What You'll Learn: In this tutorial, you'll discover how to work with dates in Python using the datetime module. Dates aren't a data type of their own in Python, so we use this module to create and manipulate date objects.

Importing the datetime Module and Displaying the Current Date

You can use the datetime module to get the current date and time.

Example Code:

import datetime

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

Output:

2024-11-19 13:04:55.684672

Display Year and Weekday

The datetime module has many methods to return information about the date object.

Example Code:

import datetime

x = datetime.datetime.now()

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

Output:

2024
Tuesday

Creating Date Objects

To create a date, use the datetime() class (constructor) of the datetime module. You need to provide the year, month, and day.

Example Code:

import datetime

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

Using the strftime() Method

The strftime() method formats date objects into readable strings. It takes one parameter, format, to specify the format of the returned string.

Example Code:

import datetime

x = datetime.datetime(2018, 6, 1)
print(x.strftime("%B"))

Output:

June

Reference of Format Codes

Here are some common format codes you can use with the strftime() method:

Try It Yourself: Fun Exercises

1. Print Today's Date:
   • Use the datetime module to print today's date and time.
2. Formatted Date Strings:
   • Create a date object for your birthday and print it in a different format using the strftime() method.

Summary:

In this Python tutorial, we learned how to work with dates using the datetime module. We explored how to get the current date and time, create date objects, and format dates into readable strings. Keep experimenting and have fun with dates in Python!