In the context of the PHP forum thread, what are the benefits of using classes like DateTime and DateInterval for handling dates and times?

When working with dates and times in PHP, using classes like DateTime and DateInterval can greatly simplify the process of handling and manipulating date and time values. These classes provide a wide range of methods for performing common operations such as adding or subtracting time intervals, formatting dates, and comparing dates. Additionally, they offer better timezone support and error handling compared to traditional date functions.

// Create a new DateTime object with the current date and time
$now = new DateTime();

// Add 1 day to the current date
$now->add(new DateInterval('P1D'));

// Format the date in a specific format
echo $now->format('Y-m-d H:i:s');