Python time strptime() function

The strptime() function in Python is used to format and return a string representation of date and time. It takes in the date, time, or both as an input, and parses it according to the directives given to it. It raises ValueError if the string cannot be formatted according to the provided directives.

Syntax:

time.strptime(date_time_srting,directive)

Here,

• date_time_string: It is a necessary string parameter where the date to be formatted is provided.
• directive: This parameter represents the condition for parsing the given string. It is also a necessary parameter.

Directives Table:

The following tables list the supported directives in python.

Examples 1: Python string to date

import time

formatted_date = time.strptime(" 02 Dec 1996",
                               " %d %b %Y")
print(formatted_date)

Output:

time.struct_time(tm_year=1996, tm_mon=12, tm_mday=2, tm_hour=0, tm_min=0, tm_sec=0, tm_wday=0, tm_yday=337, tm_isdst=-1)

Example 2: Python string to date and time

import time

print(time.strptime("02/12/1996 5:53","%m/%d/%Y %H:%M"))

Output:

time.struct_time(tm_year=1996, tm_mon=2, tm_mday=12, tm_hour=5, tm_min=53, tm_sec=0, tm_wday=0, tm_yday=43, tm_isdst=-1)

Example 3: Value error

In this example, if time directives will not match then occurred error.

import time as datetime

datetime_str = '08/1/18 3:55:6'

try:
    datetime_object = datetime.strptime(datetime_str, '%m/%d/%y')
except ValueError as e:
    print('ValueError Raised:', e)


time_str = '25::55::26'

try:
    time_object = time.strptime(time_str, '%H::%M::%S')
except ValueError as e:
    print('ValueError:', e)

Output:

ValueError Raised: unconverted data remains:  3:55:6
ValueError: time data '25::55::26' does not match format '%H::%M::%S'