How can the SQL command SELECT UNIX_TIMESTAMP() be used effectively in PHP?

When using the SQL command SELECT UNIX_TIMESTAMP(), it returns the current Unix timestamp from the database server. This can be useful when you want to retrieve the current timestamp directly from the database in a PHP application. To use this effectively in PHP, you can fetch the result of the query and use it in your PHP code for various purposes like timestamping records or performing time-based operations.

<?php
// Assuming you have a database connection established

// Execute the SQL query to get the current Unix timestamp
$query = "SELECT UNIX_TIMESTAMP() as current_timestamp";
$result = mysqli_query($connection, $query);

if($result){
    $row = mysqli_fetch_assoc($result);
    $currentTimestamp = $row['current_timestamp'];

    // Now you can use $currentTimestamp in your PHP code
    echo "Current Unix timestamp: " . $currentTimestamp;
} else {
    echo "Error executing query: " . mysqli_error($connection);
}

// Remember to close the database connection
mysqli_close($connection);
?>