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Simple Time Display

This guide shows you how to display the current date and time in your VRChat ChatBox using VRCOSC's ChatBox animation system.

What You'll Create​

When you finish this setup, the ChatBox will automatically show the current date and time in your VRChat ChatBox, updating continuously.

Setup Steps​

1. Enable the DateTime Module​

  1. Click the Module tab in VRCOSC
  2. Find DateTime in the module list
  3. Enable it by checking the box or toggle switch

What this does: The DateTime module exposes states, events, and variables about the current date and time to the ChatBox animation system. This allows the ChatBox to display time information.

2. Create and Configure a Clip​

  1. Click the ChatBox tab
  2. On the timeline, right-click in an empty area
  3. Select Create Clip
  4. Left-click the newly created clip to select it
  5. Click the Edit button at the top

What's a clip? A clip is a single message/display element in the ChatBox animation system. You can have multiple clips that show different information at different times.

3. Set Up the DateTime State​

  1. In the clip editor window, click DateTime in the left sidebar (this shows states exposed by the DateTime module)
  2. Find the DateTime state
  3. Enable it by checking the box

What this does: This binds the clip to the "DateTime" state. The clip will be selected for your VRChat ChatBox and display the current time.

4. Test Your Setup​

  1. Go to the Run tab
  2. Click the green Run button
  3. Make sure VRChat is running

Expected result: You should see your clip appear in the VRChat ChatBox showing the current date and time.

Customization​

You can customize how the date and time are displayed:

  1. Go back to the ChatBox tab
  2. Select your DateTime clip and click Edit
  3. Click the cog wheel (⚙️) next to the Now variable
  4. Change the format string to customize the display

Common Format Changes​

  • 12-hour format instead of 24-hour: Change HH to hh
  • Add AM/PM indicator: Add tt to your format string
  • Date only: Use dd/MM/yyyy or MM/dd/yyyy
  • Time only: Use HH:mm:ss or hh:mm:ss tt

Example formats:

  • HH:mm:ss → 14:30:45 (24-hour)
  • hh:mm:ss tt → 02:30:45 PM (12-hour with AM/PM)
  • dd/MM/yyyy HH:mm → 23/05/2026 14:30

Advanced Formatting​

For more formatting options, see Microsoft's Custom Date and Time Format Strings documentation. Scroll down to the format table where you can use any Format Specifier listed.

Troubleshooting​

  • Nothing appears in VRChat: Make sure VRCOSC is running, VRChat is open, and you pressed the Run button