Calculate difference between 2 dates, times | PHP Code Examples

In this article, we will learn how to calculate the difference between two dates and time in PHP. We will also understand its implementation through the examples. Let's explore different methods through which we will find the difference between 2 dates and times in PHP. In examples, we will give two dates, start_date and end_date, and we will find the difference between these two dates. Calculate the Difference Between 2 Dates in PHP Code Example <?php // Creates DateTime objects. $datetime1 = date_create('2015-07-01'); $datetime2 = date_create('2022-11-12'); // Calculates the difference between DateTime objects. $interval = date_diff($datetime1, $datetime2); // Prints the result in years and months format. echo $interval->format('%R%y years %m months'); Table of Contents In this article, we will cover the following sections. Using date_diff() Function in PHP Using the Date-time Mathematical Formula in PHP. Calculate the number of days between two dates in PHP? Calculate the Number of Hours…

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Get File Creation & Modification Date With PHP Code Examples

Get File Creation, Modification, and Access Date PHP Code Example Here’s a featured example of how to get file dates in PHP.  $file_stats = stat('my-file.txt'); if(!$file_stats) { echo 'Failed get file information'; } else { echo 'The file was created on: '.date('d-m-Y h:m:i A',$file_stats["ctime"]).PHP_EOL; //Equivalent of filectime() echo 'The file was last modified on: '.date('d-m-Y h:m:i A',$file_stats["mtime"]).PHP_EOL; //Equivalent of filemtime() echo 'The file was last accessed on: '.date('d-m-Y h:m:i A',$file_stats["atime"]).PHP_EOL; //Equivalent of fileatime() } /* OUTPUT The file was created on: 13-09-2022 08:09:23 PM The file was last modified on: 13-09-2022 09:09:35 PM The file was last accessed on: 13-09-2022 09:09:36 PM */ Why are file dates significant? The article tries to answer this question, so stay tuned if you’re curious about it. Relevant Content: PHP File System Functions PHP has a huge library of FileSystem functions for various use cases involving files. You can get file creation, modification and…

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Validate Dates in PHP like a Pro With Code Examples in 2023

Validate a Date Format with PHP Code Examples Here is a featured example that shows how to validate a date in PHP using DateTime methods. function validateDateWithFormat($date, $format = 'd-m-Y') { $d = DateTime::createFromFormat($format, $date); $errors = DateTime::getLastErrors(); return $d && empty($errors['warning_count']) && $d->format($format) == $date; } $first_date = "09-09-2022"; //Expect true beacuse the date and the format is correct. a $second_date = "09/09/2022"; //Expect false beacuse the date is correct but the format is incorrect. $third_date = "31-09-2022"; //Expect false beacuse the format is correct but the date is incorrect. echo validateDateWithFormat($first_date) ? "{$first_date} is correct" : "{$first_date} is incorrect"; echo validateDateWithFormat($second_date) ? "{$second_date} is correct" : "{$second_date} is incorrect"; echo validateDateWithFormat($third_date) ? "{$third_date} is correct" : "{$third_date} is incorrect"; /* OUTPUT 09-09-2022 is correct 09/09/2022 is incorrect 31-09-2022 is incorrect */ This example may not make sense if you’re unfamiliar with DateTime methods. No worries, because this article…

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Compare Dates in PHP Like a Pro With 2023 Code Examples

How to Compare Dates in PHP Code Example There are multiple ways to compare dates in PHP depending on your scenario. You can use object-oriented DateTime object or various procedural functions like date_interval_format and date_create inside a custom function. $today = new DateTime("2022-9-6"); $yesterday = new DateTime("2022-9-5"); if($today > $yesterday) echo $today->format("Y-m-d").' is ahead of '.$yesterday->format("Y-m-d"); else echo $today->format("Y-m-d").' is behind '.$yesterday->format("Y-m-d"); //Output //2022-9-6 is ahead of 2022-9-5 That's not the only option as the article covers many different options for PHP date comparison. Stay tuned till the end to learn more. What is the PHP DateTime Object The DateTime class includes many methods that help work with dates and times. This article contains sections on the object-oriented approach for comparison of dates in PHP, where the examples initialize DateTime objects and call instance methods. To have a solid foundation for using the DateTime class, consider reading PHP DateTime.  Procedural…

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Master PHP DateTime Format Fast With 2023 Code Examples

Create Date Format in PHP DateTime CodeSnippet Here's a featured snippet from the article that shows how to create date format in PHP. //Initializes an object representing the current date and time in the default timezone. $now = new DateTime(); //Object Oriented Approach echo $now->format('Y-m-d'); //2022-08-24 //Procedural Approach echo date_format($now, 'Y-m-d'); //2022-08-24 Read more to learn how to get current, tomorrow, yesterday, next week, and month day in PHP. So fasten your seat belts for the time travel. What is DateTime Class in PHP? PHP DateTime class contains many attributes and methods for representing dates and times in PHP. This article uses the DateTime class and its methods in all the examples. A cool thing to know is that all the methods have a function alias. So, if you're not used to the object-oriented approach, just switch to the procedural. "A Calendar" First things first, we need to create an…

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Set Date Timezone in PHP Like a Pro With 2023 Code Examples

How to set a Date Timezone with PHP Code Examples There are 3 ways to set a date timezone in PHP. You can use the default_timezone_set, DateTime object and modifying the INI file. The right choice depends on whether you want to update timezone globally, on app level or on an object. Set Default Timezone in PHP using the date_default_timezone_set function date_default_timezone_set("America/New_York"); echo date_default_timezone_get(); //America/New_York That's one way of doing it. Explore other options by reading this article till the end. Context: PHP Default Date Timezone  A web server uses a bunch of configuration options under the hood. A server running PHP uses a configuration file - php.ini. The configuration file sets up all the necessary directives, including environment variables, timeouts, session and database configs. Some of the configurations vary based on the host's location. The date and timezone may vary based on the server's default configuration. An Apache server…

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