'Verify valid date using PHP's DateTime class

Below is how I previously verified dates. I also had my own functions to convert date formats, however, now am using PHP's DateTime class so no longer need them. How should I best verify a valid date using DataTime? Please also let me know whether you think I should be using DataTime in the first place. Thanks

PS. I am using Object oriented style, and not Procedural style.

static public function verifyDate($date)
{
  //Given m/d/Y and returns date if valid, else NULL.
  $d=explode('/',$date);
  return ((isset($d[0])&&isset($d[1])&&isset($d[2]))?(checkdate($d[0],$d[1],$d[2])?$date:NULL):NULL);
}


Solution 1:[1]

With DateTime you can make the shortest date&time validator for all formats.

function validateDate($date, $format = 'Y-m-d H:i:s')
{
    $d = DateTime::createFromFormat($format, $date);
    return $d && $d->format($format) == $date;
}

var_dump(validateDate('2012-02-28 12:12:12')); # true
var_dump(validateDate('2012-02-30 12:12:12')); # false

function was copied from this answer or php.net

Solution 2:[2]

You could check this resource: http://php.net/manual/en/datetime.getlasterrors.php

The PHP codes states:

try {
    $date = new DateTime('asdfasdf');
} catch (Exception $e) {
    print_r(DateTime::getLastErrors());
    // or
    echo $e->getMessage();
}

Solution 3:[3]

Try this:

  function is_valid_date($date,$format='dmY')
  {
    $f = DateTime::createFromFormat($format, $date);
    $valid = DateTime::getLastErrors();         
    return ($valid['warning_count']==0 and $valid['error_count']==0);
  }

Solution 4:[4]

$date[] = '20/11/2569';     
$date[] = 'lksdjflskdj'; 
$date[] = '11/21/1973 10:20:30';
$date[] = '21/11/1973 10:20:30';
$date[] = " ' or uid like '%admin%"; 
foreach($date as $dt)echo date('Y-m-d H:i:s', strtotime($dt))."\n";

Output

1970-01-01 05:30:00
1970-01-01 05:30:00
1970-01-01 05:30:00
1973-11-21 10:20:30
1970-01-01 05:30:00
1970-01-01 05:30:00

Solution 5:[5]

I needed to allow user input in (n) different, known, formats...including microtime. Here is an example with 3.

function validateDate($date)
{
    $formats = ['Y-m-d','Y-m-d H:i:s','Y-m-d H:i:s.u'];
    foreach($formats as $format) {
        $d = DateTime::createFromFormat($format, $date);
        if ($d && $d->format($format) == $date) return true;
    }
    return false;
}

Solution 6:[6]

With the following an empty string like '' or 0 or '0000-00-00 00:00:00' is false

$valid = strtotime($date) > 0;

Sources

This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Overflow and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Source: Stack Overflow

Solution Source
Solution 1 Glavić
Solution 2 shadyyx
Solution 3 AstroCB
Solution 4 bluepinto
Solution 5 julius patta
Solution 6 M-Phil