Use time() function in PHP to get the current timestamp

In PHP, the timestamp refers to the number of seconds from 0:00:00 on January 1, 1970 to the present. Use the time() function to obtain the current timestamp. This article will introduce how to use the time() function in PHP to get the current timestamp.

1. Introduction to the time() function

The time() function is a function that comes with PHP and is used to obtain the current timestamp. This function does not require any parameters and can be called to return the current timestamp.

2. How to use the time() function to obtain the current timestamp

Using the time() function to obtain the current timestamp is very simple. You only need to call the function in the code. The specific code is as follows:

<?php
echo time();
?>

The above code will output the current timestamp, for example:

1599985272

3. Timestamp conversion

Although timestamp is a time representation used internally by the computer way, but not easy for humans to read. Therefore, we need to convert the timestamp into a human-readable time format. In PHP, we can use the date() function to complete the conversion of time format.

The date() function has two parameters. The first parameter refers to the time format to be converted, and the second parameter is optional and represents the timestamp to be converted. If the second parameter is not set, the timestamp of the current time will be converted by default.

The following is a simple sample code:

<?php
$timestamp = time();//获取当前时间戳
echo date('Y-m-d H:i:s', $timestamp);//输出当前时间戳对应的时间格式
?>

The above code will output the time format of the current time, for example:

2020-09-13 12:21:50

4. Application of timestamp

Timestamps are widely used in PHP, for example:

1. Calculate time difference: The time difference can be calculated by the difference between two timestamps, thereby realizing some boring applications, such as calculating users online duration, etc.
2. Record time: The timestamp value can be recorded in the database to facilitate subsequent statistical use.
3. Acts as a random seed: When generating random numbers in PHP, you can use the timestamp as a seed to ensure that the randomly generated numbers will not be repeated.

Summary:

This article explains the application of timestamps in PHP by introducing how to use the time() function and converting timestamps into human-readable time formats. . The use of timestamps allows us to better handle date and time-related applications and improves the flexibility and scalability of the program.

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