How can PHP functions like time() and date() be effectively used to work with timestamps in a database?

When working with timestamps in a database, PHP functions like time() and date() can be effectively used to generate and format timestamps for insertion or retrieval. By using time() to get the current Unix timestamp and date() to format it according to the database's timestamp format, you can ensure consistency in storing and retrieving timestamps.

// Get the current Unix timestamp
$timestamp = time();

// Format the timestamp according to the database's timestamp format
$formatted_timestamp = date('Y-m-d H:i:s', $timestamp);

// Insert the formatted timestamp into the database
$query = "INSERT INTO table_name (timestamp_column) VALUES ('$formatted_timestamp')";
// Execute the query