Python 3 – time mktime() Method
One of the most challenging aspects of programming is handling time-related data. But with the help of Python, this daunting task can be relatively simple. Python provides a robust time module that can handle many time-related operations. In this article, we will dive into one such operation – the mktime
method.
What is the mktime()
method?
The mktime()
method is a built-in method in the Python time module that converts a struct_time object that represents the time specified in seconds since the epoch to a floating-point number that represents the time specified in seconds since the epoch. The epoch represents the point in time on January 1st, 1970, at 00:00:00 UTC.
Syntax of the mktime()
method
time.mktime(t)
Where t
is a struct_time object that represents the time specified in seconds since the epoch.
Parameters of the mktime()
method
The mktime()
method takes only one parameter:
t
– Astruct_time
object that represents the time specified in seconds since the epoch.
Return value of the mktime()
method
The mktime()
method returns the time specified in t
as a floating-point number representing the number of seconds since the epoch.
Example 1 – Convert struct_time to seconds since the epoch
import time
t = (2021, 10, 21, 10, 30, 0, 0, 0, 0)
seconds_since_epoch = time.mktime(t)
print("Seconds since epoch:", seconds_since_epoch)
Output:
Seconds since epoch: 1634811000.0
In this example, we first create a tuple representing the time in a struct_time
object. We then pass this object to the mktime()
method, which converts it to a floating-point number representing the time specified in seconds since the epoch.
Common Errors
When using the mktime()
method, there are some common errors that you may encounter. One of these errors is the “OverflowError”.
OverflowError
The mktime()
method can only handle a range of dates from January 1, 1970, to January 19, 2038. If you try to convert a date beyond this range, you may encounter an OverflowError.
import time
t = (2200, 1, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0)
seconds_since_epoch = time.mktime(t)
print("Seconds since epoch:", seconds_since_epoch)
Output:
OverflowError: mktime argument out of range
Conclusion
The mktime()
method is a useful tool for converting a struct_time object that represents the time specified in seconds since the epoch to a floating-point number that represents the time specified in seconds since the epoch. It is a built-in method in the Python time module, and it can handle a wide range of time-related operations.