Python 3 – time strptime() Method

Python is widely used for its simplicity and ease of use. With its built-in libraries and modules, developers can easily perform complex tasks with simplicity. In this article, we will be discussing the strptime() method in the time module of Python 3.

Introduction to Strptime()

The strptime() method is an inbuilt datetime class method in Python. It is used to convert a string representing a time/date into a datetime object. The strptime() method in Python stands for “string parse time”, which is the opposite of the strftime() method. The strptime() method takes two arguments where the first argument represents the string we want to parse, and the second argument specifies the format of that string.

Syntax of Strptime()

Here is the syntax of strptime() method:

datetime.strptime(date_string, format)

Examples

Let’s first take a look at some examples of strptime() method to understand its functionality.

import datetime

date_string = "21 June, 2021"
date_object = datetime.datetime.strptime(date_string, "%d %B, %Y")

print("Date: ", date_object.date())

Output:

Date:  2021-06-21

Here, we have imported datetime module and created a variable date_string which contains the date we want to convert. Then, we have called the strptime() method and passed the date_string and its format as arguments. In the second line of output, we have printed the formatted date.

Let’s take a look at another example:

import datetime

date_string = "July 7, 2021"
date_object = datetime.datetime.strptime(date_string, "%B %d, %Y")

print("Date: ", date_object.date())

Output:

Date:  2021-07-07

Here, we have created a variable date_string and passed the date we want to convert. Then, we have used the strptime() function to parse the date_string, and its format as arguments.

Format Codes

Here are some of the format codes we can use with strptime() method:

Code	Meaning	Expressed as
%a	Weekday	Mon, Tue etc.
%A	Weekday Name	Monday, Tuesday etc.
%b	Month	Jan, Feb etc.
%B	Month Name	January, February etc.
%c	Locale Date and Time	Tue Aug 16 21:30:00 1988
%d	Day of the Month	01, 02 etc.
%H	Hour (24-Hour Format)	00, 01 … 23
%I	Hour (12-Hour Format)	01, 02 … 12
%j	Day of the Year	001, 002 … 366
%m	Month	01, 02 … 12
%M	Minute	00, 01 … 59
%p	Meridian indicator	AM or PM
%S	Second	00, 01 … 59
%U	week number of the year (Sunday as the first day of the week)	00, 01, … 53
%w	Weekday as a decimal number (0-6, 0 is Sunday)	0, 1 … 6
%W	week number of the year (Monday as the first day of the week)	00, 01, … 53
%x	Locale Date	Locale specific
%X	Locale Time	Locale specific
%y	Year (2 digits)	00, 01, … 99
%Y	Year (4 digits)	0001, 0002 … 2024
%z	UTC Offset	+0627
%Z	Timezone Name	UTC, EST etc.
%%	a literal ‘%’ character	%

Conclusion

In conclusion, the strptime() method in Python is very useful when dealing with dates and time. With its simple syntax and a list of format codes, it makes date and time parsing an easy task. This method can save a lot of time in situations where data needs to be parsed and manipulated. Additionally, this method is versatile enough to be used in many different applications. Overall, the strptime() method is a valuable tool in any Python programmer’s arsenal.