MySQL timestamp field to useful string

Anon

I'm sure this is lurking somewhere on this form already. Just so I don't have to reinvent the wheel, where can I find code that would extract useful pieces of string from a timestamp type field which by the way is in the format YYYYMMDDHHMMSS to something that is easier to read like MM/DD/YYYY/HH:MM:SS ?

Anon

Take a look at http://www.mysql.com/documentation/mysql/commented/manual.php?section=Date_and_time_functions

You should find something there that will give you what you need

Anon

Thanks Aaron. Like I read in a good PHP book. "Even though SQL does not do much, the things that it does do, it can do much faster than can be done in PHP". All the formating I would ever need for timestamp, date, time datatypes in MySQL can be easily done using the built in functions of MySQL on the page you suggested.

Anon

What book was that in? I'd like to use it as a reference since these kind of questions are asked all the time...

---John Holmes...

Anon

John,

I can't find the exact page at the moment, but it is in a book called PHP 4 Bible by Tim Converse and Joyce Park

Anon

Okay, thanks. You'd be amazed how many people out there don't know you can do more than "SELECT * FROM table" in a database...

---John Holmes...

Anon

John,

You got me. I am amazed. That defeats the whole purpose of a database. Might as well store everything in a text file in that case.

Anyhow, I searched and searched through the book, but still can't find that darned quote. I am sure it is in there somewhere though.

Len

Anon

I don't need the exact page or something. I've been wanting to make statements like that for awhile, but didn't have any proof or benchmarking results to back it up. This at least gives me a little leg to stand on.

Merry Christmas.

---John Holmes...

Anon

:-)