# Date.to\_s format with time\_ago\_in\_words

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/date-to-s-format-with-time-ago-in-words/133922>\
**Category:** Rails\
**Created:** [April 5, 2008, 12:21am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/date-to-s-format-with-time-ago-in-words/133922 "2008-04-05T00:21:41Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![jdugarte](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/ad7895/32.png) [@jdugarte](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/jdugarte)\
**Post date:** [April 5, 2008, 12:21am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/date-to-s-format-with-time-ago-in-words/133922/1 "2008-04-05T00:21:41Z")

</div>

Hello,

Following this post’s instructions ([railspikes.com](http://railspikes.com/tags/date)) I’m  
trying to define a Date format like this:

ActiveSupport::CoreExtensions:📅:Conversions::DATE\_FORMATS.update(:date\_ago  
=\> lambda { |date| date.strftime(‘%a, %d %b, %I:%M%p’) + ’ (’ +  
time\_ago\_in\_words(date) + ‘)’ } )

But it keeps giving this error message:

undefined method ‘time\_ago\_in\_words’ for main:Object

It works if I do it as a application helper:

# application\_helper.rb

def fecha\_completa(date)  
date.strftime(‘%a, %d %b, %I:%M%p’) + ’ (’ + time\_ago\_in\_words(date) +  
‘)’  
end

but not as a Date format.

What am I doing wrong? Is this not possible?

Thanks,

Jesús Dugarte.-

> **[Jesús Dugarte](http://jdugarte.blogspot.com/)**
>
> La respuesta es 42. Pero... ¿me podría repetir la pregunta?