​

Introduction

In applications where time tracking is crucial, such as logging events or updates, identifying the latest timestamp is a common requirement. The maxTimestamp function simplifies this task by evaluating an array of Firestore Timestamps and returning the most recent one.

​

Key Features

• Latest Timestamp Identification: Extracts the most recent timestamp from an array of Firestore Timestamps.
• Handles Missing Values: Skips over null or undefined values to focus on valid timestamps.
• Robust and Efficient: Utilizes efficient sorting to determine the latest timestamp quickly.

​

Utilization

​

Preparing Timestamps for Evaluation

Import `maxTimestamp` and use it to find the latest timestamp from an array:

typescript
import { firestore } from 'firebase-admin'
import { maxTimestamp } from 'path-to-your-utilities'

// Example array of Firestore timestamps
const timestamps: PossiblyMissing<firestore.Timestamp>[] = [
  firestore.Timestamp.now(),
  null,
  firestore.Timestamp.fromDate(new Date('2020-01-01')),
  // More timestamps
]

​

Finding the Latest Timestamp

Invoke maxTimestamp with the array of timestamps to identify the most recent:

// Determine the latest timestamp
const latestTimestamp = maxTimestamp(timestamps)

// 'latestTimestamp' will be the most recent timestamp, or undefined if all values are missing or the array is empty

​

Handling Arrays with Missing or No Timestamps

maxTimestamp is designed to return undefined when faced with an array that is either empty or contains only missing (null/undefined) timestamps, enabling seamless handling of such scenarios.

​

Best Practices

• Use maxTimestamp when you need to determine the most recent event or data update timestamp in your application.
• Ensure that the array of timestamps is accurately populated to avoid incorrect evaluations.
• Consider the implications of time zones and clock skew when working with timestamps from different sources.