Question 1

How to use Date in a non-Laravel PHP project?

Accepted Answer

Install via Composer, then manually set the locale with Date::setLocale() before using methods like format() or parse. Unlike Laravel, there's no automatic locale detection, so you need to manage locale in your codebase.

Question 2

Date vs Carbon for multi-language dates?

Accepted Answer

Date extends Carbon specifically for localization, so if you need translated format() and diffForHumans() or reverse parsing, choose Date. Carbon has some basic localization, but Date provides more seamless integration and broader language features.

Question 3

How to parse a Spanish date string with Date?

Accepted Answer

Set the locale to Spanish using Date::setLocale('es'), then use parse() or createFromFormat() with Spanish input, e.g., Date::parse('lunes 1 enero 2024'). The library handles the translation internally.

Question 4

Does Date work with all Carbon methods?

Accepted Answer

Yes, Date inherits every Carbon method, so you can use Carbon's date creation, manipulation, and formatting. It adds localization for specific methods and extras like timespan(), but core functionality remains unchanged.

Question 5

What's the performance impact of using Date?

Accepted Answer

There's a slight overhead due to the translation layer, but for most web applications, it's negligible. In high-throughput scenarios, consider caching formatted dates or benchmarking against plain Carbon.

Question 6

How to add a new language translation to Date?

Accepted Answer

Translations are managed by the Carbon project, so contribute to Carbon's language files on GitHub. Date will automatically pick up new translations in updates, as it relies on Carbon's translation system.

Laravel Date

What is Laravel Date?

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