{"id":35674,"date":"2023-12-01T05:11:56","date_gmt":"2023-12-01T05:11:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/accuweb.cloud\/resource\/faq\/how-to-convert-a-string-to-a-datetime-or-time-object-in-python\/"},"modified":"2026-02-19T11:33:59","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T11:33:59","slug":"how-to-convert-a-string-to-a-datetime-or-time-object-in-python","status":"publish","type":"faq","link":"https:\/\/accuweb.cloud\/resource\/articles\/how-to-convert-a-string-to-a-datetime-or-time-object-in-python","title":{"rendered":"How To Convert a String to a datetime or time Object in Python"},"content":{"rendered":"

How To Convert a String to a DateTime or Time Object in Python<\/h2>\n

In Python, the `datetime`<\/strong> and `time` modules offer a convenient `strptime()`<\/strong> class method that allows you to convert strings into corresponding objects effortlessly.<\/p>\n

Parsing a string into a datetime object with datetime.strptime()<\/p>\n

Syntax<\/b><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
\r\ndatetime.strptime(date_string, format)<\/code><\/pre>\n
<\/div>\n
The `datetime.strptime()`<\/strong> method returns a `datetime`<\/strong> object corresponding to the `date_string`, interpreting it based on the specified format. It’s important to note that both `date_string` and the format must be provided as string arguments.<\/p>\n
The Default Format<\/h2>\n
<\/div>\n
\r\n'%a %b %d %H:%M:%S %Y'<\/code><\/pre>\n
<\/div>\n
You can convert a string to a datetime<\/strong><\/b> or time<\/strong><\/b> object<\/strong><\/b> in Python using the datetime module<\/strong><\/b>, which provides various functions and classes for working with date and time values. Here’s how you can do it:<\/strong><\/b>
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1. Convert String to datetime.datetime() Object<\/h3>\n
Python’s standard library includes the datetime module, allowing you to manipulate dates and times effectively. With the help of the datetime class, you can easily transform a string into a datetime object. Let’s break down the fundamental elements in a straightforward manner:<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n
\r\ndatetime.strptime(date_string, format_string):<\/code><\/pre>\n
<\/div>\n
This Method takes Two Arguments<\/h3>\n
date_string:<\/strong> The input string of date or datetime<\/p>\n
format_string:<\/strong> A string that specifies the format of the input string. It contains placeholders (format codes) that match the components in the input string.<\/p>\n
In the next illustration, a date and time string gets transformed into a `datetime.datetime()` object, and then we display both the class name and the value of the resulting object.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n
\r\nfrom datetime import datetime\r\ndatetime_str = '09\/19\/23 13:55:26'\r\nformat_string = \"%m\/%d\/%y %H:%M:%S\"\r\ndatetime_object = datetime.strptime(datetime_str, format_string)\r\nprint(type(datetime_object))\r\nprint(datetime_object)\u00a0 # printed in default format<\/code><\/pre>\n
<\/div>\n
The output is<\/strong><\/p>\n
<class ‘datetime.datetime’>2023-09-19 13:55:2600
\n%Y: Represents the year<\/p>\n
%m: Represents the month as a zero-padded decimal number.
\n%d: Represents the day of the month as a zero-padded decimal number.
\n%H: Represents the hour (24-hour clock) as a zero-padded decimal number.
\n%M: Represents the minute as a zero-padded decimal number.
\n%S: Represents the second as a zero-padded decimal number.<\/p>\n
2. Convert String to datetime.date() Object<\/h3>\n
You can employ a similar method to extract the time component without the date. In this case, you can use the .time() method on the resultant datetime object to obtain a time object, which solely represents the time part, comprising hours, minutes, seconds, and microseconds. This approach proves valuable when you focus on time-related computations and don’t require the date information.<\/p>\n
It’s crucial to ensure that the format string you provide precisely matches the format of your input string. A mismatch will cause the datetime.strptime() method to raise a ValueError exception.<\/p>\n
