time and date...?

cindango

I just set up my news posting script. But now I want it to show the time and date that I posted a certain news article, how would I go about doing that?

Here's the code for viewing the news if it's helpful.

<html>
<head>
<style type="text/css">
<!--
a:link {color: #33ccff; }
a:visited {color: #ffff00; }
a:active {color: #33ccff; }
a:hover {color: #33ccff; }
-->
</style>
<title>cindango.com</title>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
</head>

<body bgcolor="#E2007A">
<table width="100%" height="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="color: #FFFFFF; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; border-collapse: collapse" bordercolor="#111111">
  <tr>
    <td><div align="center">
        <table align="center" width="550" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">
          <tr> 
            <td width="514"><img src="images/header.gif" width="550" height="71" border="0" usemap="#Map" href="index.php"></td>
          </tr>
          <tr style="color: #FFFFFF; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; border-collapse: collapse" bordercolor="#111111">
            <td bgcolor="#000000">
<?php
switch($page) {
case 'about':
include("../v1/about.php");
break;
case 'portfolio':
include("../v1/portfolio.php");
break;
case 'links':
include("../v1/links.php");
break;
case 'allnews':
include("../v1/allnews.php");
break;
default:
?>
<table width="550" height="350" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="color: #FFFFFF; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; border-collapse: collapse" bordercolor="#111111">
  <tr valign="top"> 
                  <td height="94" colspan="2" bgcolor="#000000" style="padding-top: 10; padding-left: 10;"><img src="images/sitenews.gif" width="215" height="94"></td>
  </tr>
                <tr> 
                  <td width="540" height="256" valign="top" bgcolor="#000000" style="padding: 25;""><?php
$hostname = "BLAH";
$username = "BLAH";
$password = "BLAH";
$db = "cindang_news";

//Connect to the database server
mysql_connect($hostname, $username, $password) OR DIE("Could not connect to the news database.");

// Tell the database server what database you want to use
mysql_select_db($db) or die("Error selecting News database.");

switch($action) {
case 'viewallnews':
// setup a query variable to ask the database for some information
$query = "SELECT * FROM news ORDER BY date desc LIMIT 5";

// acctualy ask for the info & store it in $results
$result = mysql_query($query) or die("Could not store database info in temporary results.");
print ('');

// create a loop through the database results
while($row = mysql_fetch_array($result, MYSQL_ASSOC)){

echo "<font color=#33ccff><b>".$row['date']."</b></font>";
echo "<br>";
echo "".$row['newsdata']."";
echo "<p>";
}
break;
default:
// setup a query variable to ask the database for some information
$query = "SELECT * FROM news ORDER BY date desc LIMIT 5";

// acctualy ask for the info & store it in $results
$result = mysql_query($query) or die("Could not store database info in temporary results.");
print (''); }

// create a loop through the database results
while($row = mysql_fetch_array($result, MYSQL_ASSOC)){

echo "<font color=#33ccff><b>".$row['date']."</b></font>";
echo "<br>";
echo "".$row['newsdata']."";
echo "<p>";
}
    echo '<a href="index.php?page=allnews">View All News</a>';
?></td>
    <td width="36" valign="bottom" bgcolor="#000000"> 
      <div align="right"><img src="images/welcome.gif" width="36" height="250"></div></td>
  </tr>
</table>
			</td>
          </tr>
        </table><table width="550" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">
  <tr>
    <td bgcolor="#E2007A"><font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><a href="http://cindango.com/v1/admin">admin</a> 
      / &copy; 2003 <a href="mailto:cindango@hotmail.com">cindy ho</a></font></td>
  </tr>
</table>

    <?php
}
?>
      </div></td>
  </tr>
</table>
<map name="Map">
  <area shape="poly" coords="4,34" href="#">
  <area shape="rect" coords="9,22,132,68" href="index.php?page=about">
  <area shape="rect" coords="137,10,234,67" href="index.php?page=portfolio">
  <area shape="rect" coords="237,21,333,67" href="index.php?page=links">
  <area shape="rect" coords="374,35,551,63" href="index.php">
</map>
</body>
</html>

dalecosp

What's this:

echo "<font color=#33ccff><b>".$row['date']."</b></font>";

Is this not doing what you want?

What does it contain?

LordShryku

Don't forget to help him with this same exact question in the Newbie's forum too dale 😃

cindango

Originally posted by dalecosp
What's this:Is this not doing what you want?

What does it contain?

that's when I type it myself, it just echo's what I typed...

Weedpacket

Originally posted by cindango
that's when I type it myself, it just echo's what I typed...

But what does $row['date'] contain? Does it contain the date and time?

cindango

Originally posted by Weedpacket
But what does $row['date'] contain? Does it contain the date and time?

Yeah, because I use a form to insert the date. But what I wanted was to post something without having to manually put in the month, day, year, and time. I at least want the month, day, and year. The time is not important.

Weedpacket

Do you mean you want the script to which you upload the form to work out what the date is insead of you entering it by hand in the form itself; say, by using the [man]date[/man] function?

cindango

Originally posted by Weedpacket
Do you mean you want the script to which you upload the form to work out what the date is insead of you entering it by hand in the form itself; say, by using the [man]date[/man] function?

Possibl. I just need to insert the current date into the table so I can echo it. The way it is now I have to type in the date. I'm not sure how to insert the date...but I'll fool around with it...

cindango

here is the code where I insert data into the tables...what do I add to have it insert the current date?

