Python .strftime()

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THE-Spellchecker
Published Apr 19, 2022Updated May 15, 2024
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The strftime() function returns a time string based on one or more formatting codes and a time represented as a tuple or stuct_time format.

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Syntax

strftime(format_codes, time_value)

A combination of format_codes are used to format the returned string. The time_value is the time that will be formatted and can be represented as a tuple or struct_time value. If no time_value is provided the function will return the current local time as formatted by the given expression.

A few common codes are:

Code Description Example/Range
%a The abbreviated day of the week. Mon, Tues, etc.
%A The day of the week (full name). Monday, Tuesday, etc.
%d The day of the month in two decimals. 01 - 31
%Y The calendar year represented as four decimals. 2020
%H The hour of a 24-hour clock in two decimals. 00 - 23
%I The hour of a 12-hour clock in two decimals. 00 - 12
%j The day of the year represented as three decimals. 000 - 366
%p The locale’s equivalent for before and after midday. AM/PM
%x The locale’s equivalent of a date. 01/01/01

Example

The strftime() function can be used to translate a time to display the associated date:

import time


print(time.strftime('%x',time.localtime()))

Codebyte Example

The strftime() function can be used to return the current local time with the day and time formatted for a 12-hour clock.

Code
Output
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