problem comparing 2 dates

[graziano]

Hello

I am having problems comparing two dates.

I have this code

<?php
$exp_date="22-01-2008";

# creates Unix timestamp time for date('d-m-Y')
$server_date=date('d-m-Y');
$server_date_array=explode("-",$server_date);
$server_date=mktime (0,0,0,$server_date_array[1],$server_date_array[0],$server_date_array[2],0);

# creates Unix timestamp for  $exp_date
$exp_date_stamp_array=explode("-",$exp_date);
$exp_date_stamp=mktime (0,0,0,$exp_date_stamp_array[1],$exp_date_stamp_array[0],$exp_date_stamp_array[2],0);


# compare Unix timestamp
if ( $exp_date_stamp <= $server_date ) {
	echo "EXPIRED" ;

}
else
{
    echo "VALID" ;
}

?>

It creates a Unix timestamp for date() and $exp_date
then compare the 2 Unix timestamp to verifiy if $exp_date is valid or expired (compared with current date)

It works on my computer without problems (returning VALID) .

On some unix server where the server date was
Tue Feb 27 01:56:46 WIT 2007

the scripts returned EXPIRED instead of VALID .

Anyone can tell me why ? What's wrong on my code ?

Thank you!

[Weedpacket]

For one thing, this is why the international standard is to write that date as 2008-02-22. Even as strings they would sort properly, since "2007-02-27"<"2008-02-22".

But if you've got day, month, and year, then it's overkill to use date and time functions to see if one is after the other or not: 2007<2008 for exactly the same reason that 7<8.

// does $testDate refer to a date that is before $referenceDate?
// Assumes $testDate and $referenceDate are of the form "dd-mm-yyyy".
function isBefore($testDate, $referenceDate)
{
    list($testDay, $testMonth, $testYear) = explode('-', $testDate);
    list($refDay, $refMonth, $refYear) = explode('-', $referenceDate);
    if($testYear < $refYear) return true; // any date in 2007 is before any date in 2008
    if($testYear > $refYear) return false; // no date in 2008 is before any date in 2007
    // We know that $testYear==$refYear
    if($testMonth < $refMonth) return true;
    if($testMonth > $refMonth) return false;

if($testDay < $refDay) return true;
if($testDay > $refDay) return false;
// $testDate and $referenceDate are the same date. Today does not come before today so...
return false;
}

[NogDog]

Weedpacket wrote:

For one thing, this is why the international standard is to write that date as 2008-02-22. Even as strings they would sort properly, since "2007-02-27"<"2008-02-22".

Those of us who had to cope with the Y2K "crisis" do it automatically now. 🙂 (Ughh! Hours and hours and hours of boring code reviews and just-as-boring testing.)

[graziano]

Thank you (also for the code) !

[bradgrafelman]

Don't forget to mark this thread resolved (if it is).