{"id":40446,"date":"2026-09-25T15:31:33","date_gmt":"2026-09-25T19:31:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/university-communications.ncsu.edu\/documentation\/?post_type=reference-article&#038;p=40446"},"modified":"2026-09-25T15:33:17","modified_gmt":"2026-09-25T19:33:17","slug":"due-dates-block","status":"publish","type":"reference-article","link":"https:\/\/university-communications.ncsu.edu\/documentation\/reference-article\/due-dates-block\/","title":{"rendered":"Due Dates Block"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Due Dates block shows visitors a deadline that updates on its own. Use it to tell people when they can expect something to be finished, or how early they need to send a request before an event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Because the block does the date math for you, the dates on your page never go out of date. There&#8217;s nothing to update by hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">When to use it<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Use the Due Dates block when you want to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Set expectations for turnaround time.<\/strong> For example: &#8220;Requests submitted today will be completed by Thursday, October 8, 2026.&#8221;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Help visitors plan ahead.<\/strong> For example: &#8220;Tell us your event date and we&#8217;ll show you the last day to submit your request.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If the date is fixed, like an application deadline that is always March 1, just type it in a regular paragraph instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Before you start<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Due Dates block is part of the <strong>Advanced<\/strong> Feature Pack. If you can&#8217;t find it in the editor, ask your site administrator to turn it on under <strong>NC State Theme -> Feature Packs<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Adding the block<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In the page editor, click the <strong>+<\/strong> (Add block) button.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Search for <strong>Due Dates<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Click the block to add it to your page.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Open the <strong>Settings<\/strong> panel in the right sidebar to set it up.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Choosing a type<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The block has two modes. Pick one under <strong>Type of Due Dates<\/strong> in the Settings panel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Days From Today<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This mode counts forward from today and shows the resulting date. Use it to share your usual turnaround time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What visitors see:<\/strong> a calendar icon with:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The name of the event or action (for example, &#8220;Proofs Ready&#8221;)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How far away it is (for example, &#8220;5 business days from today&#8221;)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The full date (for example, &#8220;Thursday, October 8, 2026&#8221;)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Settings:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>Setting<\/th><th>What it does<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Event name<\/strong><\/td><td>The label shown above the date, such as &#8220;Proofs Ready&#8221; or &#8220;Estimated Completion.&#8221; If you leave it blank, the block shows &#8220;Completed By.&#8221;<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Unit of Days<\/strong><\/td><td>Choose <strong>Business Days<\/strong> to skip weekends and university holidays, or <strong>Calendar Days<\/strong> to count every day.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Number of Days<\/strong><\/td><td>How many days to count forward from today.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Example:<\/strong> A print shop that finishes most jobs in 5 business days sets Event name to &#8220;Your Order Will Be Ready,&#8221; Unit of Days to Business Days, and Number of Days to 5. A visitor on Monday, October 5, 2026 sees <strong>Monday, October 12, 2026.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Date Picker<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This mode lets visitors choose a date, then counts backward from it to show a deadline. Use it when people need to contact you a certain amount of time before an event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What visitors see:<\/strong> two panels side by side:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Select Start Date:<\/strong> a date field where the visitor picks the date they need, such as the day of their event. It starts out set to today.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Due Date:<\/strong> the last day they should submit their request, based on your lead time. It updates as soon as they choose a date.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Settings:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>Setting<\/th><th>What it does<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Unit of Days<\/strong><\/td><td>Choose <strong>Business Days<\/strong> to skip weekends and university holidays, or <strong>Calendar Days<\/strong> to count every day.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Number of Days<\/strong><\/td><td>Your lead time: how many days before the chosen date a request needs to come in.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Example:<\/strong> A photography team needs 10 business days&#8217; notice. They set Unit of Days to Business Days and Number of Days to 10. A visitor planning an event for Friday, October 30, 2026 picks that date and sees <strong>Friday, October 16, 2026<\/strong> as the due date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Tip:<\/strong> The date field is labeled &#8220;Select Start Date,&#8221; but in most cases visitors will enter the date of their <em>event<\/em>. Add a short sentence above the block to explain this, such as <em>&#8220;Choose your event date to see the last day to submit your request.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Business days vs. calendar days<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Business days<\/strong> skip Saturdays, Sundays and NC State university holidays.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Calendar days<\/strong> count every day, including weekends and holidays.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If your office is closed on weekends, business days are usually the better choice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Tips for writing around the block<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Add context.<\/strong> The block shows a date but doesn&#8217;t say what it means. Put a heading or a sentence above it, such as &#8220;Standard turnaround time&#8221; or &#8220;Plan ahead for your event.&#8221;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Keep your numbers realistic.<\/strong> Visitors will treat the date as a promise. If turnaround times change during busy seasons, update the block.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Use one block per deadline.<\/strong> If you have different turnaround times for different services, add a separate Due Dates block for each one, with its own event name.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Does the date update every day?<\/strong><br>Yes. The block works out the date each time the page loads, so visitors always see a date based on today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Can I pick which holidays are skipped?<\/strong><br>No. The block uses NC State&#8217;s official university holiday schedule. You can&#8217;t add or remove holidays from inside the block.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Why does the date look different in the editor than on my live page?<\/strong><br>The editor preview is based on the day you&#8217;re editing. If you look at the live page on a different day, the date will have moved forward to match.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ncst_custom_author":"","ncst_show_custom_author":false,"ncst_dynamicHeaderBlockName":"","ncst_dynamicHeaderData":"","ncst_content_audit_freq":"","ncst_content_audit_date":"","ncst_content_audit_display":false,"ncst_backToTopFlag":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"availability":[113,72,71],"content-type":[51],"class_list":["post-40446","reference-article","type-reference-article","status-publish","hentry","availability-advanced-feature-pack","availability-nc-state-premium-add-on","availability-nc-state-pro-add-on","content-type-block"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/university-communications.ncsu.edu\/documentation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/reference-article\/40446","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/university-communications.ncsu.edu\/documentation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/reference-article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/university-communications.ncsu.edu\/documentation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/reference-article"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/university-communications.ncsu.edu\/documentation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/reference-article\/40446\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40449,"href":"https:\/\/university-communications.ncsu.edu\/documentation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/reference-article\/40446\/revisions\/40449"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/university-communications.ncsu.edu\/documentation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40446"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"availability","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/university-communications.ncsu.edu\/documentation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/availability?post=40446"},{"taxonomy":"content-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/university-communications.ncsu.edu\/documentation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/content-type?post=40446"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}