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Function Signature

function maybeEnvDate(key: string): Date | undefined

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Parameters

​
key
string
required
The name of the environment variable to read

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Returns

Date | undefined - The parsed Date object, or undefined if the variable is not set or empty.

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Behavior

Returns undefined when:
  • The environment variable is not set
  • The environment variable is an empty string
  • The environment variable contains only whitespace
Throws TypeError when:
  • The value cannot be parsed as a valid date

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Example

import { maybeEnvDate } from "@load-env/core"

// Optional end date for a campaign
export const END_DATE = maybeEnvDate("END_DATE")

if (END_DATE) {
  console.log(`Campaign ends at: ${END_DATE.toISOString()}")
  
  if (Date.now() > END_DATE.getTime()) {
    console.log("Campaign has ended")
  }
} else {
  console.log("No end date set, campaign runs indefinitely")
}

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When to Use

Use maybeEnvDate instead of envDate when:
  • The environment variable is optional
  • You want to handle missing values gracefully with undefined
  • The date represents an optional deadline or timestamp
Use envDate when:
  • The environment variable is required for your application
  • You want the application to fail fast if the variable is missing

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