What is the recommended data type in MySQL for storing dates in a PHP application?

When storing dates in a MySQL database for a PHP application, the recommended data type to use is the "DATE" data type. This data type allows you to store dates in the format 'YYYY-MM-DD' and provides efficient storage and retrieval of date values. By using the DATE data type, you can easily perform date-related operations and queries in your PHP application. 

// Create a table with a DATE column to store dates
$sql = "CREATE TABLE events (
    id INT AUTO_INCREMENT PRIMARY KEY,
    event_name VARCHAR(255) NOT NULL,
    event_date DATE
)";
mysqli_query($conn, $sql);

// Insert a date into the table
$date = '2022-01-01';
$sql = "INSERT INTO events (event_name, event_date) VALUES ('New Year's Eve Party', '$date')";
mysqli_query($conn, $sql);

// Retrieve and display events happening after a specific date
$specific_date = '2022-01-01';
$sql = "SELECT * FROM events WHERE event_date > '$specific_date'";
$result = mysqli_query($conn, $sql);

while($row = mysqli_fetch_assoc($result)) {
    echo $row['event_name'] . ' - ' . $row['event_date'] . '<br>';
}

Keywords

MySQL data type dates PHP application recommended

Related Questions