Change MySQL datetime format to custom display using PHP

Other Questions MySQL
1

I’m working with a database table that has a datetime field storing timestamp data. I need to transform this MySQL datetime value into a specific format for display purposes.

Specifically, I want to show the date and time as mm/dd/yy H:M (AM/PM) format on my webpage.

What’s the best approach to accomplish this formatting conversion in PHP? I’ve tried a few methods but haven’t gotten the exact output I’m looking for.

Here’s a simple example of what I’m working with:

$timestamp = '2023-12-25 14:30:00'; // from database
$formatted_date = convertToDisplay($timestamp);
echo $formatted_date; // should output: 12/25/23 2:30 PM

Any suggestions on the most efficient way to handle this datetime transformation would be appreciated.

2

I’ve been formatting datetime for years and a simple helper function cleans this up nicely. Here’s what I use:

function convertToDisplay($mysql_datetime) {
    $dt = new DateTime($mysql_datetime);
    return $dt->format('m/d/y g:i A');
}

$timestamp = '2023-12-25 14:30:00';
$formatted_date = convertToDisplay($timestamp);
echo $formatted_date; // 12/25/23 2:30 PM

DateTime constructor automatically handles MySQL datetime format - no need for createFromFormat. It’s cleaner and handles timezone conversions if you need them later. I’ve used this across multiple projects and it works reliably, even with tricky stuff like daylight saving transitions.

3

the date() function works great if u dont wanna deal with datetime objects. just use date('m/d/y g:i A', strtotime($timestamp)) and ur good to go. strtotime converts the MySQL format, then date formats it howevr u want.

4

In my experience, using the DateTime class is a straightforward and effective approach for formatting datetime in PHP. You can achieve your desired format with the following code:

$timestamp = '2023-12-25 14:30:00';
$date = DateTime::createFromFormat('Y-m-d H:i:s', $timestamp);
$formatted_date = $date->format('m/d/y g:i A');
echo $formatted_date; // outputs: 12/25/23 2:30 PM

This method is particularly reliable, as it avoids issues related to timestamps and handles various edge cases that may arise when working with dates.