[Resolved] date question

[rikmoncur]

Here's a little script, I wrote...
I think it might be called an autoexpire function?
What it does is display 'yet to come' until it gets to a set time, then it displays 'this is it' for a set time, then it displays 'been and gone'.
I'll be using it to automatically display a time-limited special offer on a set date.
As a test script, I've set the time in seconds so I didn't have to wait too long to test the changeovers.

My question is this: does this script read the local time from my computer's clock or does it get it from the server? It's not much use if it's from a client's computer cos it may be set wrong and the special offer will appear at the wrong time!

I once checked a script by changing the clock on my computer and it screwed up my antivirus and other programmes, so I'm very reluctant to do that again!

<?php 
$now = date("d M h i s");

if ($now < ("03 May 12 28 00"))
{echo "yet to come";}

elseif 
($now <= ("03 May 12 28 05"))
{echo "this is it";}


elseif 
($now > ("03 May 12 28 05"))
{echo "been and gone";}

?> 

[Shrike]

The date() function runs at the server side and so is based on the servers idea of what the time is.

[TheDefender]

This article may give you some insight as to how to use JavaScript and PHP to determine the user's TimeZone offset, which you can then use to manipulate the date that's returned in your script.

The trouble is that JavaScript could be turned off, thus disabling the functionality. I have personally never tried it, but you never know... It maybe worth the effort.

[rikmoncur]

Thanx, that answers my question.

I've previously written an autoexpire script in javascript (a lot more complicated than php!) but it got the time from the client computer and, as you say, doesn't work if js is off.