format date function

[deleted]

I have a function that formats datetime.

// functions.php - useful global functions

// format MySQL DATETIME value into a more readable string
function formatDate($val)
{
$arr = explode("-", $val);
return date("d M Y", mktime(0,0,0, $arr[1], $arr[2], $arr[0]));
}
?>

This function is included in a file using:

// includes
include("../includes/config.php");
include("../includes/functions.php");

I have the function in the following code:

echo "
<table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" align=\"center\">
<tr>
<td align=\"left\"> $row->PressReleaseHeadline 
[formatDate($row->PressReleaseDate)] <a href=\"edit.php?id=$row->PressReleaseID\">edit</a>
| <a href=\"delete.php?id=$row->PressReleaseID \">delete</a>
</td>
</tr>
";

The problem is that this function is simply echoing
[formatDate($row->PressReleaseDate)]

How do I correct this?

suntra

echo "
<table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" align=\"center\">
<tr>
<td align=\"left\"> $row->PressReleaseHeadline 
[" . formatDate($row->PressReleaseDate) . "] <a href=\"edit.php?id=$row->PressReleaseID\">edit</a>
| <a href=\"delete.php?id=$row->PressReleaseID \">delete</a>
</td>
</tr>
";

You didn't close "... PHP didn't know he had to call the function...

With echo, everything that is between " and " is considered as text... if you want PHP to stop "thinking" it's text, you must close it.

echo "This is considered as text : date() ";

Prints : This is considered as text : date()

But if you write :

echo "This is not considered as text : " . date("Y");

Prints : This is not considered as text : 2002

Do you understand ?

[deleted]

I changed the code to what's below, but I'm still not getting a formatted date, in fact I am getting no date.

echo "
<table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" align=\"center\">
<tr>
<td align=\"left\"> $row->PressReleaseHeadline 
["; formatDate($row->PressReleaseDate); echo "] <a href=\"edit.php?id=$row->PressReleaseID\">edit</a>
| <a href=\"delete.php?id=$row->PressReleaseID \">delete</a>
</td>
</tr>
";

cahva

Can I ask why are you formatting your date in PHP? You could format your DATETIME in the same mysql-query where you got it from.

example:
SELECT DATE_FORMAT(datefield, '%d %M %Y');

So you really dont need that function at all...

suntra

Look...

// you begin to "echo" here...
echo "
<table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" align=\"center\">
<tr>
<td align=\"left\"> $row->PressReleaseHeadline 
["; // you stop to "echo" here...
formatDate($row->PressReleaseDate); // you call the function without it is printed...
// you begin another "echo" here...
echo "] <a href=\"edit.php?id=$row->PressReleaseID\">edit</a>
| <a href=\"delete.php?id=$row->PressReleaseID \">delete</a>
</td>
</tr>
";

Take THIS code and DON'T change it :