PHP date()Function

The PHP date() function is used to format time/date.

PHP date() Function

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

A timestamp is a sequence of characters representing the date/time at which a certain event occurred.

Syntax

string date ( string $format [, int $timestamp ] )

PHP Date() - Formatting Dates

The first required parameter of the date() functionformatspecifies how to format the date/time.

Here are some available characters:

• d - Represents the day of the month (01 - 31)
• m - Represents the month (01 - 12)
• Y - Represents the year (four digits)

To learn aboutformatthe list of all characters available in the parameter, please consult our PHP Date Reference Manual,date() function。

You can insert other characters between the letters, such as "/", ".", or "-", to add additional formatting:

<?php
echo date("Y/m/d") . "<br>";
echo date("Y.m.d") . "<br>";
echo date("Y-m-d");
?>

The output of the code above is shown below:

2016/10/21
2016.10.21
2016-10-21

Complete PHP Date Reference Manual

For a complete reference manual of all date functions, please visit ourComplete PHP Date Reference Manual。

This reference manual provides a brief description and application examples for each function!