Python strptime() - string to datetime object

In this tutorial, we will discuss how we can use a string to make a datetime object.

Python strptime()

strptime() is a datetime method to convert a string to a datetime object. It is the opposite of the strftime() method. We often use the strftime() method to bring the default formatting of the datetime module, YYYY-mm-dd HH:MM:SS.

Example

from datetime import datetime

str_date = '04 August 2019'
print('Value of str_date is:', str_date)
print('Type of str_date is:', type(str_date))

print('+++++++++++++ After using strptime() method++++++++++++')
date_obj = datetime.strptime(str_date, "%d %B %Y")
print('Value of date_obj is:',date_obj)
print('Type of date_obj is:',type(date_obj))

Output

Value of str_date is: 04 August 2019
Type of str_date is: <class 'str'>
+++++++++++++ After using strptime() method++++++++++++
Value of date_obj is: 2019-08-04 00:00:00
Type of date_obj is: <class 'datetime.datetime'>

Behind the code

In the above example, first, we defined a variable str_date, a string containing a date. With the help of the datetime strptime() method and str_date, we create a datetime object date_obj .

We use format codes, such as %d, %B, and %Y, in the strptime() method. They are there to tell the method which character should be treated like a day, year, or month.

Working of strptime() method

strptime() method accepts two arguments:

• string
• format code

The string contains the date formation in the string, whereas the format code tells the method which string or character should consider month, year, day, hour, minute, second, etc. The format code should be written in the same way as the string date and time is represented.

Example

from datetime import datetime

str_date = 'date 04/08/2019 time 20:45:40'
print('Value of str_date is:', str_date)
print('Type of str_date is:', type(str_date))

print('+++++++++++++ After using strptime() method++++++++++++')

date_obj = datetime.strptime(str_date, "date %d/%m/%Y time %H:%M:%S")
print('Value of date_obj is:',date_obj)
print('Type of date_obj is:',type(date_obj))

Output

Value of str_date is: date 04/08/2019 time 20:45:40
Type of str_date is: <class 'str'>
+++++++++++++ After using strptime() method++++++++++++
Value of date_obj is: 2019-08-04 20:45:40
Type of date_obj is: <class 'datetime.datetime'>

strptime() format Codes

The format codes are fixed, so the date you mention in the string must be related to the following format codes:

Value Error in strptime()

As we have discussed, the string format and the format code must be represented similarly so each format code can relate to the appropriate string. If the format code and string that have passed do not match, it will throw a ValueError.

Example

from datetime import datetime

str_date = 'date 04/08/2019 time 20:45:40'
date_obj = datetime.strptime(str_date, " %d/%m/%Y  %H:%M:%S")
print('Value of date_obj is:',date_obj)

Output

ValueError: time data 'date 04/08/2019 time 20:45:40' does not match format ' %d/%m/%Y  %H:%M:%S'

Conclusion

This was all about the Python strptime(). It is a datetime method for converting a string into a datetime object. In this article, we have mentioned one example to understand better how the Python strptime() method works. Also, you can refer to the table mentioned above for strptime() format codes. Finally, we discussed the value error you might encounter in the Python strptime() method.

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