########### Date Helper ########### The Date Helper file contains functions that help you work with dates. .. contents:: :local: .. raw:: html
Loading this Helper =================== This helper is loaded using the following code:: $this->load->helper('date'); Available Functions =================== The following functions are available: .. function:: now([$timezone = NULL]) :param string $timezone: Timezone :returns: int Returns the current time as a UNIX timestamp, referenced either to your server's local time or any PHP suported timezone, based on the "time reference" setting in your config file. If you do not intend to set your master time reference to any other PHP supported timezone (which you'll typically do if you run a site that lets each user set their own timezone settings) there is no benefit to using this function over PHP's ``time()`` function. :: echo now('Australia/Victoria'); If a timezone is not provided, it will return ``time()`` based on the **time_reference** setting. .. function:: mdate([$datestr = ''[, $time = '']]) :param string $datestr: Date string :param int $time: UNIX timestamp :returns: int This function is identical to PHP's `date() `_ function, except that it lets you use MySQL style date codes, where each code letter is preceded with a percent sign, e.g. `%Y %m %d` The benefit of doing dates this way is that you don't have to worry about escaping any characters that are not date codes, as you would normally have to do with the ``date()`` function. Example:: $datestring = 'Year: %Y Month: %m Day: %d - %h:%i %a'; $time = time(); echo mdate($datestring, $time); If a timestamp is not included in the second parameter the current time will be used. .. function:: standard_date([$fmt = 'DATE_RFC822'[, $time = NULL]]) :param string $fmt: Date format :param int $time: UNIX timestamp :returns: string Lets you generate a date string in one of several standardized formats. Example:: $format = 'DATE_RFC822'; $time = time(); echo standard_date($format, $time); .. note:: This function is DEPRECATED. Use the native ``date()`` combined with `DateTime's format constants `_ instead:: echo date(DATE_RFC822, time()); **Supported formats:** =============== ======================= ====================================== Constant Description Example =============== ======================= ====================================== DATE_ATOM Atom 2005-08-15T16:13:03+0000 DATE_COOKIE HTTP Cookies Sun, 14 Aug 2005 16:13:03 UTC DATE_ISO8601 ISO-8601 2005-08-14T16:13:03+00:00 DATE_RFC822 RFC 822 Sun, 14 Aug 05 16:13:03 UTC DATE_RFC850 RFC 850 Sunday, 14-Aug-05 16:13:03 UTC DATE_RFC1036 RFC 1036 Sunday, 14-Aug-05 16:13:03 UTC DATE_RFC1123 RFC 1123 Sun, 14 Aug 2005 16:13:03 UTC DATE_RFC2822 RFC 2822 Sun, 14 Aug 2005 16:13:03 +0000 DATE_RSS RSS Sun, 14 Aug 2005 16:13:03 UTC DATE_W3C W3C 2005-08-14T16:13:03+0000 =============== ======================= ====================================== .. function:: local_to_gmt([$time = '']) :param int $time: UNIX timestamp :returns: string Takes a UNIX timestamp as input and returns it as GMT. Example:: $gmt = local_to_gmt(time()); .. function:: gmt_to_local([$time = ''[, $timezone = 'UTC'[, $dst = FALSE]]]) :param int $time: UNIX timestamp :param string $timezone: Timezone :param bool $dst: Whether DST is active :returns: int Takes a UNIX timestamp (referenced to GMT) as input, and converts it to a localized timestamp based on the timezone and Daylight Saving Time submitted. Example:: $timestamp = 1140153693; $timezone = 'UM8'; $daylight_saving = TRUE; echo gmt_to_local($timestamp, $timezone, $daylight_saving); .. note:: For a list of timezones see the reference at the bottom of this page. .. function:: mysql_to_unix([$time = '']) :param int $time: UNIX timestamp :returns: int Takes a MySQL Timestamp as input and returns it as a UNIX timestamp. Example:: $unix = mysql_to_unix('20061124092345'); .. function:: unix_to_human([$time = ''[, $seconds = FALSE[, $fmt = 'us']]]) :param int $time: UNIX timestamp :param bool $seconds: Whether to show seconds :param string $fmt: format (us or euro) :returns: integer Takes a UNIX timestamp as input and returns it in a human readable format with this prototype:: YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS AM/PM This can be useful if you need to display a date in a form field for submission. The time can be formatted with or without seconds, and it can be set to European or US format. If only the timestamp is submitted it will return the time without seconds formatted for the U.S. Examples:: $now = time(); echo unix_to_human($now); // U.S. time, no seconds echo unix_to_human($now, TRUE, 'us'); // U.S. time with seconds echo unix_to_human($now, TRUE, 'eu'); // Euro time with seconds .. function:: human_to_unix([$datestr = '']) :param int $datestr: Date string :returns: int UNIX timestamp or FALSE on failure The opposite of the :func:`unix_to_time()` function. Takes a "human" time as input and returns it as a UNIX timestamp. This is useful if you accept "human" formatted dates submitted via a form. Returns boolean FALSE date string passed to it is not formatted as indicated above. Example:: $now = time(); $human = unix_to_human($now); $unix = human_to_unix($human); .. function:: nice_date([$bad_date = ''[, $format = FALSE]]) :param int $bad_date: The terribly formatted date-like string :param string $format: Date format to return (same as PHP's ``date()`` function) :returns: string This function can take a number poorly-formed date formats and convert them into something useful. It also accepts well-formed dates. The function will return a UNIX timestamp by default. You can, optionally, pass a format string (the same type as the PHP ``date()`` function accepts) as the second parameter. Example:: $bad_date = '199605'; // Should