What are some common challenges when using PHP and MySQL together for time calculations?

One common challenge when using PHP and MySQL together for time calculations is handling time zone differences between the server and client. To solve this issue, it's important to consistently set and convert time zones to ensure accurate time calculations. 

// Set the default time zone for PHP
date_default_timezone_set('America/New_York');

// Set the time zone for MySQL connection
$mysqli = new mysqli("localhost", "user", "password", "database");
$mysqli->query("SET time_zone = '-04:00'");

// Convert MySQL timestamp to PHP timestamp with correct time zone
$query = $mysqli->query("SELECT created_at FROM table");
while ($row = $query->fetch_assoc()) {
    $created_at = new DateTime($row['created_at'], new DateTimeZone('UTC'));
    $created_at->setTimezone(new DateTimeZone('America/New_York'));
    echo $created_at->format('Y-m-d H:i:s') . "\n";
}

Keywords

PHP MySQL time calculations timezone date functions

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