PHP: How to create a timestamp from pattern H:i (17:45)?

Question

my current code:

<?php
    $timestamp = DateTime::createFromFormat("d.m.Y H:i", $_POST["datetime"]);
    echo $timestamp; // works!
?>

Now I've a form with two fields: date and time, separated.

<?php
    $timestamp = DateTime::createFromFormat("d.m.Y", $_POST["date"]);
    echo $timestamp; // works!

    $timestamp = DateTime::createFromFormat("H:i", $_POST["time"]);
    echo $timestamp; // doesn't work (error below)!

    // Edit: 
    /* Fatal error: Call to a member function getTimestamp() on a non-object in */
?>

I would like to avoid using explode() with mktime(). That feels dirty and I think there could be another, clean way.

How would you create the timestamp from format?

Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

If you want to get the date and time from $_POST["date"] and $_POST["time"] Use following

DateTime::createFromFormat("d.m.Y H:i", $_POST["date"]." ".$_POST["time"]);

If you want to kow the number of seconds from midnight for that particular time you can however use this,

DateTime::createFromFormat("Ymd H:i", date("Ymd")." ".$_POST["time"]);

Answer 2

You can't. The timestamp requires a date in order to be calculated, and there isn't one available to use.

Answer 3

Use Date time's settime method

$timestamp = \DateTime::createFromFormat("d.m.Y", '10.10.2012');
$timestamp->setTime(17,12);
var_dump($timestamp);

Gives

object(DateTime)#1142 (3) { ["date"]=> string(19) "2012-10-10 17:12:00" ["timezone_type"]=> int(3) ["timezone"]=> string(3) "UTC" }