How to format feed pubdate for display in rss widget

How is $pubdate generated? What happens if you simply echo $pubdate directly?

Echoed directly, $pubdate is: Sat, 13 Oct 2007 15:20:49 +0000

oh, you're just using the wrong function is all

use:
date('F j, Y', strtotime($pubdate));

I think it is a timestamp at the time the post was published (although you can alter that timestamp in the editor)

not sure  try echoing it

I dont see it listed in http://codex.wordpress.org/Template_Tags#Date_and_Time_tags but I think it is a sandard format for RSS feeds

@masonwolf - I have tried that precise function already actually - and it returns today's date for each post - though I have no idea why.

@singleton - i probably didn't clearly specify what i'm trying to do - i'm using a widget that allows for a more customized display of an RSS feed - the sidebar widget that comes with WP does not allow much customization.  With this widget, I can specify which elements of the feed I want displayed, based on the feed's element name.  So $pubdate is actually getting pulled from the feed itself, not from the WP db.  And in the feed, pubdate is stored as: (for example) Sat, 13 Oct 2007 15:20:49 +0000  

So given that date format, I'm trying to change it.   Thanks!

If I do this:
echo date('F j, Y', strtotime('Sat, 13 Oct 2007 15:20:49 +0000'));

I get:
October 13, 2007

I think you should try again. I gave you the right answer - promise!

Hi MasonWolf - I have no doubts your code is correct (I've used the date() and strtotime() and strftime() functions with other code - which is why I tried it here, in this WordPress widget.  I also tested with echoing the data specifically.  After looking through *all* of the widget's code however, I can see that the solution isn't going to be as quick as throwing in that one function, and that I'd have to change quite a bit more in the widget.  Ah well.  Thanks for your help!

I understand that you are doing it from the rss feed. My point is that pubdate was the date from the WP database when the post was added to the RSS Feed

Not one to give up easily, MasonWolf directs betagirl to http://ee-stuff.com and invites her to upload the complete source code for the widget - all while writing in the third person. (C'mon, give me a shot!)

Hi Masonwolf - I've uploaded the file here: http://www.ee-stuff.com/Expert/Upload/viewFilesQuestion.php?qid=22935524

Thanks for having a look!

Singleton - I thought perhaps you were thinking I was getting it straight from the db so would have more options for manipulating it.   I have another WP/RSS question, but it's not related to this so I'm going to post it separately - would appreciate you taking a look at that one too if you can.

strtotime has a string with the time as a parameter http://us.php.net/strtotime

You just have strtotime('pubdate')

Singleton is absolutely right. Use:
$pubdate = date('F j, Y', $pubdate);

I mean:
$pubdate = date('F j, Y', strtotime($pubdate));

Changed line 226 in that file to the above, and I'm still just getting today's date - November 3, 2007 for each post.  Another reason why I'm inclined to think that there is other code in this plugin that needs to be changed is because if I use this (literally): $pubdate = date('F j, Y', strtotime($whatever));  I get the same result (today's date).  So I think the problem is that the function is not reading in the value of 'pubdate' at this point in the code.  And I need it to have that value prior to be able to manipulate it of course.