How to Insert Current Date Automatically on a Webpage

The "PHP Date()" function can be used to automatically insert the current date into a webpage. The date function uses single characters to format the output (see Resources below). You can use the date function to display the date numerically or as a text string depending on the characters used. You can also print the current time using this function. In order to use the date function on a web page, you must place it within a PHP script.

Instructions

1. Open the HTML document in a text editor such as Windows Notepad.

2. Locate the section of the document where you want to insert the date.

3. Type the line "<?php" to begin the PHP script.

4. Type the line "echo date ("m/d/Y")."<br ?>";" to insert the current date on the screen. This will format the date as 01/01/2000.

5. Type the line "?>" to end the PHP script.

6. Save the file with the PHP file extension.

References

• W3Schools.com: PHP Date() Function

Resources

• PHP.net: Format a Local Time/Date