DateTime::createFromImmutable()

The original DateTime class that represents date and time information is, and has always been, mutable. This means that DateTime objects can be modified through methods such as DateTime::add().

The DateTimeImmutable class, which was added later, is, as its name gives away, immutable. Once created, a DateTimeImmutable object cannot be modified. This is great as immutable state should be favored over mutable state.

Ever since its introduction, the DateTimeImmutable provides the createFromMutable() method to create a DateTimeImmutable object based on an existing DateTime object:

$mutable   = new DateTime;
$immutable = DateTimeImmutable::createFromMutable($mutable);

The other way around, though, creating a DateTime object based on an existing DateTimeImmutable object was not as easy. This has been addressed with the introduction of the DateTime::createFromImmutable() method:

$immutable = new DateTimeImmutable;
$mutable   = DateTime::createFromImmutable($immutable);