How Can I Handle Dates Before 1970 with PHP\'s `strtotime()`?

Extending the Range of strtotime() for Historical Dates

Problem:

You're using strtotime() to parse dates in MySQL stored in the yyyy-mm-dd format, but you've encountered a limitation where strtotime() cannot process dates before January 1, 1970.

Solution:

To handle dates before 1970, consider the following approaches:

• Check PHP Version and Platform:

Update your PHP version and platform, as earlier versions and operating systems had a limited range.

• Use DateTime Objects:

For dates outside the 13 Dec 1901 to 19 Jan 2038 range, use PHP's DateTime objects, which offer a wider date range support.

Code Samples:

Procedural:

$date = date_create($row['value']);
if ($date) {
    echo date_format($date, "F j, Y");
} else {
    // Handle errors
}

OOP:

try {
    $date = new DateTime($row['value']);
    echo $date->format("F j, Y");
} catch (Exception $e) {
    // Handle errors
}

By employing these techniques, you can effectively handle dates before 1970 without altering your database structure.

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