased instance representing the date and time given by string. The value of string may be a 'natural' specification as specified by the preferences in the user defaults database, allowing phrases like 'last tuesday'

Returns an autoreleased instance representing the date and time given by string. The value of string may be a 'natural' specification as specified by the preferences in the user defaults database, allowing phrases like 'last tuesday'

The locale contains keys such as -

NSDateTimeOrdering

Controls the use of ambiguous numbers. This is done as a sequence of the letters D(ay), M(onth), Y(ear), and H(our). YMDH means that the first number encountered is assumed to be a year, the second a month, the third a day, and the last an hour.

NSEarlierTimeDesignations

An array of strings for times in the past.
Defaults are ago, last, past, prior

NSHourNameDesignations

An array of arrays of strings identifying the time of day. Each array has an hour as its first value, and one or more words as subsequent values.
Defaults are: (0, midnight), (10, morning), (12, noon, lunch), (14, afternoon), (19, dinner).

NSLaterTimeDesignations

An array of strings for times in the future.
Default is next

NSNextDayDesignations

The day after today. Default is tomorrow.

NSNextNextDayDesignations

The day after tomorrow. Default is nextday.

NSPriorDayDesignations

The day before today. Default is yesterday.

NSThisDayDesignations

Identifies the current day. Default is today.

NSYearMonthWeekDesignations

An array giving the word for year, month, and week.
Defaults are year, month and week.

Returns an autoreleased instance with the date and time value given by the string using the ISO standard format YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS +/-HHHMM (all the fields of which must be present).

Returns an autoreleased instance with the offset from the given date.

Returns an autoreleased instance with the offset from the unix system reference date of 1 January 1970, GMT.

Returns an autoreleased instance with the offset from the current date/time given by seconds (which may be fractional).

Returns an autoreleased instance with the offset from the OpenStep reference date of 1 January 2001, GMT.

Returns an autoreleased instance with th date/time set in the far future.

Returns an autoreleased instance with th date/time set in the far past.

Returns the time interval between the current date and the reference date (1 January 2001, GMT).

Description forthcoming.

Returns NSOrderedDescending if the receiver is later than otherDate, Returns NSOrderedAscending if the receiver is earlier than otherDate, Otherwise, returns NSOrderedSame.

Returns an autoreleased NSDate instance whose value is offset from that of the receiver by the specified interval.

Returns an autoreleased instance of the NSCalendarDate class whose date/time value is the same as that of the receiver, and which uses the formatString and timeZone specified.

Returns a string representation of the receiver formatted according to the default format string, time zone, and locale.

Returns a string representation of the receiver formatted according to the specified format string, time zone, and locale.

Returns a string representation of the receiver formatted according to the default format string and time zone, but using the given locale.

Returns the earlier of the receiver and otherDate.
If the two represent identical date/time values, returns the receiver.

Returns an instance with the date and time value given by the string using the ISO standard format YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS +/-HHHMM (all the fields of which must be present).

Returns an instance with the given offset from anotherDate.

Returns an instance with the offset from the unix system reference date of 1 January 1970, GMT.

Returns an instance with the offset from the current date/time.

Returns an instance with the given offset from the OpenStep reference date of 1 January 2001, GMT.

Returns whether the receiver is exactly equal to other, to the limit of the NSTimeInterval precision.
This is the behavior of the current MacOS-X system, not that of the OpenStep specification (which counted two dates within a second of each other as being equal).
The old behavior meant that two dates equal to a third date were not necessarily equal to each other (confusing), and meant that there was no reasonable way to use a date as a dictionary key or store dates in a set.

Returns the earlier of the receiver and otherDate.
If the two represent identical date/time values, returns the receiver.

Returns the time interval between the receivers value and the unix system reference date of 1 January 1970, GMT.

Returns the time interval between the receivers value and that of the otherDate argument. If otherDate is earlier than the receiver, the returned value will be positive, if it is later it will be negative.
For current (2011) OSX compatibility, this method returns NaN if otherDate is nil... do not write code depending on that behavior.

Returns the time interval between the receivers value and the current date/time. If the receiver represents a date/time in the past this will be negative, if it is in the future the returned value will be positive.

Returns the time interval between the receivers value and the OpenStep reference date of 1 Jan 2001 GMT.