Working with Dates and Times in Python: Using the Datetime Module

Learn how to handle dates and times in Python using the datetime module. This guide shows you how to create date objects, retrieve details such as year and weekday, and display current date and time with examples.

Python Datetime

Python Dates

A date in Python is not a standalone data type, but we can use the datetime module to work with dates as date objects.

import datetime

x = datetime.datetime.now()
print(x)

2024-07-02 13:20:35.770298

The date object includes year, month, day, hour, minute, second, and microsecond information.

The datetime module provides various methods to retrieve details about the date object, such as year and weekday name.

import datetime

x = datetime.datetime.now()

print(x.year)
print(x.strftime("%A"))

Creating Date Objects

To create a specific date, use the datetime() constructor from the datetime module, which requires parameters for year, month, and day.

import datetime

x = datetime.datetime(2020, 5, 17)

print(x)

The datetime() constructor can also include optional parameters for time and timezone, defaulting to 0 and None respectively.

The strftime() Method

The strftime() method formats date objects into readable strings using specified format codes.

import datetime

x = datetime.datetime(2018, 6, 1)

print(x.strftime("%B"))

Here are some common format codes: