How to check the data format in PHP

Question

I am trying to check a date format to see if I can check the data variable has certain format like MM-DD-YYYY. if not, then exit(). I am not sure how to check the format and wou

Answer 1

If I understand you correctly, you want to check a string to make sure it follows the MM-DD-YYYY pattern?

If so, I would suggest two checks: one to make sure it follows the general pattern of digits, and another to check that the months are first and days are second.

function checkDate( $date )
{

    if (preg_match("/[0|1][0-9]/[0-9][1-9]/[0-9]{4}/",$date)
    {
        if (substr($date,0,2)<=12 && substr($date,3,2)<=31)
        {
             return true;
        }
    }
    return false

}

Update: Added an additional check on the days to make sure it is valid, based on NullUser's comment