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Python datetime module

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Python datetime module

The datetime module in Python provides classes for manipulating dates and times. Here’s a quick overview of the most commonly used classes and methods in the datetime module:

Classes

  1. datetime.date: Represents a date (year, month, and day).
  2. datetime.time: Represents a time (hour, minute, second, microsecond).
  3. datetime.datetime: Represents both date and time.
  4. datetime.timedelta: Represents the difference between two dates or times.
  5. datetime.tzinfo: A base class for dealing with time zones.

Example1 – Getting current date and time.

import datetime

# Current date and time
now = datetime.datetime.now()
print(now)

# Current date
today = datetime.date.today()
print(today)

# Output
2024-06-14 16:39:48.511139
2024-06-14

Example2 – Creating a specific date or time using date class.

# Creating a specific date
my_date = datetime.date(2024, 6, 14)
print(my_date)

# Creating a specific time
my_time = datetime.time(17, 7, 45)
print(my_time)

# Creating a specific datetime
my_datetime = datetime.datetime(2024, 6, 14, 17, 7, 45)
print(my_datetime)

# Output
2024-06-14
17:07:45
2024-06-14 17:07:45

Example3 – Formatting date using strftime()

import datetime

# Get the current date and time
current_date = datetime.datetime.now()
print("current_date: ", current_date)

formatted_date = current_date.strftime("%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S")
print("formatted_date: ", formatted_date)

# Output
current_date:  2024-06-14 17:18:56.158331
formatted_date:  2024-06-14 17:18:56

In this example, %Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S is the format string used with strftime to specify how the date and time should be formatted:

  • %Y: Year with century (e.g., 2024)
  • %m: Month as a zero-padded decimal number (e.g., 06)
  • %d: Day of the month as a zero-padded decimal number (e.g., 14)
  • %H: Hour (24-hour clock) as a zero-padded decimal number (e.g., 13)
  • %M: Minute as a zero-padded decimal number (e.g., 30)
  • %S: Second as a zero-padded decimal number (e.g., 45)

More examples of strftime()

current_date = datetime.datetime.now()
print("current_date: ", current_date)

# Example 1: "Month Day, Year Hour:Minute AM/PM"
formatted_date1 = current_date.strftime("%B %d, %Y %I:%M %p")
print("formatted_date1:", formatted_date1)

# Example 2: "Day-Month-Year Hour:Minute:Second"
formatted_date2 = current_date.strftime("%d-%m-%Y %H:%M:%S")
print("formatted_date2:", formatted_date2)

# Example 3: "Weekday, Month Day, Year"
formatted_date3 = current_date.strftime("%A, %B %d, %Y")
print("formatted_date3:", formatted_date3)

# Example 4: "Year-Month-Day"
formatted_date4 = current_date.strftime("%Y-%m-%d")
print("formatted_date4", formatted_date4)

# Output
current_date:  2024-06-14 17:26:47.417532
formatted_date1: June 14, 2024 05:26 PM
formatted_date2: 14-06-2024 17:26:47
formatted_date3: Friday, June 14, 2024
formatted_date4 2024-06-14

These examples show how flexible and powerful the strftime method can be for formatting dates and times in Python.

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