‘strftime’ Python

strftime is a method in Python used for formatting date and time objects. It stands for “string format time” and is part of the datetime module, which provides various functionalities for manipulating dates and times. strftime allows you to convert a datetime object into a string formatted according to your specifications.

Here’s a basic guide on how to use strftime:

1. Import the datetime Module: First, you need to import the datetime class from the datetime module.

   pythonCopy code

   from datetime import datetime

2. Create a datetime Object: You can create a datetime object representing the current time, or you can specify a particular date and time.

   Current time:

   pythonCopy code

   now = datetime.now()

   Specific date and time:

   pythonCopy code

   some_date = datetime(2024, 1, 11, 8, 30)

3. Use strftime to Format the Date and Time: The strftime method takes one argument: a format string in which various directives represent the parts of the date and time.

   Example:

   pythonCopy code

   formatted_date = now.strftime("%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S") print(formatted_date)

   In this example, %Y is replaced by the full year, %m by the month as a zero-padded decimal number, %d by the day of the month as a zero-padded decimal number, %H by the hour (24-hour clock) as a zero-padded decimal number, %M by the minute as a zero-padded decimal number, and %S by the second as a zero-padded decimal number.

Here are some common directives used in strftime:

• %Y: Year with century as a decimal number.
• %m: Month as a zero-padded decimal number.
• %d: Day of the month as a zero-padded decimal number.
• %H: Hour (24-hour clock) as a zero-padded decimal number.
• %M: Minute as a zero-padded decimal number.
• %S: Second as a zero-padded decimal number.
• %A: Weekday as locale’s full name (e.g., Sunday, Monday).
• %B: Month as locale’s full name (e.g., January, February).