How to Get the Yesterday Date In PHP?

13 minutes read

To get the yesterday's date in PHP, you can use the strtotime() and date() functions in combination. Here is an example of how you can achieve it:

1
$yesterday = date('Y-m-d', strtotime('-1 day'));


In the above code, strtotime('-1 day') returns a timestamp representing yesterday's date. The date() function is then used to format the timestamp in the desired format (Y-m-d, which represents year-month-day). Finally, the value is assigned to the variable $yesterday, which will hold the formatted yesterday's date.


You can change the desired format in the date() function according to your requirements.

Best PHP Cloud Hosting Providers in 2024

1
DigitalOcean

Rating is 5 out of 5

DigitalOcean

2
AWS

Rating is 4.9 out of 5

AWS

3
Vultr

Rating is 4.8 out of 5

Vultr

4
Cloudways

Rating is 4.7 out of 5

Cloudways


Can you provide an example code snippet to get the yesterday date in PHP?

Certainly! Here's an example code snippet to get the yesterday's date in PHP:

1
2
$yesterday = date("Y-m-d", strtotime("-1 day"));
echo $yesterday;


This will output the date in the format YYYY-MM-DD. If you want to change the format, you can modify the first argument of the date function accordingly.


Can I get the yesterday date as a UNIX timestamp in PHP?

Yes, you can get the yesterday's date as a UNIX timestamp in PHP using the strtotime() and date() functions. Here's an example:

1
2
3
4
$yesterday_date = strtotime('yesterday');
$timestamp = date('U', $yesterday_date);

echo $timestamp;


This code will output the UNIX timestamp corresponding to yesterday's date.


What happens when I try to get the yesterday date in PHP during a Daylight Saving Time transition?

When you try to get the yesterday date in PHP during a Daylight Saving Time (DST) transition, the behavior can vary depending on the specific scenario and your code implementation.


During a DST transition, the clock is moved forward or backward by an hour, which can affect the interpretation of dates and times. PHP's date and time functions are aware of DST and generally handle it correctly, adjusting the timestamps accordingly.


However, when dealing with DST transitions and trying to get the yesterday date, there may be unexpected results due to the ambiguity period. The ambiguity period occurs when the clocks are moved back at the end of DST, causing the same local time to occur twice. This can result in uncertainty when determining yesterday's date.


For example, consider the scenario when the clocks are moved back one hour at 2 AM to 1 AM during the DST transition. If you attempt to get the yesterday date at a time between 1 AM and 2 AM, you will encounter a problem. This is because you're effectively asking for a time that occurred twice (since the clock was rolled back).


To handle this situation correctly, you can use the DateTime object and its associated methods. Use the setTime function to explicitly set the time to the start of the day (midnight) before attempting to retrieve the yesterday date.


Below is an example of how you can handle the DST transition when getting the yesterday date:

1
2
3
4
5
6
$now = new DateTime();
$now->modify('midnight'); // Set the time to midnight

$yesterday = $now->modify('-1 day'); // Get the yesterday date

echo $yesterday->format('Y-m-d'); // Output: Yesterday's date in 'YYYY-MM-DD' format


By setting the time to midnight before retrieving the yesterday date, you can avoid the ambiguity period and ensure a correct result during DST transitions.

Top Rated PHP Books to Learn in July 2024

1
PHP 8 Objects, Patterns, and Practice: Mastering OO Enhancements, Design Patterns, and Essential Development Tools

Rating is 5 out of 5

PHP 8 Objects, Patterns, and Practice: Mastering OO Enhancements, Design Patterns, and Essential Development Tools

2
PHP & MySQL: Server-side Web Development

Rating is 4.9 out of 5

PHP & MySQL: Server-side Web Development

3
Learning PHP, MySQL & JavaScript: A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Dynamic Websites (Learning PHP, MYSQL, Javascript, CSS & HTML5)

Rating is 4.8 out of 5

Learning PHP, MySQL & JavaScript: A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Dynamic Websites (Learning PHP, MYSQL, Javascript, CSS & HTML5)

4
PHP Cookbook: Modern Code Solutions for Professional Developers

Rating is 4.7 out of 5

PHP Cookbook: Modern Code Solutions for Professional Developers

5
PHP: This book includes : PHP Basics for Beginners + PHP security and session management + Advanced PHP functions

Rating is 4.6 out of 5

PHP: This book includes : PHP Basics for Beginners + PHP security and session management + Advanced PHP functions

