Question

Using javascript, How can I convert a “human time” string like “Wed Jun 20 19:20:44 +0000 2012” into a timestamp value like “1338821992”?

Answer 1

Just create a Date object from it and do .getTime() or use Date.parse():

var d = new Date("Wed Jun 20 19:20:44 +0000 2012");
d.getTime(); //returns 1340220044000

//OR

Date.parse("Wed Jun 20 19:20:44 +0000 2012"); //returns 1340220044000

Works great if your “human time” string is in a format that the Date constructor understands (which the example you posted is).

---

EDIT

Realized you may mean a Unix timestamp, which is seconds passed since the epoch (not ms like JS timestamps). In that case simply divide the JS timestamp by 1000:

//if you want to truncate ms instead of rounding just use Math.floor()
Math.round(Date.parse("Wed Jun 20 19:20:44 +0000 2012") / 1000); //returns 1340220044