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Convert string Date time into Python Date time object using Pandas

Parsing string date-time representations into Python datetime objects is a common operation, especially when working with datasets. In this tutorial, we will explore how to achieve this using pandas.

Convert String Date-time into Python Date-time Object using Pandas

1. Setup:

First, make sure you have pandas installed:

pip install pandas

2. Import Necessary Libraries:

import pandas as pd

3. Convert a String to Timestamp:

Pandas offers the to_datetime function, which is very versatile and can parse a wide array of date-time formats:

date_string = "2023-08-31 12:45:30"
datetime_obj = pd.to_datetime(date_string)
print(datetime_obj)

This will print a Timestamp object, which is pandas' equivalent of Python's native datetime object.

4. Extracting Native Python datetime Object:

If you specifically need a native Python datetime object:

native_datetime = datetime_obj.to_pydatetime()
print(native_datetime)
print(type(native_datetime))

5. