PHP DateTime difference format returns negative zero

Question

PHP DateTime difference format returns negative zero

I created a function that checks if the difference between the current date and another date is less than x days.

Below is the code for my function :

private function notBeforeDate($date_to_check, $interval) {
    $now = new DateTime('now');
    $date = new DateTime($date_to_check);
    $diff = $now->diff($date)->format("%r%a");

    return $diff < $interval ? true : false;
}

However, I encountered an issue where the same date input would result in -0 or 0 in the $diff.

Example (assuming current date is 2017-02-16) :

$this->notBeforeDate('2017-02-15', 1); // $diff = -1
$this->notBeforeDate('2017-02-16', 1); // $diff = -0
$this->notBeforeDate('2017-02-17', 1); // $diff = 0
$this->notBeforeDate('2017-02-18', 1); // $diff = 1

How can I ensure that the $diff variable provides accurate results? I want it to behave as follows:

$this->notBeforeDate('2017-02-15', 1); // $diff = -1
$this->notBeforeDate('2017-02-16', 1); // $diff = 0
$this->notBeforeDate('2017-02-17', 1); // $diff = 1
$this->notBeforeDate('2017-02-18', 1); // $diff = 2

php datetime datediff

Answer 1

Answer №1

DateTime("now") function will provide the current date and time. It is important to note that when "now" is used, the result will always be within one day of any given date, whether it is the same day or the following day, as long as the time difference is less than 24 hours in either direction.

If you are facing this issue, a simple solution could be:

private function notBeforeDate($date_to_compare, $interval) {
    $now = new DateTime(Date("Y-m-d"));
    $date = new DateTime($date_to_compare);
    $diff = $now->diff($date)->format("%r%a");

    return $diff < $interval ? true : false;
}

This code snippet removes the time component from the "now" value, focusing solely on dates. A more robust solution would involve working with dates exclusively, disregarding the time aspect altogether.

For instance: If DateTime("now") returns `2017-02-16 12:00' and you compare it to '2017-02-16 00:00:00', the result will show as 0 days -12 hours. Similarly, comparing against '2017-02-17 00:00:00' will yield 0 days +12 hours. The day difference calculation will consider only the Day part, resulting in 0 for both scenarios.

Answer 2

DateTime("now") function will provide the current date and time. It is important to note that when "now" is used, the result will always be within one day of any given date, whether it is the same day or the following day, as long as the time difference is less than 24 hours in either direction.

If you are facing this issue, a simple solution could be:

private function notBeforeDate($date_to_compare, $interval) {
    $now = new DateTime(Date("Y-m-d"));
    $date = new DateTime($date_to_compare);
    $diff = $now->diff($date)->format("%r%a");

    return $diff < $interval ? true : false;
}

This code snippet removes the time component from the "now" value, focusing solely on dates. A more robust solution would involve working with dates exclusively, disregarding the time aspect altogether.

For instance: If DateTime("now") returns `2017-02-16 12:00' and you compare it to '2017-02-16 00:00:00', the result will show as 0 days -12 hours. Similarly, comparing against '2017-02-17 00:00:00' will yield 0 days +12 hours. The day difference calculation will consider only the Day part, resulting in 0 for both scenarios.

Answer 3

Answer №2

To achieve the desired outcome, use the following code:


    function checkIfDateIsBefore($date_to_compare) {
    $now = date_create('now');
    $date = date_create($date_to_compare);

    $difference = date_diff($now, $date);
    return $difference->format("%r%a");
}
var_dump(checkIfDateIsBefore('2017-02-17 12:48:00'));

Answer 4

To achieve the desired outcome, use the following code:


    function checkIfDateIsBefore($date_to_compare) {
    $now = date_create('now');
    $date = date_create($date_to_compare);

    $difference = date_diff($now, $date);
    return $difference->format("%r%a");
}
var_dump(checkIfDateIsBefore('2017-02-17 12:48:00'));

PHP DateTime difference format returns negative zero

Answer №1

Answer №2

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