PHP time

How could i display diffrent lines of text based on the time, for example i want to make it so when my server time is 2:00am it will display that we are open untill the server time is 3:00am. Then it will go back to saying that we are closed, then again at 9:00pm untill 10:00pm it will say that we are open.

Code:

---

<?php $hr = date('G'); ?>
<?php if($hr == 2 || $hr == 9) { ?>

<p>We're open.</p>

<?php } else { ?>

<p>We're closed.</p>

<?php } ?>

---

Is there anyway to do something by the hour? Like every hour function update() is called, and it updates every users information.

Cron Jobs are probably better at this then PHP.However yo can do it with PHP like this.

PHP Code:

---

<?php
function update(){
//this will be called once per hour
return true;
}
$current_time = mktime();
$last_updated = file_get_contents("last_updated.txt");
$diff = $current_time - $last_updated;
if($diff >= 3600){
//it has been an hour since update
    update();
    if($fp = @fopen("last_updated.txt","w")) { 
        //Write time to file
          $contents = fwrite($fp,$current_time); 
          fclose($fp);  
    }
    else{
    die("Could not write to file")
    }
}
?>

---

Aha, brilliant. Thank you.

Hmm... but if nobody visits it for an hour, that hour's update will be neglected. I'd keep current. This can also be simplified drastically:

Code:

---

define('DATA_FILE', 'update_tracker.dat');
$c = floor(date('U') / 60 / 60 / 24);
$fc = file(DATA_FILE) or die('Failed to open file for reading.');
$l = $fc[0];

while($l++ < $c)
  update();

$f = fopen(DATA_FILE, 'w') or die('Failed to open file for writing.');
fwrite($f, $c);
fclose($f);

---

blm126: Single quotes are significantly faster to parse than double, and so should be used wherever double quotes are not needed.

Twey, would you mind explaining your code please? It's pretty complicated to me, i dont know how to work with files yet.

I've linked to the relevant documentation. Does that help?

Great. Thanks. :D

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Twey

Code:

---

<?php $hr = date('G'); ?>
<?php if($hr == 2 || $hr == 9) { ?>

<p>We're open.</p>

<?php } else { ?>

<p>We're closed.</p>

<?php } ?>

---

---

it works, thank you!

Twey: Thanks for the tip I've never heard that before. Also I might have done my math wrong, but won't your code only run update() once a day. I think it should be this.

PHP Code:

---

<?php
define('DATA_FILE', 'update_tracker.dat');
$c = floor(date('U') / 60 / 60);
//Removed the extra /24 above
$fc = file(DATA_FILE) or die('Failed to open file for reading.');
$l = $fc[0];

while($l++ < $c)
  update();

$f = fopen(DATA_FILE, 'w') or die('Failed to open file for writing.');
fwrite($f, $c);
fclose($f);
?>

---

I understand the functions going on in that script, but can one of you please explain to me the theory behind the script? Like, the while loop in particular.

The file update_tracker.dat is used to keep track of when update() was last run.When the script loads it compares the current time($c) to the time held in update_tracker.dat($l).The while loop is used to run update() once for every hour that has passed.Then the current time is saved to update_tracker.dat

Quote:

---

Also I might have done my math wrong, but won't your code only run update() once a day.

---

Yep, you're right. I was never good at maths. :p

Dang this is confusing. :o
I get everything except, lets say someone accesses the page and that script is run, then 2 hours later the script is run again, that would write to the file something like 2:00pm, 4:00pm, but it would leave out 3:00pm so wouldn't the update not happen at 3?

That's what my code is for.

Breaking them both down into English, on each access, blm126's code will

• open the file and check if it's been run this hour;
• if so, run the function;
• update the file.

Mine will

• open the file and check when it was last run;
• for each hour in which it wasn't run, call the function once;
• update the file.

The updates won't necessarily happen on time, but they will all happen.

Ooooohhhh.
Okay, now i get it. I'm not good with date functions nor file functions. :p
Thanks. :D