DateTime::createFromFormat(): Failed to parse time string in modx/date.php

Direct answer

The DateTime::createFromFormat() warning appears when the timezone token in your format string is given a value PHP cannot parse. In standard MODX, the core does not automatically convert stored UTC timestamps to each user's local timezone in the manager or front-end. It applies a single global timezone from the time_zone system setting during bootstrap.

Addressing your specific questions:

• Automatic UTC-to-locale conversion: Core MODX has no built-in per-user conversion mechanism. You must create the DateTime object in UTC and then call setTimezone() with the target user's zone.
• Unsupported timezone identifiers: Validate the string against timezone_identifiers_list() before formatting, or catch the Exception thrown by new DateTimeZone(). Route the failure through MODX's error handler or a lexicon entry rather than exposing the raw PHP warning.
• Per-user timezone setting: Standard MODX System Settings do not include a per-user timezone field. I cannot confirm any roadmap commitment for one; implementing it requires a custom extra or plugin that stores the preference and applies it during date rendering.

Likely explanation vs. confirmed facts

Confirmed: DateTime::createFromFormat() returns false and emits a warning when the input does not match the format, including an unrecognized timezone identifier. Separately, the DateTimeZone constructor throws an Exception for invalid strings, which is a distinct failure mode.

Likely: The value reaching modx/model/modx/date.php is empty, misspelled, or a non-IANA abbreviation while the format expects a valid identifier such as Europe/London.

Steps for this case

1. Read the intended timezone from your user profile or custom setting.
2. Validate it: if (!in_array($tz, timezone_identifiers_list())) { /* handle error */ }
3. Convert explicitly:

   $date = new DateTime('2026-10-15 12:00:00', new DateTimeZone('UTC'));
   $date->setTimezone(new DateTimeZone($tz));
   echo $date->format('Y-m-d H:i:s');

4. If you must call createFromFormat(), check its return value and fall back to a lexicon-backed error message instead of letting the warning propagate.

Verification

Reproduce the warning with a minimal script: DateTime::createFromFormat('Y-m-d H:i:s e', '2026-10-15 12:00:00 UTC-Wrong'). Compare date_default_timezone_get() with your MODX time_zone setting. Then run the UTC-to-target conversion above and confirm the offset matches the target zone.

Assumptions

This assumes an unmodified MODX core and no extra that overrides the date processor. If a third-party extra rewrites date.php behavior, the patch location may differ.