Convert server time

endersix

Hi all,

Is it possible to manipulate the server time? I've got a postcard website using PHP, when the card recipient views the card, an e-mail is sent to the sender to let him know.

My host service is in one time zone (US CST), but I'm in another time zone (US PST). So this

$sc_lang['date_format'] = '%d %B %Y at %X %Z';

$date = strftime($sc_lang['date_format']);

$sc_lang['received'] = "[to] picked it up on [date].";

sends me back a message with Date, Month, Year at Time CST. How can I take the CST time and convert it to PST?

Ideally I thought I could get a fxn to take the server time and subtract 2 hours. Then I would use PST instead of %Z. However, being a newb at PHP and programming, I don't have any idea.

Any help, please? Thanks in advance.

scrupul0us

If you only want particular PHP scripts (and not shell or other cgi scripts) to use a specific timezone, set the timezone environmental variable in your PHP code like so:
```
    <?
    echo "Original Time: ". date("h:i:s")."\n";
    putenv("TZ=US/Eastern");
    echo "New Time: ". date("h:i:s")."\n";
    ?>
```

endersix

Awesome!

That totally worked once I figured out which script I had to put it in.

Thank you.

scrupul0us

google 🙂

you're welcome!

DemonMaestro

I like the sound of that script

What would i do to put it in a mysql?

 $time= putenv("TZ=US/Central"); 
    echo "New Time: ". date("h:i:s")."\n";  

$q = "INSERT INTO ".TBL_CHAT." VALUES ('$username', '$message','$time',now())";

Would that work???

scrupul0us

putenv("TZ=US/Central");
$time = date("h:i:s");
echo "New Time: ".$time."\n";  

$q = "INSERT INTO ".TBL_CHAT." (column1, column2, column3) VALUES ('$username', '$message','$time')";

putenv isnt assigned to a variable like u had shown.. its just a command

DemonMaestro

ok also I have a date shown also as
It is put into the databse as "now()"
and shown on the pages as

<?php echo "".$req_user_info['since'].""; ?>

It is showing up as 2006-08-12
How can i make that show up as the Month-Day-Year?

bradgrafelman

Easiest solution would be to use MySQL's DATE_FORMAT() function.