Python Datetime

Welcome to codeswithpankaj.com! In this tutorial, we will explore the datetime module in Python. We'll cover how to work with dates and times, how to format and manipulate them, and provide detailed examples to illustrate their application.

Introduction to datetime
Getting the Current Date and Time
Creating Date and Time Objects
Formatting Dates and Times
Parsing Dates from Strings
Calculating Time Differences
Working with Time Zones
Practical Examples
Summary

1. Introduction to `datetime`

What is the `datetime` Module?

The datetime module in Python provides classes for manipulating dates and times. It allows you to work with date and time objects, format them, and perform arithmetic operations on them.

Key Classes

datetime.date: Represents a date (year, month, day).
datetime.time: Represents a time (hour, minute, second, microsecond).
datetime.datetime: Combines date and time.
datetime.timedelta: Represents the difference between two dates or times.
datetime.timezone: Represents a time zone.

2. Getting the Current Date and Time

Example: Getting the Current Date and Time

import datetime

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

# Get the current date
today = datetime.date.today()
print("Current date:", today)

# Get the current time
current_time = datetime.datetime.now().time()
print("Current time:", current_time)

3. Creating Date and Time Objects

Example: Creating a Date Object

import datetime

# Create a date object
date_obj = datetime.date(2024, 8, 5)
print("Date object:", date_obj)

Example: Creating a Time Object

import datetime

# Create a time object
time_obj = datetime.time(14, 30, 45)
print("Time object:", time_obj)

Example: Creating a Datetime Object

import datetime

# Create a datetime object
datetime_obj = datetime.datetime(2024, 8, 5, 14, 30, 45)
print("Datetime object:", datetime_obj)

4. Formatting Dates and Times

Example: Formatting a Date

import datetime

# Create a date object
date_obj = datetime.date(2024, 8, 5)

# Format the date
formatted_date = date_obj.strftime("%B %d, %Y")
print("Formatted date:", formatted_date)

Example: Formatting a Time

import datetime

# Create a time object
time_obj = datetime.time(14, 30, 45)

# Format the time
formatted_time = time_obj.strftime("%H:%M:%S")
print("Formatted time:", formatted_time)

Example: Formatting a Datetime

import datetime

# Create a datetime object
datetime_obj = datetime.datetime(2024, 8, 5, 14, 30, 45)

# Format the datetime
formatted_datetime = datetime_obj.strftime("%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S")
print("Formatted datetime:", formatted_datetime)

5. Parsing Dates from Strings

Example: Parsing a Date from a String

import datetime

# Parse a date from a string
date_str = "August 5, 2024"
date_obj = datetime.datetime.strptime(date_str, "%B %d, %Y").date()
print("Parsed date:", date_obj)

Example: Parsing a Datetime from a String

import datetime

# Parse a datetime from a string
datetime_str = "2024-08-05 14:30:45"
datetime_obj = datetime.datetime.strptime(datetime_str, "%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S")
print("Parsed datetime:", datetime_obj)

6. Calculating Time Differences

Example: Calculating the Difference Between Two Dates

import datetime

# Create two date objects
date1 = datetime.date(2024, 8, 5)
date2 = datetime.date(2023, 8, 5)

# Calculate the difference
difference = date1 - date2
print("Difference between dates:", difference)

Example: Calculating the Difference Between Two Datetimes

import datetime

# Create two datetime objects
datetime1 = datetime.datetime(2024, 8, 5, 14, 30, 45)
datetime2 = datetime.datetime(2023, 8, 5, 12, 15, 30)

# Calculate the difference
difference = datetime1 - datetime2
print("Difference between datetimes:", difference)

7. Working with Time Zones

Example: Adding Time Zone Information

import datetime

# Create a datetime object
datetime_obj = datetime.datetime(2024, 8, 5, 14, 30, 45)

# Create a time zone object
timezone_obj = datetime.timezone(datetime.timedelta(hours=-5))

# Add the time zone information to the datetime object
datetime_with_timezone = datetime_obj.replace(tzinfo=timezone_obj)
print("Datetime with time zone:", datetime_with_timezone)

Example: Converting Between Time Zones

import datetime

# Create a datetime object with time zone information
datetime_obj = datetime.datetime(2024, 8, 5, 14, 30, 45, tzinfo=datetime.timezone.utc)

# Convert to another time zone
new_timezone = datetime.timezone(datetime.timedelta(hours=-5))
converted_datetime = datetime_obj.astimezone(new_timezone)
print("Converted datetime:", converted_datetime)

8. Practical Examples

Example 1: Getting the Weekday of a Date

import datetime

# Get the weekday of a date
date_obj = datetime.date(2024, 8, 5)
weekday = date_obj.strftime("%A")
print("Weekday:", weekday)

Example 2: Adding Days to a Date

import datetime

# Create a date object
date_obj = datetime.date(2024, 8, 5)

# Add 10 days to the date
new_date = date_obj + datetime.timedelta(days=10)
print("New date:", new_date)

Example 3: Calculating Age

import datetime

# Define the birthdate
birthdate = datetime.date(1990, 8, 5)

# Get the current date
today = datetime.date.today()

# Calculate the age
age = today.year - birthdate.year - ((today.month, today.day) < (birthdate.month, birthdate.day))
print("Age:", age)

9. Summary

In this tutorial, we explored the datetime module in Python, its importance, and how to work with dates and times. We covered getting the current date and time, creating date and time objects, formatting and parsing dates, calculating time differences, and working with time zones. We also provided practical examples to illustrate the application of the datetime module. The datetime module is a powerful tool for handling dates and times in Python.

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This tutorial provides a comprehensive overview of Python's datetime module, detailing each topic and subtopic with examples and explanations. For more such tutorials, keep following codeswithpankaj.com!

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