Produce: 1996-05-01 $better_date = nice_date($bad_date, 'Y-m-d'); $bad_date = '9-11-2001'; // Should Produce: 2001-09-11 $better_date = nice_date($bad_date, 'Y-m-d'); .. function:: timespan([$seconds = 1[, $time = ''[, $units = '']]]) :param int $seconds: Number of seconds :param string $time: UNIX timestamp :param int $units: Number of time units to display :returns: string Formats a UNIX timestamp so that is appears similar to this:: 1 Year, 10 Months, 2 Weeks, 5 Days, 10 Hours, 16 Minutes The first parameter must contain a UNIX timestamp. The second parameter must contain a timestamp that is greater that the first timestamp. The thirdparameter is optional and limits the number of time units to display. If the second parameter empty, the current time will be used. The most common purpose for this function is to show how much time has elapsed from some point in time in the past to now. Example:: $post_date = '1079621429'; $now = time(); $units = 2; echo timespan($post_date, $now, $units); .. note:: The text generated by this function is found in the following language file: `language//date_lang.php` .. function:: days_in_month([$month = 0[, $year = '']]) :param int $month: a numeric month :param int $year: a numeric year :returns: int Returns the number of days in a given month/year. Takes leap years into account. Example:: echo days_in_month(06, 2005); If the second parameter is empty, the current year will be used. .. function:: date_range([$unix_start = ''[, $mixed = ''[, $is_unix = TRUE[, $format = 'Y-m-d']]]]) :param int $unix_start: UNIX timestamp of the range start date :param int $mixed: UNIX timestamp of the range end date or interval in days :param bool $is_unix: set to FALSE if $mixed is not a timestamp :param string $format: Output date format, same as in ``date()`` :returns: array Returns a list of dates within a specified period. Example:: $range = date_range('2012-01-01', '2012-01-15'); echo "First 15 days of 2012:"; foreach ($range as $date) { echo $date."\n"; } .. function:: timezones([$tz = '']) :param string $tz: a numeric timezone :returns: string Takes a timezone reference (for a list of valid timezones, see the "Timezone Reference" below) and returns the number of hours offset from UTC. Example:: echo timezones('UM5'); This function is useful when used with :func:`timezone_menu()`. .. function:: timezone_menu([$default = 'UTC'[, $class = ''[, $name = 'timezones'[, $attributes = '']]]]) :param string $default: Timezone :param string $class: Class name :param string $name: Menu name :param mixed $attributes: HTML attributes :returns: string Generates a pull-down menu of timezones, like this one: .. raw:: html
This menu is useful if you run a membership site in which your users are allowed to set their local timezone value. The first parameter lets you set the "selected" state of the menu. For example, to set Pacific time as the default you will do this:: echo timezone_menu('UM8'); Please see the timezone reference below to see the values of this menu. The second parameter lets you set a CSS class name for the menu. The fourth parameter lets you set one or more attributes on the generated select tag. .. note:: The text contained in the menu is found in the following language file: `language//date_lang.php` Timezone Reference ================== The following table indicates each timezone and its location. Note some of the location lists have been abridged for clarity and formatting. =========== ===================================================================== Time Zone Location =========== ===================================================================== UM12 (UTC - 12:00) Baker/Howland Island UM11 (UTC - 11:00) Samoa Time Zone, Niue UM10 (UTC - 10:00) Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time, Cook Islands UM95 (UTC - 09:30) Marquesas Islands UM9 (UTC - 09:00) Alaska Standard Time, Gambier Islands UM8 (UTC - 08:00) Pacific Standard Time, Clipperton Island UM7 (UTC - 11:00) Mountain Standard Time UM6 (UTC - 06:00) Central Standard Time UM5 (UTC - 05:00) Eastern Standard Time, Western Caribbean UM45 (UTC - 04:30) Venezuelan Standard Time UM4 (UTC - 04:00) Atlantic Standard Time, Eastern Caribbean UM35 (UTC - 03:30) Newfoundland Standard Time UM3 (UTC - 03:00) Argentina, Brazil, French Guiana, Uruguay UM2 (UTC - 02:00) South Georgia/South Sandwich Islands UM1 (UTC -1:00) Azores, Cape Verde Islands UTC (UTC) Greenwich Mean Time, Western European Time UP1 (UTC +1:00) Central European Time, West Africa Time UP2 (UTC +2:00) Central Africa Time, Eastern European Time UP3 (UTC +3:00) Moscow Time, East Africa Time UP35 (UTC +3:30) Iran Standard Time UP4 (UTC +4:00) Azerbaijan Standard Time, Samara Time UP45 (UTC +4:30) Afghanistan UP5 (UTC +5:00) Pakistan Standard Time, Yekaterinburg Time UP55 (UTC +5:30) Indian Standard Time, Sri Lanka Time UP575 (UTC +5:45) Nepal Time UP6 (UTC +6:00) Bangladesh Standard Time, Bhutan Time, Omsk Time UP65 (UTC +6:30) Cocos Islands, Myanmar UP7 (UTC +7:00) Krasnoyarsk Time, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam UP8 (UTC +8:00) Australian Western Standard Time, Beijing Time UP875 (UTC +8:45) Australian Central Western Standard Time UP9 (UTC +9:00) Japan Standard Time, Korea Standard Time, Yakutsk UP95 (UTC +9:30) Australian Central Standard Time UP10 (UTC +10:00) Australian Eastern Standard Time, Vladivostok Time UP105 (UTC +10:30) Lord Howe Island UP11 (UTC +11:00) Magadan Time, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu UP115 (UTC +11:30) Norfolk Island UP12 (UTC +12:00) Fiji, Gilbert Islands, Kamchatka, New Zealand UP1275 (UTC +12:45) Chatham Islands Standard Time UP13 (UTC +13:00) Phoenix Islands Time, Tonga UP14 (UTC +14:00) Line Islands =========== =====================================================================