Generate a twitter like timespan from a given timestamp in Symfony2 or ZF2

 
// the following line is used in Symfony2, you may use it if your project is Symfony2
//namespace ApplicationNpndBundleHelper;
 
/**
 * TimespanHelper.
 *
 * generate a twitter like timespan from a give timestamp
 *
 * @package    Npnd
 * @subpackage Helper
 * @author     Nurul Ferdous <nurul.ferdous@gmail.com>
 */
class TimespanHelper
{
 
    /**
     * @var integer $timstamp
     */
    private $_formattedString;
    /**
     * @var object $_config
     */
    protected $_config;
 
    /**
     * Constructor.
     *
     * return the formatted timstamp from given array
     *
     * @param Array $config
     * @return string formatted timstamp with ago [like twitter]
     */
    public function __construct(Array $config = null)
    {
        $this->_init();
 
        if (count($config) && is_array($config)) {
            $this->_config = (object) array_merge((array) $this->_config, $config);
        }
 
        return $this->getTimeSince();
    }
 
    /**
     * initializing default configuration
     * 
     */
    private function _init()
    {
        $this->_config = new stdClass();
        $this->_config->from = 1;
        $this->_config->to = time();
        $this->_config->buffer = '259200';
        $this->_config->lang_year = 'Year';
        $this->_config->lang_month = 'Month';
        $this->_config->lang_week = 'Week';
        $this->_config->lang_day = 'Day';
        $this->_config->lang_hour = 'Hour';
        $this->_config->lang_minute = 'Minute';
        $this->_config->lang_second = 'Second';
        $this->_config->lang_ago = 'ago';
        $this->_config->moment_ago = 'a moment ago';
        $this->_formattedString = $this->_config->moment_ago;
    }
 
    /**
     * property getter magic function
     *
     * @param string> $prop
     * @return string
     */
    public function __get($prop)
    {
        return $this->$prop;
    }
 
    /**
     * property setter magic function
     *
     * @param string> $prop
     * @return string
     */
    public function __set($prop, $val)
    {
        $this->$prop = $val;
    }
 
    /**
     * render the returned string to browser
     * 
     * @return string returned value
     */
    public function __toString()
    {
        return $this->_formattedString;
    }
 
    /**
     * get twitter like timstampspan
     *
     * @param integer $time timestamp
     * @param array $config
     * @return string formatted timstamp with ago [like twitter]
     */
    public function getTimeSince($time = false, $config = array())
    {
        if (count($config) && is_array($config)) {
            $this->_config = (object) array_merge((array) $this->_config, $config);
        }
 
        if ($this->_config->to <= $this->_config->from) {
            $this->_config->from = 1;
        } else {
            $this->_config->from = $this->_config->to - $this->_config->from;
        }
 
        if ($this->_config->from > $this->_config->to) {
            return date('M jS, Y', $this->_config->from);
        }
 
        $str = '';
        $years = floor($this->_config->from / 31536000);
 
        if ($years > 0) {
            $str .= $years . ' ' . (($years > 1) ? $this->_config->lang_year . 's' : $this->_config->lang_year) . ', ';
        }
 
        $this->_config->from -= $years * 31536000;
        $months = floor($this->_config->from / 2628000);
 
        if ($years > 0 OR $months > 0) {
            if ($months > 0) {
                $str .= $months . ' ' . (($months > 1) ? $this->_config->lang_month . 's' : $this->_config->lang_month) . ', ';
            }
 
            $this->_config->from -= $months * 2628000;
        }
 
        $weeks = floor($this->_config->from / 604800);
 
        if ($years > 0 OR $months > 0 OR $weeks > 0) {
            if ($weeks > 0) {
                $str .= $weeks . ' ' . (($weeks > 1) ? $this->_config->lang_week . 's' : $this->_config->lang_week) . ', ';
            }
 
            $this->_config->from -= $weeks * 604800;
        }
 
        $days = floor($this->_config->from / 86400);
 
        if ($months > 0 OR $weeks > 0 OR $days > 0) {
            if ($days > 0) {
                $str .= $days . ' ' . (($days > 1) ? $this->_config->lang_day . 's' : $this->_config->lang_day) . ', ';
            }
 
            $this->_config->from -= $days * 86400;
        }
 
        $hours = floor($this->_config->from / 3600);
 
        if ($days > 0 OR $hours > 0) {
            if ($hours > 0) {
                $str .= $hours . ' ' . (($hours > 1) ? $this->_config->lang_hour . 's' : $this->_config->lang_hour) . ', ';
            }
 
            $this->_config->from -= $hours * 3600;
        }
 
        $minutes = floor($this->_config->from / 60);
 
        if ($days > 0 OR $hours > 0 OR $minutes > 0) {
            if ($minutes > 0) {
                $str .= $minutes . ' ' . (($minutes > 1) ? $this->_config->lang_minute . 's' : $this->_config->lang_minute) . ', ';
            }
 
            $this->_config->from -= $minutes * 60;
        }
 
        if ($str == '') {
            $str .= $this->_config->from . ' ' . (($this->_config->from > 1) ? $this->_config->lang_second . 's' : $this->_config->lang_second) . ', ';
        }
        $this->_formattedString = substr(trim($str), 0, -1) . ' ' . $this->_config->lang_ago;
        return $this->_formattedString;
    }
 
    /**
     * calculate and return human readable time
     *
     * @param array $config $config['from'] and $config['to']
     * @return string date difference
     */
    public function dateDiff(Array $config)
    {
        $config['lang_ago'] = '';
        $this->_config = (object) array_merge((array) $this->_config, $config);
        return $this->getTimeSince();
    }
 
    /**
     * Returns the canonical name of this helper.
     *
     * @return string The canonical name
     */
    public function getName()
    {
        return 'timespan';
    }
 
}

 
require_once 'TimespanHelper.php';
/**
 * example-1
 */
echo new TimespanHelper(array('from' => time() - 18600));
 
/**
 * example-2
 */
echo new TimespanHelper(array('from' => 317144200, 'to' => strtotime('Jan 20th, 2000')));
 
 
/**
 * example-2
 */
$time = new TimespanHelper();
echo $time->dateDiff(array('from' => 317144200, 'to' => strtotime('Jan 20th, 2000')));
 
?>