If you've just started with PHP, one of the things that you might not have messed with yet is the date/time functionality that's built in to the language. These functions allow you to create scripts that can read, write, add, subtract, and (well, you get the idea) time and dates. Hopefully, if you're wanting to use it, you can take a look at this new article from DevArticles for some help.

This latest piece, Practical Date/Time examples with PHP and MySQL, doesn't just tell you what the functions are - it shows you how to use them to get the job done. Working with Unix timestamps can be a little tricky until you get used to them, and pushing and pulling them from the database adds just another level of technical prowess. They use the illustrations of "How old am I?" and "How long until..." to show you how to take these timestamps and shape them into something your script can use.

There are some really great functions in PHP for working with timestamps and dates in general. Chances are, if you're looking for a way to convert a date from one format to another, or just need something to help with logging times - you can get creative with the date functions, and come out on top.