Datepicker & timestamps

LeonP · November 30, 2011, 2:03pm

I want to use a datepicker on a form, but in the background, store a timestamp in the database.

The user (via the web page) should only ever see a nicely formatted date.

Any suggestions on how to achieve this ?

Leon

Da_Sourcerer · November 30, 2011, 2:22pm

You can override the beforeSave() and afterFind() methods in your model. Also: Check if the DATETIME field type doesn’t suit your needs better.

LeonP · November 30, 2011, 2:36pm

Thanks for the suggestion, I thought that may be the case.

DATETIME field could be an option, but I would still have to do some data processing since mySQL stores in an american format, rather than the more commonly used format in the UK.

Da_Sourcerer · November 30, 2011, 2:44pm

Are you going to deploy on a single-purpose box? The date format can be changed within MySQL. I have to admit, that’s a bit of an overkill, though The change to a DATETIME field can yield many benefits, btw: There are some nifty things MySQL can do with that.

Anyway: If you need this more than once, write a behaviour catching up on the beforeSave() and afterFind() handlers. Saves you a significant amount of both, time and sanity

LeonP · November 30, 2011, 2:54pm

Can you provide more info on what you mean by this ?

I’m fairly new to it

Thanks, Leon

Da_Sourcerer · November 30, 2011, 3:13pm

Just have a look at what the CTimestampBehavior does. It is close to what you need. You might want to check the Yii Guide’s section on behaviours as well.