Retrieve Input Dates as Carbon Instances with $request->date()

Use $request->date() to parse incoming HTTP request date strings directly into Carbon instances without manual Carbon::parse() boilerplate.

When validating and querying date filters (such as analytics date ranges or booking schedules), converting request strings into Carbon instances manually with Carbon::parse($request->input('start_date')) is repetitive and requires manual null checking.

Laravel provides the $request->date() method on all request objects.

Basic Date Retrieval

use Illuminate\Http\Request;

public function index(Request $request)
{
    // Returns a Carbon instance or null if the field is not present
    $startDate = $request->date('start_date');
    $endDate = $request->date('end_date') ?? now();

    $orders = Order::whereBetween('created_at', [$startDate, $endDate])->get();
}

Custom Date Formats and Timezones

Pass format strings and target timezones directly as optional arguments:

// Parse specific format and convert timezone
$scheduledAt = $request->date('scheduled_at', 'd/m/Y H:i', 'America/New_York');

Summary

• Returns an Illuminate\Support\Carbon instance or null.
• Prevents fatal errors from calling Carbon methods on empty request parameters.
• Accepts format specifications and custom timezone offsets.