XF 2.0 Should I use time() or \XF::$time in my code?

[Tommi Gustafsson]

I noticed that Xenforo uses \XF::$time in many places in the code.
If I want to get current time, should I use time() or \XF::$time?
What is difference of the two?

Thanks,
Tommi

 

[Chris D]

We tend to use time() as much as possible these days. That’s specifically the current server time stamp when the function runs. By contrast $time is the time stamp at the start of the request and it stays the same for the duration of the request.

Generally it’s just a case of weighing up which is most relevant to your usage but 9 times out of 10 you can likely just use either.

 

[Sim]

Two calls to time() during the execution of your script may return a different result (because you know - time passes) - so if it's important to have something consistent to compare to, use \XF::$time because it won't change.

I tend to find myself using \XF::$time in most cases, but usually just as a matter of personal preference. It's rare that it matters - although I did have a case the other day where it was better use time() instead.