Converting a String into a Date


 'Yesterday: ' . date('r', strtotime('Yesterday')) 


Previously, you saw a numeric representation of a dateeither a triplet of day, month, and year, or a time stamp value. This time, you can go the other way and convert a string representation of a date/time value into an epoche value or something else that is usable within PHP and its date/time functions.

Converting a String into a Date (strtotime.php)
 <?php   echo 'Yesterday: ' . date('r',     strtotime('Yesterday')) . '<br />';   echo 'Today: ' . date('r', strtotime('Today')) .     '<br />';   echo 'Tomorrow: ' . date('r',     strtotime('Tomorrow')) . '<br />';   echo 'In one week: ' . date('r', strtotime('+1     week')) . '<br />';   echo 'One month before: ' . date('r', strtotime('-     1 month')) . '<br />';   echo 'Last Sunday: ' . date('r', strtotime('Last     Sunday')) . '<br />';   echo 'Next fantasy day: ' .     var_export(@date('r', strtotime('Next fantasy       day')), true); ?> 

The whole magic is put into the PHP function strtotime(). According to the documentation, it "parse[s] about any English textual date/time description into a UNIX time stamp." It sounds amazing, and it is amazing. The basis for this is the GNU date syntax; the code at the beginning of this phrase shows some examples for strtotime().

NOTE

At the time of this writing, strtotime() shows some strange behavior when a relative date is calculated and a change from or to DST is imminent. Also at the time of this writing, PHP's date/time functions are about be rewritten and amended.





PHP Phrasebook
PHP Phrasebook
ISBN: 0672328178
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2005
Pages: 193

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