How Can I Handle Dates Before 1970 in PHP When Using `strtotime()`?

Working with Dates Before 1970 Using strtotime()

Problem:

You have a text column in a MySQL database storing dates in the yyyy-mm-dd format. Your PHP code uses strtotime() to convert the dates, but you discover that it only parses values after January 1, 1970. Many of your dates fall before this limit, and you wonder if there's a workaround without altering your database structure.

Solution:

The official PHP documentation highlights the date range limitations of strtotime():

Fri, 13 Dec 1901 20:45:54 GMT to Tue, 19 Jan 2038 03:14:07 GMT

Option 1: Upgrade PHP Version and Operating System

If possible, upgrade to a PHP version equal to or greater than 5.1.0 on a platform that supports the extended date range.

Option 2: Utilize PHP's DateTime Objects

Consider using DateTime objects for dates outside the strtotime() range. They provide greater flexibility.

Procedural Approach:

$date = date_create($row['value']);
if (!$date) {
    $e = date_get_last_errors();
    foreach ($e['errors'] as $error) {
        echo "$error\n";
    }
    exit(1);
}

echo date_format($date, "F j, Y");

OOP Approach:

try {
    $date = new DateTime($row['value']);
} catch (Exception $e) {
    echo $e->getMessage();
    exit(1);
}

echo $date->format("F j, Y");

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