Python: How to convert string into datetime [duplicate]

Question

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Converting string into datetime

I am parsing an XML file that gives me the time in the respective isoformat:

tc1 = 2012-09-28T16:41:12.9976565
tc2 = 2012-09-28T23:57:44.6636597

But it is being treated as a string when I retrieve this from the XML file. I have two such time values and i need to do a diff between the two so as to find delta. But since it is a string I can not directly do tc2-tc1. But since they are already in isoformat for datetime, how do i get python to recognize it as datetime?

thanks.

Have you looked at datetime.strptime()?

user711413
– user711413

2012-10-01 11:48:17 +00:00
Commented Oct 1, 2012 at 11:48 — user711413
– user711413, Commented Oct 1, 2012 at 11:48

Pierre GM · Accepted Answer · 2012-10-01 11:54:37Z

31

Use the datetime.strptime method:

import datetime
datetime.datetime.strptime(your_string, "%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%S.%f")

The link provided presents the different format directives. Note that the microseconds are limited to the range [0,999999], meaning that a ValueError will be raised with your example (you're using 1/10us): you need to truncate your string to drop the final character.

edited Oct 1, 2012 at 11:54

answered Oct 1, 2012 at 11:51

Pierre GM

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2 Comments

Sunny Over a year ago

quick add on question. once i have the values in datetime, how do i get the time difference?

Pierre GM Over a year ago

datetime_object_2-datetime_object_1 will give you a datetime.timedelta object.

Antonio Beamud · Accepted Answer · 2012-10-01 11:54:48Z

5

You can use the python-dateutil parse() function, it's more flexible than strptime. Hope this help you.

edited Oct 1, 2012 at 11:54

user647772

answered Oct 1, 2012 at 11:51

Antonio Beamud

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1 Comment

Antonio Beamud Over a year ago

labix.org/…

user647772 · Accepted Answer · 2012-10-01 11:50:41Z

4

Use the datetime module.

td = datetime.strptime('2012-09-28T16:41:12.997656', '%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%S.%f') - 
     datetime.strptime('2012-09-28T23:57:44.663659', '%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%S.%f')
print td
# => datetime.timedelta(-1, 60208, 333997)

There is only one small problem: Your microseconds are one digit to long for %f to handle. So I've removed the last digits from your input strings.

answered Oct 1, 2012 at 11:50

user647772

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