Parameter differences between date and strftime PHP functions

First published on August 31, 2012

strftime() has a similar functionality to date(): both functions return formatted date text based on a Unix timestamp, using configurable parameters. strftime() has the advantage of using locale / language specific text, such as a month name, where relevant. date() isn’t solely intended for text output, so it provides some extra parameters, such as whether or not the given year is a leap year.

The two functions share many formatting parameters that are well-documented. However, there are also many differences in equivalent parameters; here are some:

Be sure to compare the documentation if you’re porting a formatting string between the functions!

For example, to format the current time in the Solr date format using the strftime() function, you would use:

strftime( '%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ', time() );

… while the equivalent with date() is:

date( '%Y-%m-%dT%H:%i:%sZ', time() );

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This entry is filed under Web development tutorials and written by Peter Keung. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.