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The PHP Date() Function

The PHP date() function formats a timestamp to a more readable date and time.

A timestamp is a sequence of characters, denoting the date and/or time at which a certain event occurred.

Syntax

date(format,timestamp)

PHP Date() – Format the Date

The required format parameter in the date() function specifies how to format the date/time.

Here are some characters that can be used:

• d – Represents the day of the month (01 to 31)
• m – Represents a month (01 to 12)
• Y – Represents a year (in four digits)

Other characters, like”/”, “.”, or “-” can also be inserted between the letters to add additional formatting:

echo date(“Y/m/d”) . “
“;
echo date(“Y.m.d”) . “
“;
echo date(“Y-m-d”)
?>

The output of the code above could be something like this:

2009/05/11
2009.05.11
2009-05-11

PHP Date() – Adding a Timestamp

The optional timestamp parameter in the date() function specifies a timestamp. If you do not specify a timestamp, the current date and time will be used.

The mktime() function returns the Unix timestamp for a date.

The Unix timestamp contains the number of seconds between the Unix Epoch (January 1 1970 00:00:00 GMT) and the time specified.

Syntax for mktime()

mktime(hour,minute,second,month,day,year,is_dst)

$tomorrow = mktime(0,0,0,date(“m”),date(“d”)+1,date(“Y”));
echo “Tomorrow is “.date(“Y/m/d”, $tomorrow);
?>

The output of the code above could be something like this:

Tomorrow is 2009/05/12

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