Python Datetime Strftime() - Datetime to String Tutorial

In this tutorial, we will discuss how to change the formatting of default datetime objects and how to convert datetime objects to a string.

What is Python strftime()?

strftime() is a DateTime method that applies to DateTime objects so the user can get the date and time format according to convenience rather than the DateTime default date and time.

When we use the datetime module to print date and time, it returns a DateTime object which prints the date and time in the yyyy-mm-dd HH:MM:SS format, but with the help of strftime, we can print the date-time in different formats. The strftime() method can print only specific details from a DateTime object.

Let’s understand it with an example: Example:

from datetime import datetime
current_date_time = datetime.today()
current_only_date = current_date_time.strftime('%d / %m / %Y')
current_only_time = current_date_time.strftime('%H : %M : %S')
current_only_year =current_date_time.strftime('%Y')
current_only_hour = current_date_time.strftime('%H')
print('Date is:',current_only_date)
print('Time is:',current_only_time)
print('Year is:',current_only_year)
print('Hour is:',current_only_hour)

Output:

Date is: 03 / 08 / 2019
Time is: 19 : 39 : 36
Year is: 2019
Hour is: 19

Behind the code

In the above example, we operate the strftime() method on the current_date_time variable, a datetime object. In strftime() method we have passed format code like %Y (year), %m(month), %d (day), %H(hour), %m(minute) and %S(seconds). strftime() method has many format codes.

In strftime(), we pass a string and the format code like %Y, %m, %d, and the strftime() assigns the date and time according to the format code.

Working of strftime() method

We know that strftime works on a datetime object. We first create a datetime object using the datetime module. From that datetime object strftime() method, grab the date and time and place the date and time component according to the passed format code.

In the strftime() method, we pass a string along with some format codes for different date and time components so the strftime() method can place different date and time components where the user has passed the format code on the string.

Let's understand it with an example: Example:

from datetime import datetime
today =datetime.today()
date = today.strftime('year:%Y , Month: %m, day: %d')
time =today.strftime('%H Hour : %M Minutes')
print(date)
print(time)

Output:

year:2019 , Month: 08, day: 03
20 Hour : 01 Minutes

Strftime() method Format Codes

Example

Print date in Alphanumeric

from datetime import datetime
today =datetime.today()
date = today.strftime('%d %B %Y')
day  =today.strftime('%A')
time =today.strftime('%H %p : %M ')
print(date)
print(day)
print(time)

Output:

03 August 2019
Saturday
20 PM : 11

Conclusion

With the Python datetime strftime() method, you can change the default date and time formatting, i.e., yyyy-mm-dd HH:MM:SS. Whatever format you want the date or time in, the strftime() method always outputs it as a string. You can refer to the strftime() format code table and print the date and time in the format you want.

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