Python Convert String to Datetime

1. Introduction

Working with dates and times is a common requirement in many Python programs, especially when dealing with data parsing, logging, or time-based analytics. Python provides robust tools in its standard library to work with dates and times, one of which includes converting strings to datetime objects. This post explores how to perform this conversion, which is essential for any date-time manipulations in Python.

Definition

String to datetime conversion is the process of transforming a date and time represented as a string into a datetime object. This allows for more complex operations, such as time arithmetic, formatting, and timezone conversions. Python accomplishes this with the datetime.strptime method from the 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 date string that matches a known format.

3. Use the strptime method from the datetime class to parse the string into a datetime object.

4. Optionally, perform operations with the datetime object or output it.

3. Code Program

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

# Step 2: Define a date string
date_string = "2023-11-02 10:00:00"

# Step 3: Define the date format
date_format = "%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S"

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

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

Output:

2023-11-02 10:00:00

Explanation:

1. The datetime class is imported from the datetime module to handle date and time-related operations.

2. date_string is a string representing a specific date and time, following the format "year-month-day hours:minutes:seconds".

3. date_format is a string that specifies the format that strptime should expect. The format %Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S corresponds to the "year-month-day hours:minutes:seconds" pattern.

4. date_object is the resulting datetime object after parsing date_string with strptime using the provided date_format.

5. The print function is called to display the date_object. The output is the datetime representation of the string provided.


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