Laravel 9 - How to handle timezone conversion in Eloquent when saving dates?
I've encountered a strange issue with I'm currently working on a Laravel 9 application where I need to handle the storage of dates in UTC while allowing users to input dates in their local timezone... I've set up my MySQL database to store dates as UTC, but I'm running into trouble converting user input from their local timezone to UTC before saving it. I have a `User` model with a `birthdate` attribute that I want to save in UTC. Here's the relevant part of my controller where I handle the request: ```php public function store(Request $request) { $request->validate([ 'birthdate' => 'required|date', ]); // User's local timezone, for example, from a user profile or request $userTimezone = $request->user()->timezone; // Convert birthdate to UTC $birthdate = Carbon::createFromFormat('Y-m-d', $request->birthdate, $userTimezone); $utcBirthdate = $birthdate->setTimezone('UTC'); $user = new User(); $user->birthdate = $utcBirthdate; $user->save(); return response()->json(['message' => 'User created successfully!']); } ``` However, I keep getting a `DateTime::__construct(): Failed to parse time string` behavior when trying to create the `Carbon` instance. I've verified that the input date format is correct, and I'm also trying to log the `$request->birthdate` to see its value before parsing, but it seems inconsistent. Some users input dates as `YYYY-MM-DD`, while others might use different formats. Is there a more robust way to handle this conversion and potential format issues? How can I ensure that the input is in the correct format, and what is the best practice for converting user input dates to UTC in Laravel? I want to avoid any unexpected behavior when different formats or timezones are involved.