PHP strtotime(): Extract Date Time From String

The strtotime() function in PHP is used to convert a date or time in string format into a Unix timestamp, which is the number of seconds since January 1, 1970.

Here's the basic syntax of the strtotime() function:

strtotime(time, now)

time: The string to parse. It can be a date, time, or a string with relative date/time formats (like "next Monday", "+1 day", etc.).
now (optional): The timestamp used to calculate relative dates. If not provided, the current time is used.

Let's look at a few examples:

Example 1: Converting a date string to a timestamp

$timestamp = strtotime("2023-12-01");
echo $timestamp;

In the above example, strtotime() converts the date string "2023-12-01" into a Unix timestamp.

Example 2: Using relative date/time formats

$timestamp = strtotime("+1 week");
echo $timestamp;

In the above example, strtotime() calculates the timestamp for one week from now.

Example 3: Converting a date and time string to a timestamp

$timestamp = strtotime("2023-12-01 15:30:00");
echo $timestamp;

In the above example, strtotime() converts the date and time string "2023-12-01 15:30:00" into a Unix timestamp.

Example 4: Using relative date/time formats with a specific timestamp

$now = strtotime("2023-12-01");
$timestamp = strtotime("+1 week", $now);
echo $timestamp;

In the above example, strtotime() calculates the timestamp for one week from December 1, 2023.

The strtotime() function is very powerful and can understand a wide variety of date and time formats. However, it's always a good idea to validate the user input and make sure it's in the correct format before passing it to strtotime().

How to use strtotime() to parse date and time in PHP:
strtotime() is used to parse date and time strings into Unix timestamps. Here's a basic example:
```
<?php
$dateString = "2023-01-01";
$timestamp = strtotime($dateString);

echo $timestamp; // Outputs: Unix timestamp for January 1, 2023
```

Extracting date and time from a string with PHP strtotime():

<?php
$dateTimeString = "2023-01-01 12:30:00";
$timestamp = strtotime($dateTimeString);

echo $timestamp; // Outputs: Unix timestamp for January 1, 2023, at 12:30 PM

PHP strtotime() format string:
strtotime() understands various date and time formats. It's flexible and can handle strings like "now", "tomorrow", "next week", etc.

Convert string to timestamp in PHP using strtotime():

<?php
$dateTimeString = "2023-01-01 12:30:00";
$timestamp = strtotime($dateTimeString);

echo $timestamp; // Outputs: Unix timestamp for January 1, 2023, at 12:30 PM

Common date and time formats for PHP strtotime():
Common formats include "YYYY-MM-DD", "YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS", and various relative expressions like "tomorrow", "next week", etc.

Handling date and time strings with strtotime() in PHP:

<?php
$dateTimeString = "tomorrow 3pm";
$timestamp = strtotime($dateTimeString);

echo $timestamp; // Outputs: Unix timestamp for tomorrow at 3 PM

PHP strtotime() vs. DateTime class:
strtotime() is simpler and convenient for basic use cases. For advanced features and better object-oriented design, consider using the DateTime class.

Parsing custom date formats with PHP strtotime():

<?php
$customDateString = "15-Jan-2023";
$timestamp = strtotime($customDateString);

echo $timestamp; // Outputs: Unix timestamp for January 15, 2023

Converting human-readable date strings to timestamps in PHP:

<?php
$humanReadableDate = "Next Monday";
$timestamp = strtotime($humanReadableDate);

echo $timestamp; // Outputs: Unix timestamp for next Monday

Timezone considerations with PHP strtotime():
strtotime() is timezone-sensitive. Make sure to set the timezone using date_default_timezone_set() or use the DateTime class for more control.

PHP strtotime() and relative time expressions:

<?php
$relativeTime = "2 days ago";
$timestamp = strtotime($relativeTime);

echo $timestamp; // Outputs: Unix timestamp for 2 days ago