Why Am I Getting a 'Non Well Formed Numeric Value' Error When Parsing Dates in PHP?

Encountering "A Non Well Formed Numeric Value" in PHP Date Parsing

When attempting to add dates to a database, you may encounter the error "A non well formed numeric value encountered." This error often occurs when a non-numeric string is passed to a function expecting a numeric value.

In your specific case, you are using the date() function with the "d" format specifier, which expects a Unix timestamp. However, you are passing a string representing a date, such as "2020-10-10." To resolve this issue, you need to use the strtotime() function to convert the string representation of the date to a numeric Unix timestamp.

Understanding the Error

The "A non well formed numeric value encountered" error indicates that a numeric operation is attempting to use a non-numeric value. This can occur in various scenarios:

• Attempting to use a string containing non-numeric characters in a mathematical operation.
• Trying to convert a string to a numeric type and the string contains invalid characters.
• Passing a string to a function that expects a numeric argument.

Resolving the Error

To resolve this error, you need to investigate the source of the non-numeric value. Here are some potential solutions:

• Validate Input: Ensure that any input from outside sources, such as form fields, is validated to confirm that it contains only numeric characters.
• Convert Strings to Numbers: If the non-numeric value can be converted to a numeric format, use functions like strtotime() to perform the conversion.
• Identify Incorrect Data Sources: If the error originates from a function or variable that is returning incorrect numeric values, find and fix the cause of the issue.
• Avoid Mindless Casting: Never blindly cast non-numeric values to numbers. This can suppress errors and lead to incorrect results.

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