Are there best practices for converting date formats in PHP to ensure accurate validation using checkdate()?

When converting date formats in PHP for validation using checkdate(), it is important to ensure that the date is in a format that is recognized by checkdate() and that the date components are correctly separated. One common approach is to use the DateTime class to parse and format the date before passing it to checkdate(). This helps to ensure that the date is in a valid format and can be accurately validated.

$dateString = "2021-12-31";
$date = DateTime::createFromFormat('Y-m-d', $dateString);
if($date !== false){
    $year = $date->format('Y');
    $month = $date->format('m');
    $day = $date->format('d');
    if(checkdate($month, $day, $year)){
        echo "Valid date";
    } else {
        echo "Invalid date";
    }
} else {
    echo "Invalid date format";
}