What potential pitfalls should developers be aware of when using the date() function in PHP?
When using the date() function in PHP, developers should be aware of the potential pitfalls related to timezones. If the timezone is not explicitly set, the function will default to the server's timezone, which may lead to unexpected results when working with dates and times. To avoid this issue, developers should always set the timezone using date_default_timezone_set() before using the date() function.
// Set the timezone to the desired value
date_default_timezone_set('America/New_York');
// Use the date() function with the specified timezone
$date = date('Y-m-d H:i:s');
echo $date;