Converting String Dates to Python Datetime Objects

Many datasets include timestamps as strings, such as "Jun 1 2005 1:33PM." Converting these strings to Python datetime objects simplifies data manipulation and analysis.

To achieve this, utilize the strptime method from the datetime module. This function parses the input string into its respective datetime components. For the string format shown in the example, use the '%b %d %Y %I:%M%p' format string:

import datetime
date_string = "Jun 1 2005 1:33PM"
date_object = datetime.strptime(date_string, '%b %d %Y %I:%M%p')
print(date_object)  # Output: datetime.datetime(2005, 6, 1, 13, 33)

To obtain the date portion of the datetime object as a separate date object, use the .date() method:

date_object = datetime.strptime(date_string, '%b %d %Y %I:%M%p').date()
print(date_object)  # Output: date(2005, 6, 1)

Additional notes:

• strptime stands for "string parse time."
• strftime (not covered in this response) stands for "string format time."
• Consult the documentation provided in the reference links for more information on strptime and strftime format strings.