How to Work with Dates and Times in Python

Working with dates and times in Python can be accomplished using the datetime module, which provides classes for manipulating dates and times. Here's a basic guide on how to work with dates and times in Python:

1. Import the datetime module:

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   1import datetime
   2

2. Creating a Date or Time:

   You can create date, time, or datetime objects using the date, time, and datetime classes respectively.

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   1# Create a date object
   2date_object = datetime.date(2024, 3, 13)
   3
   4# Create a time object
   5time_object = datetime.time(14, 30, 0)
   6
   7# Create a datetime object
   8datetime_object = datetime.datetime(2024, 3, 13, 14, 30, 0)
   9

3. Getting the Current Date and Time:

   You can get the current date and time using datetime.now() method.

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   1current_datetime = datetime.datetime.now()
   2

4. Formatting Dates and Times:

   You can format dates and times into strings using the strftime() method.

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   1formatted_date = date_object.strftime("%Y-%m-%d")
   2formatted_time = time_object.strftime("%H:%M:%S")
   3formatted_datetime = datetime_object.strftime("%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S")
   4

5. Parsing Dates and Times:

   You can parse strings into date, time, or datetime objects using the strptime() method.

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   1parsed_date = datetime.datetime.strptime("2024-03-13", "%Y-%m-%d")
   2

6. Manipulating Dates and Times:

   You can perform arithmetic operations on dates and times using timedelta objects.

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   1# Add 1 day to a date
   2new_date = date_object + datetime.timedelta(days=1)
   3
   4# Subtract 1 hour from a datetime
   5new_datetime = datetime_object - datetime.timedelta(hours=1)
   6

7. Comparing Dates and Times:

   You can compare dates and times using comparison operators (<, >, ==, etc.).

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   1if date_object1 > date_object2:
   2    print("Date 1 is later than Date 2")
   3

These are the basic operations you can perform with dates and times in Python using the datetime module. Depending on your specific needs, you may need to explore additional functionality provided by this module or other related libraries like dateutil or arrow.