<?php

$hostname = "asdff";
$username = "sdfadfdf";
$password = "sdgdgsdg";
$dbName = "cindang_news";
$tablename = "news";
MYSQL_CONNECT($hostname,$username,$password) OR DIE("");
@mysql_select_db("$dbName") or die("");

mysql_query("INSERT INTO `news` (`newsdata`, `date`, `title`) values ('".$newsdata."', '".$date."', '".$title."')"); 

$result = MYSQL_QUERY($query);

MYSQL_CLOSE();

echo "<META http-equiv=refresh content=0;URL=http://cindango.com/v1/>";

?>

stevesweetland

id personally use a date stamp.

read the commented code:

//if you set a variable

$date = mktime();

// using mktime()... you get a string of numbers, completetly
// unreadable to most humans.  however, this can be
// very helpful for use when doing date functions.  if you 
// insert this $date value into your database when you submit
// the article, you need not take any date input from the
// user.

$query = "SELECT * FROM news ORDER BY date desc LIMIT 5";
$result = mysql_query($query) or die("Could not store database info in temporary results.");

while($row = mysql_fetch_array($result, MYSQL_ASSOC)){
    // return your database value, and store it into a variable.
    $article_date = $row['date'];

// use the date field from the database in conjunction with 
// the date function, and you can format the date
// however you like - you will always have complete flexibility
// over the appearance of the date.  the second argument
// passed to date() is your timestamp, as you can see.
$datetoprint = date("Y M D",$article_date);

echo "<font color=#33ccff><b>".$datetoprint."</b></font>";
echo "<br>";
echo "".$row['newsdata']."";
echo "<p>";
}

view php.net and search date() for formatting options.

look up mktime() also, and familiarise yourself with how powerful these two functions can be when used together for date functions.

bear in mind, this is only a guideline, there are better ways of doing the same thing (in fewer lines of code).

consider that your challenge for the day... 🙂

cindango

Originally posted by stevesweetland
id personally use a date stamp.

read the commented code:

//if you set a variable

$date = mktime();

// using mktime()... you get a string of numbers, completetly
// unreadable to most humans.  however, this can be
// very helpful for use when doing date functions.  if you 
// insert this $date value into your database when you submit
// the article, you need not take any date input from the
// user.

$query = "SELECT * FROM news ORDER BY date desc LIMIT 5";
$result = mysql_query($query) or die("Could not store database info in temporary results.");

while($row = mysql_fetch_array($result, MYSQL_ASSOC)){
    // return your database value, and store it into a variable.
    $article_date = $row['date'];

// use the date field from the database in conjunction with 
// the date function, and you can format the date
// however you like - you will always have complete flexibility
// over the appearance of the date.  the second argument
// passed to date() is your timestamp, as you can see.
$datetoprint = date("Y M D",$article_date);

echo "<font color=#33ccff><b>".$datetoprint."</b></font>";
echo "<br>";
echo "".$row['newsdata']."";
echo "<p>";
}

view php.net and search date() for formatting options.

look up mktime() also, and familiarise yourself with how powerful these two functions can be when used together for date functions.

bear in mind, this is only a guideline, there are better ways of doing the same thing (in fewer lines of code).

consider that your challenge for the day... 🙂 [/B]

Thank you 🙂 Everyone here is so helpful. It's my first day today so thanks to everyone for bearing with me. :p

stevesweetland

most people are helpful - some only have the answer 'rtfm' without even giving you a direction to look in. cant see the point in that personally, no point you struggling over something iv struggled over in the past.

cindango

err can someone help?

http://cindango.com/v1/

why is it 1969???

cindango

whoops nvm found the problem.

stevesweetland

you dont currently have a timestamp in the date field. youll need to put the a timestamp into the database first.

cindango

Originally posted by stevesweetland
you dont currently have a timestamp in the date field. youll need to put the a timestamp into the database first.

right now all I get is 00000000000000 in the date field.

Here's the code for inserting:

<?php

$hostname = "sdfasf";
$username = "sdgsadg";
$password = "icsdgasdghi";
$dbName = "cindang_news";
$tablename = "news";
MYSQL_CONNECT($hostname,$username,$password) OR DIE("");
@mysql_select_db("$dbName") or die("");

mysql_query("INSERT INTO `news` (`newsdata`, `date`, `title`) values ('".$newsdata."', '".$date."', '".$title."')"); 

$date = mktime(); 

$result = MYSQL_QUERY($query);

MYSQL_CLOSE();

echo "<META http-equiv=refresh content=0;URL=http://cindango.com/v1/>";

?>

dalecosp

Try putting

$date = mktime();

before you create the query.... 😉

cindango

Originally posted by dalecosp
Try putting
$date = mktime();
before you create the query.... 😉 [/B]

now I just get Dec 12, 2003. And that's all I get...I must be reading it wrong or something.

$article_date = $row['date'];
$datetoprint = date("m M Y",$article_date); 

echo "<font color=#33ccff><b>".$datetoprint."</b></font>";
echo "<font color=#33ccff><b> // ".$row['title']."</b></font>";
echo "<br>";
echo "".$row['newsdata']."";
echo "<p>";

dalecosp

$datetoprint = date("m M Y",$article_date);

Take a look at [man]date[/man] in the manual. You're asking it to give you a date in the format you're showing.

petiejoe

If you are just wanting to put todays date, I find MySQL's NOW() function to be very useful. I think it should also work to simply put NULL (MySQL is supposed to default to the current time if no time is specified), but I wouldn't trust that.

mysql_query("INSERT INTO `news` (`newsdata`, `date`, `title`) values ('".$newsdata."', NOW(), '".$title."')");

The problem is possibly stemming from the format that PHP gives from mktime() (number of seconds since January 1, 1970), as opposed to the format that MySQL is expecting (probably YYYYMMDDHHMMSS, depending on how your table is set up). If you want to put in a date other than the current time, use PHP's date() formatting to put it into the correct format before you add it to the table.