Question

I am using the following code to attempt to compare the current date with a date entry in a mySql database. It’s code that I have found online and adapted as all the examples I have found hard-code the date to compare the current date with.
The trouble is even dates in the future are being marked as expired and I can’t understand why this would be.
I am afraid that I am still new to PHP, so I may be making a schoolboy error!

$exp_date = KT_formatDate($row_issue_whatson1['dateToShow']);
$todays_date = date("d-m-Y");
$today = strtotime($todays_date);
$expiration_date = strtotime($exp_date);
if ($expiration_date > $today) { echo "Not expired"; } else { echo "expired"; }

Any help would be most appreciated.

I should add that the date time format used in the database entries is dd/mm/yyyy

Answer 1

Instead of making a string then converting it to a timestamp, simply use mktime:

<?php
$today = mktime(
    0, // hour
    0, // minute
    0 // seconds
);
?>

The rest of the values will be filled according to today’s date. If this still gives problems, put in some echo’s for the values of $exp_date and $expiration_date.

Edit

Since this solved the problem, the discrepancy you were seeing was because you were doing the opposite with date(‘d-m-Y’). You were asking for the current date and the time values are then filled in with the current time. The expiration date in the database is likely set at midnight. With both dates being equal, and it being say 11am now, you are comparing if (00:00:00 > 11:00:00) which fails.