Python datetime Module

The datetime module in Python provides classes for manipulating dates and times. It includes functions for both simple and complex date and time manipulations. This module allows you to create, format, and work with dates and times in an intuitive way.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. datetime Classes
   • datetime.date
   • datetime.time
   • datetime.datetime
   • datetime.timedelta
   • datetime.tzinfo
   • datetime.timezone
3. Common Operations
   • Creating Dates and Times
   • Formatting and Parsing Dates and Times
   • Arithmetic with Dates and Times
   • Timezone Handling
4. Examples
   • Current Date and Time
   • Formatting Dates and Times
   • Parsing Strings into Dates and Times
   • Date and Time Arithmetic
   • Timezone-Aware Dates and Times
5. Real-World Use Case
6. Conclusion
7. References

Introduction

The Python datetime module provides classes for manipulating dates and times. It includes functions for parsing and formatting dates, performing arithmetic on date and time objects, and working with time zones. Key classes include datetime, date, time, and timedelta, each offering various methods to handle date and time operations. This module is essential for applications requiring date and time manipulations.

datetime Classes

datetime.date

Represents a date (year, month, and day) in an idealized calendar, independent of any particular day.

from datetime import date

today = date.today()
print(today)

Output:

2024-07-27

datetime.time

Represents a time, independent of any particular day.

from datetime import time

current_time = time(14, 30, 45)
print(current_time)

Output:

14:30:45

datetime.datetime

Combines a date and a time. Attributes: year, month, day, hour, minute, second, microsecond, and tzinfo.

from datetime import datetime

now = datetime.now()
print(now)

Output:

2024-07-27 11:08:22.961065

datetime.timedelta

Represents the difference between two dates or times.

from datetime import timedelta

delta = timedelta(days=5, hours=3, minutes=10)
print(delta)

Output:

5 days, 3:10:00

datetime.tzinfo

An abstract base class for dealing with time zones.

datetime.timezone

A class that implements the tzinfo abstract base class as a fixed offset from the UTC.

from datetime import timezone, timedelta

tz = timezone(timedelta(hours=5, minutes=30))
print(tz)

Output:

UTC+05:30

Common Operations

Creating Dates and Times

Create specific dates, times, and datetime objects.

from datetime import date, time, datetime

specific_date = date(2024, 7, 25)
specific_time = time(14, 30, 45)
specific_datetime = datetime(2024, 7, 25, 14, 30, 45)
print(specific_date, specific_time, specific_datetime)

Output:

2024-07-25 14:30:45 2024-07-25 14:30:45

Formatting and Parsing Dates and Times

Format dates and times using strftime and parse strings into dates and times using strptime.

from datetime import datetime

now = datetime.now()
formatted = now.strftime("%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S")
print(formatted)

parsed = datetime.strptime("2024-07-25 14:30:45", "%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S")
print(parsed)

Output:

2024-07-27 11:08:23
2024-07-25 14:30:45

Arithmetic with Dates and Times

Add and subtract timedelta objects to perform date and time arithmetic.

from datetime import datetime, timedelta

now = datetime.now()
future = now + timedelta(days=10)
past = now - timedelta(days=10)
print(future, past)

Output:

2024-08-06 11:08:23.216066 2024-07-17 11:08:23.216066

Timezone Handling

Work with timezone-aware dates and times.

from datetime import datetime, timezone, timedelta

now_utc = datetime.now(timezone.utc)
print(now_utc)

local_tz = timezone(timedelta(hours=5, minutes=30))
now_local = now_utc.astimezone(local_tz)
print(now_local)

Output:

2024-07-27 05:38:23.263065+00:00
2024-07-27 11:08:23.263065+05:30

Examples

Current Date and Time

Get the current date and time.

from datetime import datetime

now = datetime.now()
print(now)

Output:

2024-07-27 11:08:23.306067

Formatting Dates and Times

Format the current date and time.

from datetime import datetime

now = datetime.now()
formatted = now.strftime("%A, %B %d, %Y %I:%M%p")
print(formatted)

Output:

Saturday, July 27, 2024 11:08AM

Parsing Strings into Dates and Times

Parse a string into a datetime object.

from datetime import datetime

date_string = "2024-07-25 14:30:45"
parsed_date = datetime.strptime(date_string, "%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S")
print(parsed_date)

Output:

2024-07-25 14:30:45

Date and Time Arithmetic

Perform arithmetic with dates and times.

from datetime import datetime, timedelta

now = datetime.now()
next_week = now + timedelta(weeks=1)
last_week = now - timedelta(weeks=1)
print(next_week, last_week)

Output:

2024-08-03 11:08:23.460065 2024-07-20 11:08:23.460065

Timezone-Aware Dates and Times

Work with timezone-aware datetime objects.

from datetime import datetime, timezone, timedelta

now_utc = datetime.now(timezone.utc)
print(now_utc)

local_tz = timezone(timedelta(hours=5, minutes=30))
now_local = now_utc.astimezone(local_tz)
print(now_local)

Output:

2024-07-27 05:38:23.501065+00:00
2024-07-27 11:08:23.501065+05:30

Real-World Use Case

Scheduling Future Events

Suppose you are building a scheduling application and need to calculate the date and time for future events.

from datetime import datetime, timedelta

def schedule_event(start_date, days_until_event):
    event_date = start_date + timedelta(days=days_until_event)
    return event_date

start_date = datetime(2024, 7, 25, 14, 30)
event_date = schedule_event(start_date, 30)
print(f"Event Date: {event_date}")

Output:

Event Date: 2024-08-24 14:30:00

Conclusion

The datetime module in Python provides a robust set of tools for working with dates and times. Whether you need to create specific dates, format them for display, parse strings into dates, perform arithmetic, or handle timezones, the datetime module has you covered. By leveraging these capabilities, you can effectively manage and manipulate date and time data in your applications.

References

• Python datetime module documentation