The ptvz interchange profile
A compact plain-text profile for dates and wall times.
ptvz is for the moments when full ISO is more punctuation than signal. It keeps dates and wall times short, scannable, and easy to route through filenames, logs, chat, and URLs without turning them into locale-specific prose.
It is still an interchange profile: fixed shapes, predictable ordering, explicit clocks, and clean routes into the explorer.
Why it exists
ISO 8601 is the usual choice for plain-text interchange: explicit, sortable, and universal. ptvz keeps that discipline, but trims the characters that make everyday tokens feel heavy in filenames and route slugs.
ISO 8601
2025-12-11T05:02+01:00
Explicit and familiar. Best when you need the conventional standard spelled out in full.
ptvz
25z11_0502A
Shorter to scan, easier to select, and built for contexts where ASCII-friendly tokens matter more than familiar punctuation.
When you need expanded years, sub-minute precision, or the mainstream literal form, use ISO 8601. When you want compact routeable tokens, use ptvz.
The memorable part
Gregorian months become glyphs. The tail letters spell ptvz, which is how the profile gets its name.
| Glyph | Name flavor | Gregorian month |
|---|---|---|
| a | anuary | January |
| b | bruary | February |
| c | carch | March |
| g | gapril | April |
| h | hay | May |
| i | iune | June |
| k | kuly | July |
| m | mogust | August |
| p | pember | September |
| t | tober | October |
| v | vember | November |
| z | zember | December |
That one choice makes the tokens feel less like a compressed ISO clone and more like a system with its own alphabet, while still keeping Gregorian order intact for normal use.
A few examples
The profile is small enough to learn quickly. These three examples cover the core idea: calendar day, wall clock, and routeable minute views.
Calendar day
2025-12-11
→
25z11
Two-digit year, one month glyph, two-digit day.
Date + wall clock
2025-12-11T05:02+01:00
→
25z11_0502A
HHMM plus a one-letter whole-hour zone, joined with _.
Minute route
/iso/2026-05-16T13:47:30Z
→
/ptvz/26h16_1347Z
Different entry formats can land on the same explorer view.
Where to go next
The landing should introduce the idea. The routes below are where the product really opens up.
Browse
Explorer
/ptvz
Start from canonical ptvz routes, then drill into years, months, UTC days, and minute views.
Read
Specification
/spec
See the full interchange profile: design goals, glyphs, week forms, quarters, clocks, and intervals.
Watch
Live minute
/now
Open the current UTC minute in the explorer and compare ptvz, ISO, and Unix on one page.