Why Does `date('F')` Return "December" When Given "08" as Month Input in PHP?

Converting Number to Month Name in PHP

In an attempt to convert a numerical month value to its corresponding name using PHP, the following code was employed:

<code class="php">$monthNum = sprintf("%02s", $result["month"]);
$monthName = date("F", strtotime($monthNum));

echo $monthName;</code>

However, instead of returning the expected month name (e.g., August), it erroneously displayed "December." Further investigation revealed that $result["month"] was set to 8, and the sprintf function added a leading zero, resulting in the value "08."

Recommended Solution

For modern PHP versions (>= 5.2), the preferred method is to utilize DateTime objects for date/time calculations. Here's an enhanced solution:

<code class="php">$monthNum  = 3;
$dateObj   = DateTime::createFromFormat('!m', $monthNum);
$monthName = $dateObj->format('F'); // March</code>

The ! formatting character resets the date to the Unix epoch, and the m format character represents the numeric month value with leading zeroes.

Alternative Solution

For older PHP versions, an alternative approach is to use mktime() to create a timestamp:

<code class="php">$monthNum  = 3;
$monthName = date('F', mktime(0, 0, 0, $monthNum, 10)); // March</code>

Remember, if you prefer the abbreviated month name (e.g., Mar), simply replace 'F' with 'M'. Detailed formatting options can be found in the PHP manual documentation.

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