How to compare two DateTime objects to determine which one is earlier or later in PHP?

In PHP, you can compare two DateTime objects using the compare() method. The compare() method returns an integer value that indicates the relationship between the two DateTime objects.

Here's an example of how to compare two DateTime objects in PHP:

// Create two DateTime objects
$date1 = new DateTime('2021-01-01');
$date2 = new DateTime('2022-01-01');

// Compare the two DateTime objects
$result = $date1->compare($date2);

// Check the result
if ($result < 0) {
    echo "Date 1 is earlier than Date 2";
} elseif ($result > 0) {
    echo "Date 1 is later than Date 2";
} else {
    echo "Both dates are equal";
}

In this example, we create two DateTime objects $date1 and $date2. We then use the compare() method to compare these two DateTime objects. The result of the comparison is stored in the variable $result.

Next, we check the value of $result to determine the relationship between the two DateTime objects. If $result is less than 0, it means $date1 is earlier than $date2. If $result is greater than 0, it means $date1 is later than $date2. If $result is 0, it means both dates are equal.