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DatePoint: A new immutable date/time class for Symfony 6.4

DatePoint for Symfony 6.4

9 November

What is DatePoint?

DatePoint is a new immutable date/time class introduced in Symfony 6.4. It is designed to be a more robust and reliable alternative to the built-in PHP DateTime class. DatePoint provides a number of advantages over DateTime, including:

  • It is immutable, which makes it safer to use in multithreaded applications.
  • It has stricter error handling, which helps to prevent unexpected errors.
  • It provides a more consistent interface for working with dates and times.
  • It integrates seamlessly with the Symfony Clock component, which makes it easy to test time-sensitive code.

How to use DatePoint

To use DatePoint, simply create a new instance of the class, passing in the desired date and time. You can also create a DatePoint instance from an existing DateTime object.

// Create a DatePoint instance from a string
$firstPublicCommitOfSymfony = new DatePoint('2005-10-18 16:27:36 Europe/Paris');

// Create a DatePoint instance from the current time
$orderCreatedAt = new DatePoint();

// Create a DatePoint instance from an existing DateTime object
$welcomeDiscountValidUntil = new DatePoint('+1 month', reference: $user->getSignedUpAt());

Once you have a DatePoint instance, you can use it to perform all of the same operations that you would with a DateTime object. For example, you can get the date, time, timezone, and year of the DatePoint instance. You can also add, subtract, and compare DatePoint instances.

Using DatePoint with the Symfony Clock component

The Symfony Clock component provides a way to mock the current time for testing purposes. This can be useful for testing time-sensitive code, such as code that schedules tasks or sends notifications.

To use DatePoint with the Clock component, simply pass the Clock instance to the DatePoint constructor. For example:

$clock = new Clock('2023-10-31 00:28:05 PST');

$orderCreatedAt = new DatePoint(timezone: new \DateTimeZone('UTC'), clock: $clock);

This will create a DatePoint instance that represents the time 2023-10-31 00:28:05 PST, but in the UTC timezone.

Benefits of using DatePoint

There are a number of benefits to using DatePoint in your Symfony applications:

  • It is more robust and reliable than the built-in DateTime class.
  • It has stricter error handling, which helps to prevent unexpected errors.
  • It provides a more consistent interface for working with dates and times.
  • It integrates seamlessly with the Symfony Clock component, which makes it easy to test time-sensitive code.

If you are developing a new Symfony application, or if you are upgrading an existing application to Symfony 6.4, I encourage you to consider using DatePoint for all of your date and time needs.

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