6
PHP and MySQL Web Development (Developer's Library)

Rating is 4.5 out of 5

PHP and MySQL Web Development (Developer's Library)

7
Murach's PHP and MySQL (4th Edition)

Rating is 4.4 out of 5

Murach's PHP and MySQL (4th Edition)

8
Learning PHP, MySQL & JavaScript: With jQuery, CSS & HTML5 (Learning PHP, MYSQL, Javascript, CSS & HTML5)

Rating is 4.3 out of 5

Learning PHP, MySQL & JavaScript: With jQuery, CSS & HTML5 (Learning PHP, MYSQL, Javascript, CSS & HTML5)

9
Front-End Back-End Development with HTML, CSS, JavaScript, jQuery, PHP, and MySQL

Rating is 4.2 out of 5

Front-End Back-End Development with HTML, CSS, JavaScript, jQuery, PHP, and MySQL


Is there a performance difference between various methods to get the yesterday date?

Yes, there can be performance differences between various methods to get the yesterday's date. The performance may vary depending on the programming language, libraries or frameworks used, and the internal implementation of the date/time functions.


Some common methods to get yesterday's date include:

  1. System date arithmetic: This method involves subtracting one day (i.e., 24 hours) from the current system date. It is a straightforward approach but may require additional calculations and might not be the most efficient method.
  2. Date/time libraries or classes: Most programming languages provide built-in date/time libraries or classes that allow manipulation and conversion of dates. These libraries often have methods specifically designed to retrieve yesterday's date efficiently.
  3. Date object manipulation: Working with date objects directly may involve manipulating the year, month, and day components to calculate yesterday's date. This method can be performant if the language provides optimized functions for manipulating dates.
  4. Third-party libraries: Additional date/time libraries can often offer specific functions or optimizations for getting the previous day's date.


It is essential to consider the specific requirements, context, and performance characteristics of the programming language or framework being used in order to determine the most efficient method for retrieving yesterday's date.


Can I directly use the current date and subtract one day to get the yesterday date in PHP?

Yes, you can use PHP's built-in date and strtotime functions to get yesterday's date by subtracting one day from the current date. Here is an example:

1
2
3
4
$currentDate = date("Y-m-d");  // Get the current date in YYYY-MM-DD format
$yesterdayDate = date("Y-m-d", strtotime("-1 day", strtotime($currentDate)));  // Subtract one day from the current date

echo $yesterdayDate;


This code will output yesterday's date in the same format as the current date (YYYY-MM-DD).


Is it possible to get the yesterday date in PHP without using any date-related functions?

No, it is not possible to get yesterday's date in PHP without using any date-related functions. PHP provides built-in date and time functions to work with dates, such as date(), strtotime(), and DateTime. These functions are necessary to calculate yesterday's date or manipulate dates in any way.


Are there any alternative methods to get the yesterday date in PHP?

Yes, there are alternative methods to get the yesterday's date in PHP. Here are three commonly used methods:

  1. Using strtotime() function:
1
$yesterday = date('Y-m-d', strtotime("-1 day"));


  1. Using DateTime object:
1
2
$yesterday = new DateTime('yesterday');
$yesterday = $yesterday->format('Y-m-d');


  1. Using the DateTime and DateInterval objects:
1
2
3
$today = new DateTime();
$interval = new DateInterval('P1D');
$yesterday = $today->sub($interval)->format('Y-m-d');


All these methods will give you the yesterday's date in the format 'Y-m-d'.

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Telegram

Related Posts:

To display a date range in CodeIgniter, you can first retrieve the start and end dates from the database or any other data source. Once you have the start and end dates, you can format them using the PHP date() function or any other date formatting functions p...
In Oracle, you can extract the actual year from a date using the EXTRACT function. The EXTRACT function allows you to retrieve a specific component of a date, such as year, month, day, etc.The syntax for extracting the year from a date is: SELECT EXTRACT(YEAR ...
When working with dates in Chart.js, you can plot them on a chart by following a few steps:Convert your date values into JavaScript Date objects. This can be done using the new Date() constructor or by parsing date strings with the Date.parse() function. Prepa...