Verify valid date using PHP's DateTime class

Question

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); } 

Answer 1

You can try this one:

static public function verifyDate($date) {     return (DateTime::createFromFormat('m/d/Y', $date) !== false); } 

This outputs true/false. You could return DateTime object directly:

static public function verifyDate($date) {     return DateTime::createFromFormat('m/d/Y', $date); } 

Then you get back a DateTime object or false on failure.

UPDATE:

Thanks to Elvis Ciotti who showed that createFromFormat accepts invalid dates like 45/45/2014. More information on that: https://stackoverflow.com/a/10120725/1948627

I've extended the method with a strict check option:

static public function verifyDate($date, $strict = true) {     $dateTime = DateTime::createFromFormat('m/d/Y', $date);     if ($strict) {         $errors = DateTime::getLastErrors();         if (!empty($errors['warning_count'])) {             return false;         }     }     return $dateTime !== false; } 

Answer 2

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}