How to change time zone in php

Time zone is a geographical concept that determines the time in each specific location. When we write PHP applications, there are many situations where we need to modify the time zone settings. This is because the default time zone used by PHP is Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), not the local time in our region.

So, how to change time zone in PHP? Next, we explain the process in detail.

1. Check the current time zone in PHP

Before changing the time zone, you must first determine the current PHP time zone setting. You can use the date_default_timezone_get() function to view the current time zone. The sample code is as follows:

echo date_default_timezone_get();  // 输出 UTC

This code sets the output current time zone to UTC.

2. Set time zone in PHP

The date_default_timezone_set() function in PHP can be used to change the time zone setting. This function accepts a string parameter for the time zone. Here are some examples:

// 设置时区为东八区，即北京时间
date_default_timezone_set('Asia/Shanghai');

// 设置时区为美国纽约时间
date_default_timezone_set('America/New_York');

// 设置时区为欧洲巴黎时间
date_default_timezone_set('Europe/Paris');

A complete list of time zones can be found in PHP’s official documentation.

3. Temporarily set the time zone

Sometimes, we only need to temporarily change the time zone setting in a certain part of the script, rather than setting it globally. In this case, you can use the local version of the date_default_timezone_set() function, the date_timezone_set() function. This function accepts a DateTime object and a time zone string parameter. The following is an example:

$date = new DateTime('now', new DateTimeZone('America/New_York'));
echo $date->format('Y-m-d H:i:s');
// 输出纽约当前时间

// 将时区更改为东八区（北京时间）
date_timezone_set($date, new DateTimeZone('Asia/Shanghai'));
echo $date->format('Y-m-d H:i:s');
// 输出北京当前时间

4. Use the ini_set() function to set the time zone

In addition to using the date_default_timezone_set() function, you can also use ini_set() Function to set the time zone. This method stores the time zone settings in PHP's configuration file, php.ini. Here's an example:

ini_set('date.timezone', 'Asia/Shanghai');

Please note that if you get hosting from a web hosting provider, you may not have access to the php.ini file. In this case, you can use the method described in step 2 or step 3 to change the time zone setting.

Conclusion

Time zones are of great significance in PHP applications because they determine the distribution and formatting of time. In most cases, setting the time zone to your local time zone is a wise choice. It is easy to modify the time zone settings of a PHP application by using the method described above. If you need to know more about how to deal with date and time issues, you can visit the official PHP documentation, which contains more detailed documentation and examples.

The above is the detailed content of How to change time zone in php. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!