and
ABSTRACT
PHP provides some nice date manipulation functions that work very well
in combination with each other. However, they only handle dealing with the
server’s timezone. Adding the feature for shifting dates to a user-defined
timezone can be a very unpleasant experience, as we know first hand. In this
article, we discuss the problems we encountered, and present our solution.
in combination with each other. However, they only handle dealing with the
server’s timezone. Adding the feature for shifting dates to a user-defined
timezone can be a very unpleasant experience, as we know first hand. In this
article, we discuss the problems we encountered, and present our solution.
Introduction
We work for a software development company, CommNav, who amongst other things has
developed a PHP based portal framework and application suite. Until recently
it relied solely on PHP’s built in date and timestamp manipulation functions for
handling date and time values. However, in our most recent release in order to
allow our users to specify their own timezones we found it necessary to use our
own functions. Doing this turned out to be a bit more complicated than we at
first imagined.
developed a PHP based portal framework and application suite. Until recently
it relied solely on PHP’s built in date and timestamp manipulation functions for
handling date and time values. However, in our most recent release in order to
allow our users to specify their own timezones we found it necessary to use our
own functions. Doing this turned out to be a bit more complicated than we at
first imagined.
By allowing the user to specify a timezone, we unwittingly opened a Pandora’s
Box, out of which flew shrieking timestamp demons who tormented us, and drove
us to the brink of insanity. We decided to write this article to serve as a
warning post for travelers of this path. In it, we discuss our implementation
prior to the change, our misconceptions about how PHP’s time functions work,
what PHP’s time functions actually do, and our solution to the whole mess.
Box, out of which flew shrieking timestamp demons who tormented us, and drove
us to the brink of insanity. We decided to write this article to serve as a
warning post for travelers of this path. In it, we discuss our implementation
prior to the change, our misconceptions about how PHP’s time functions work,
what PHP’s time functions actually do, and our solution to the whole mess.
