PHP Calendar and Date functions Functions

These functions are used to get dates and times, as well as information about calendars

• getdate()

  • getdate returns an associative array with date and time information

  • array getdate([int $time])

  Parameters:
  • int $time: Optional. Default the current time. You can set $time with mktime
  Return Values:
  • Returns an associative array with the following attributes:
    • seconds
    • minutes
    • hours
    • mday(day of the month)
    • wday(day of the week numerically)
    • mon(numeric month)
    • year
    • weekday(textual day of week)
    • month(textual month)
    • 0(Seconds since January 1st, 1970, the start of the Unix Epoch)
  Examples:

  <?php
  	$date=getdate();
  	echo "The time is $date[hours]:$date[minutes]:$date[seconds], $date[weekday], $date[month] $date[mday], $date[year]";
  	
  	//Returns
  
  	The time is 9:27:19, Thursday, July 18, 2013	
  				
  ?>

• date

  • date takes a string format and a timestamp, and returns a formatted string

  • string date(string $format, [int $time])

  Parameters:
  • string $format: The format you want the string to be in. For more info on formatting, see the manual, because I don't feel like typing all that out
  • int $time: Optional: Default current time, made with mktime()
  Return Values:
  • Returns a string formatted as specified by $format
  Examples:

  <?php
  	echo $formatted=date("h:i:s: A, D d, F, Y"); //Hours(leading zero):minutes(leading zeros):seconds(leading zeros), AM/PM, Day of week, Day of month, Month, year
  	
  	//Returns:
  	
  	 09:27:19: AM, Thu, 18, July, 2013
  ?>

• mktime

  • mktime takes a time and returns a unix timestamp

  • int mktime([int $hour], [int $minute], [int $second], [int $month], [int $day], [int $year], [int $daylight_savings])

  Parameters:
  • int $hour: Optional. Default the current hour. The number of hours since the start of the day
  • int $minute: Optional. Default the current minute. The number of minutes since the start of the hour.
  • int $second: Optional. Default the current second. The number of seconds since the start of the minute
  • int $month: Optional. Default the current month.
  • int $day: Optional. The day of week
  • int $year: Optional. The year
  • int $daylight_savings: Optional. If daylight savings time is on
  Return values:
  • Returns the Unix Timestamp
  Examples:

  <?php
  	echo $time=date("h:i:s: A, D, d, F, Y", mktime(9,14,54,7,14,2013));
  	
  	//Returns
  	
  	09:14:54: AM, Sun, 14, July, 2013
  ?>

• cal_days_in_month

  • cal_days_in_month returns the number of days in a month, given a calendar, month, and year

  • int cal_days_in_month(int $calendar_type, int $month, int $year)

  Parameters:
  • int $calendar_type: Either CAL_GREGORIAN(recommended), or CAL_JULIAN
  • int $month: Numerical representation of month. 1 is January, etc
  • int $year: 4 digit year
  Return Values:
  • returns an integer number of days in the month

  <?php
  	echo cal_days_in_month(CAL_GREGORIAN,2,2012); //Leap year
  	
  	//Returns:
  	
  	29	
  ?>