Python Convert Date String to Datetime

1. Introduction

In Python, handling date and time is done via the datetime module. Often in data processing, dates might be represented as strings that need to be converted into datetime objects for better manipulation, comparison, and formatting. This post will illustrate how to convert a date string into a datetime object in Python.

Definition

Converting a date string to a datetime object means interpreting the string as a date and creating a datetime object that represents the same point in time. This is done using the strptime function available in Python's datetime module, which parses a string into a datetime object according to a specified format.

2. Program Steps

1. Import the datetime class from the datetime module.

2. Define a string that represents a date.

3. Determine the date format present in the string.

4. Use the strptime method of the datetime class to parse the string into a datetime object.

5. Output or use the datetime object.

3. Code Program

# Step 1: Import the datetime class from the datetime module
from datetime import datetime

# Step 2: Define a string that represents a date
date_string = "2023-11-02"

# Step 3: Define the format of the date string
date_format = "%Y-%m-%d"

# Step 4: Parse the string into a datetime object using strptime
datetime_obj = datetime.strptime(date_string, date_format)

# Step 5: Print the datetime object
print(datetime_obj)

Output:

2023-11-02 00:00:00

Explanation:

1. The datetime class is imported from the datetime module, which provides classes for manipulating dates and times.

2. date_string is a string that contains the date in the format "year-month-day".

3. date_format is a string that specifies the format of date_string. Here, %Y stands for the full four-digit year, %m for the two-digit month, and %d for the two-digit day.

4. datetime_obj is created by using datetime.strptime, which parses date_string into a datetime object using the provided date_format.

5. The print function is called to display datetime_obj, showing the date and time, where the time is set to the default of midnight in the absence of a specified time in date_string.