PHP Time Difference - diff [duplicate] - php

Question

This question already has answers here:
How to calculate the difference of datetime field and now in PHP?
(3 answers)
Closed 9 years ago.
I have utilised some code already found on another question.
<?
$start_date = new DateTime('now');
$timestamp = strtotime( $nt['last_seen'] );
$since_start = $start_date->diff($timestamp);
echo $since_start->i.' minutes<br>';
echo $since_start->s.' seconds<br>';
?>
This does not seem to work ?? the timestamp is pulled in from mysql statement in the format.
yyyy-mm-dd hh:mm:ss

Answer 1

The first parameter in diff() method expects a DateTime object, but you're supplying a Unix timestamp instead.
Use the following code instead:
$start_date = new DateTime('now');
$end_date = new DateTime($nt['last_seen']);
$since_start = $start_date->diff($end_date);
echo $since_start->format('%i').' minutes<br>';
echo $since_start->format('%s').' seconds<br>';
Demo!
As Glavić notes in the comment below, it's possible to create a DateTime object from a Unix timestamp, too:
$date = new DateTime("#$timestamp"); // $timestamp is astring -- eg: 1382025097
But it is not necessary in this case, and the first method should work just fine.

Answer 2

$start_date = new DateTime('now');
$timestamp = new DateTime($nt['last_seen']);
$since_start = $start_date->diff($timestamp);
echo $since_start->format('%m').' minutes<br>';
echo $since_start->format('%s').' seconds<br>';
you need to cast your $timestamp as a new DateTime something like the above
I have a couple of wrapper functions I use look at the db date diff one sql query if you're pulling your $timestamp from the database then there's no reason you can't do the diff in your master query and completely remove the need to do it in PHP after.
/**
* Date Diff between now and submitted data
* #param - $date - takes current date
* #return int number of days between inputted dates +ve numbers are start date in past -ve numbers are end date in future of now()
*/
function daves_date_diff($date) {
$start = new DateTime($date);
$today = new DateTime();
$diff = $start->diff($today);
return $diff->format('%d');
}
/**
* Database select based date diff as its more reliable than using php date diffs
* #param - $date - date string in mysql format of date to diff against
* #return - int - number of days date is different from now
*/
function db_date_diff($date) {
global $db;
$date = mysqli_real_escape_string($db->mysqli,$date);
$returneddiff = $db->queryUniqueObject("SELECT DATEDIFF('$date',NOW()) as DateDiff",ENABLE_DEBUG);
return $returneddiff->DateDiff;
}