How Can I Convert Datetime Strings to Datetime Objects in Python?

Converting Datetime Strings to Datetime Objects

Given a list of datetime strings such as ["Jun 1 2005 1:33PM", "Aug 28 1999 12:00AM"], we aim to transform them into datetime objects for further processing.

The Python package datetime provides the strptime function, designed to parse a string representation of a datetime into a timezone-naive datetime object. Its syntax is:

strptime(date_string, format)

where:

• date_string is the input string representation of the datetime.
• format specifies the format of the input string, using special directives to indicate the order and interpretation of the individual components.

For instance, to convert the string "Jun 1 2005 1:33PM" into a datetime object, we use the following format:

'%b %d %Y %I:%M%p'

where:

• %b represents the abbreviated month name (e.g., Jun).
• %d represents the day of the month (e.g., 1).
• %Y represents the year (e.g., 2005).
• %I represents the hour in 12-hour format (e.g., 1).
• %M represents the minute (e.g., 33).
• %p represents the AM/PM designator (e.g., PM).

Putting it all together, we get:

datetime.strptime('Jun 1 2005  1:33PM', '%b %d %Y %I:%M%p')

which returns a datetime object representing the specified datetime.

Additionally, to convert a datetime object into a date object, use the .date() method:

datetime.strptime('Jun 1 2005', '%b %d %Y').date()

This is useful when only the date portion is required.

Refer to the linked documentation for more information on strptime and strftime formatting.

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