How to use the MySQL ADDDATE() function

The ADDDATE() function in MySQL is used to add a time/date interval to a date and return a new date. It is useful for calculating future or past dates based on a start date and an interval.

Syntax

The syntax for ADDDATE() is:

ADDDATE(date, INTERVAL expr unit)

Where:

• date is the start date.
• expr is the amount to add.
• unit is the unit for the amount to add, like ‘DAY’, ‘WEEK’, ‘MONTH’ etc.

Examples

1. Add 10 days to the current date:

   SELECT ADDDATE(CURRENT_DATE, INTERVAL 10 DAY);
   

   This would return ‘2023-11-19’ with the current date being ‘2023-11-09’.

2. Subtract 5 months from the current date:

   SELECT ADDDATE(CURRENT_DATE, INTERVAL -5 MONTH);
   

   This would return ‘2023-06-09’.

3. Add 2 years and 3 months to a specific date:

   SELECT ADDDATE('2021-05-15', INTERVAL 2 YEAR 3 MONTH);
   

   This would return ‘2023-08-15’.

4. Calculate a past date by subtracting days:

   SELECT ADDDATE('2023-11-09', INTERVAL -7 DAY);
   

   This returns the date ‘2023-11-02’, 7 days before November 9, 2023.

5. Add 3 weeks to a date:

   SELECT ADDDATE('2023-10-12', INTERVAL 3 WEEK);
   

   This returns ‘2023-11-02’, 3 weeks after October 12, 2023.

Other Similar Functions

Other date/time manipulation functions in MySQL:

• DATE_ADD() - Same as ADDDATE()
• SUBDATE() - Subtract intervals from date
• DATEDIFF() - Get difference between two dates
• DATE_SUB() - Same as SUBDATE()

So ADDDATE() provides an easy way to calculate future or past dates by adding and subtracting intervals from dates in MySQL.