Python’s datetime module equips you with robust tools for managing dates and times, enabling you to efficiently and accurately handle various datetime-related tasks.<\/p>\n
As an example, let’s take a look at the following illustration. In this case, a date string is converted into a `datetime.date()` object. The example showcases the resulting object’s class type and its corresponding value:<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n
\r\nfrom datetime import datetime\r\ndateStr = '09-19-2023'\r\ndateObj = datetime.strptime(dateStr, '%m-%d-%Y').date()\r\nprint(type(dateObj))\r\nprint(dateObj)\u00a0 # printed in default format\r\n<\/code><\/pre>\n
<\/div>\n
The output is<\/strong>
\n<class ‘datetime.date’2023-09-19<\/p>\n
\t\t
\n\t\t\t        
\n            \n                        
\n                    
\n        
\n                    \n        \t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n        <\/section>\n        \t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
3. Convert String to datetime.time() Object<\/h3>\n
The subsequent illustration showcases the conversion of a time string into a datetime.time() object. It then displays the class type and the value of the resultant object:<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n
\r\nfrom datetime import datetime\r\ntime_str = '13::55::26'\r\ntime_object = datetime.strptime(time_str, '%H::%M::%S').time()\r\nprint(type(time_object))\r\nprint(time_object) <\/code><\/pre>\n
<\/div>\n
The output is<\/strong>
\n<class ‘datetime.time’>13:55:26<\/p>\n
4. Convert String to datetime.datetime() Object with Locale<\/h3>\n
The given instance demonstrates the conversion of a date string in a German locale into a datetime.datetime() object. Subsequently, it displays both the class type and the value of the resulting object:<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n
Note:<\/b> If the locale you need is unavailable, you may need to generate it. You can use the locale-gen command on some systems to generate the desired locale. For example, on a Debian-based system, you can run:<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\r\nsudo dpkg-reconfigure locales<\/code><\/pre>\n
<\/div>\n
If ‘en_US.UTF-8’ is unavailable, you can try using a different locale supported on your system. For example, you can use ‘en_US.utf8’ (lowercase ‘utf8’ instead of ‘UTF-8’):<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n
\r\nfrom datetime import datetime\r\nimport locale\r\nlocale.setlocale(locale.LC_ALL, 'en_US.utf8')\r\ndate_str_de_DE = '16-Dezember-2022 Freitag'\u00a0 # de_DE locale\r\ndatetime_object = datetime.strptime(date_str_de_DE, '%d-%B-%Y %A')\r\nprint(type(datetime_object))\r\nprint(datetime_object)<\/code><\/pre>\n
<\/div>\n
The output is<\/strong>
\n<class ‘datetime.datetime’>2022-12-16 00:00:00<\/p>\n
It’s important to highlight that the result does not include the weekday name extracted from the input string. A `datetime.datetime()` object only represents the weekday as a numerical value.
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5. Converting a String to a struct_time() Object Using time.strptime()<\/h3>\n
Syntax<\/b><\/p>\n
<\/div>\n
  \r\ntime.strptime(time_string[, format])<\/code><\/pre>\n
<\/div>\n
The `time.strptime()`<\/strong> method generates a `time.struct_time()`<\/strong> object, which is constructed based on the `time_string`<\/strong> and its interpretation according to the provided format. For a precise extraction of time data, it’s crucial that both `time_string`<\/strong> and `format` are supplied as string inputs. If no format is explicitly specified, a default format will be applied.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n
\r\n'%a %b %d %H:%M:%S %Y'<\/code><\/pre>\n
<\/div>\n
This corresponds to the format returned by the ctime()<\/strong> function.<\/p>\n
The format directives remain consistent for both `time.strptime()`<\/strong> and `time.strftime()`<\/strong>. To delve deeper into these format directives for the time module, you can refer to the Python documentation for comprehensive information.<\/p>\n
\n
\nTo convert a string to a datetime or time object in Python, use datetime.strptime() with the appropriate format string. This allows you to parse the string into a datetime object, which can then be used for time-based operations.<\/div>\n
\n