How to Handle Abbreviated Timezone Names in Python\'s Dateutil Date Parsing?

Parsing Date/Time Strings with Abbreviated Timezone Names in Python

When parsing date/time strings, it can be challenging to handle abbreviated timezone names. Dateutil's parse() function, commonly used for date parsing in Python, may not inherently handle timezone abbreviations.

Solution with tzinfos Keyword Argument

To address this, you can utilize the tzinfos keyword argument within dateutil's parse(). This argument allows you to pass a dictionary mapping timezone abbreviations to their corresponding GMT offsets in seconds. For instance, to handle a dictionary of known timezones (tzd):

<code class="python">import dateutil.parser as dp
tzd = {'EST': -5*3600}  # Example dictionary
s = 'Sat, 11/01/09 8:00PM EST'
dt = dp.parse(s, tzinfos=tzd)
print(dt)  # Output: 2009-11-01 20:00:00-05:00</code>

Populating the tzinfos Dictionary

The tzinfos dictionary can be populated using various sources. One approach is to manually assign each timezone abbreviation to its corresponding GMT offset. Alternatively, you can refer to pre-defined timezone databases or websites like timeanddate.com for more comprehensive listings.

Note on Timezone Naming

Keep in mind that certain timezone abbreviations may correspond to multiple timezones. Resolving these conflicts can involve prioritizing more commonly used variants. It's also worth noting that not all timezones may have universally recognized abbreviations, potentially necessitating further customization depending on your use case.

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