Converting a String into a Date
'Yesterday: ' . date('r', strtotime('Yesterday'))
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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().
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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. |
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