Re: Why doesn't php have a 'date' variable type?

PEAR:Date Walter "Ross Honniball" <ross@bookshop.jcu.edu.au> wrote in message news:6.0.0.22.1.20040520183040.01ca2ea8@bookshop2.jcu.edu.au... > I accidently sent this to php-db mailing list earlier today. Apologies to > people who get it twice. > > Why doesn't php offer a standard class or variable type to help process > dates in a standard manner? > > Php should offer a DATE variable type (in addition to string, int, array, > object etc.). > > Date variables could be created by utilising standard date functions. eg. > > $birthday = SetDate('23-07-1985', 'dmy'); > > Use of this function would effectively declare $birthday as a field of type > date. (note that I wish this was my birthday). > > Standard maths could be performed on date fields for comparison. eg. > > $newdate = $start_date + $birthdate - 5; // as in days > > if ($date1 < $date2) ..whatever..; > > And of course standard routines for formating dates, standard routines for > showing time between dates / times etc. would all understand the date > variable type. > > This frustrated me so much that I recently wrote a class to emulate, as > best as possible, this level of functionality, which would actually be > quite adequate if Windows didn't suck. But due to some lunatic Windows > limitation, the php DATE() funciton will only work on dates between 1970 > and 2038. Annoying. > > Anyway, am I missing something, or do other people find this a glaring > omission in an otherwise spiffing product? > > Ross > > PS note that in refering to dates above, I really mean date + time. > > . Ross Honniball JCU Bookshop Cairns Supervisor > . James Cook Uni, McGreggor Rd, Smithfield, Qld. 4878, Australia > . Ph:07.4042.1157 Fx:07.4042.1158 Em:ross@bookshop.jcu.edu.au > . There are no problems. Only solutions.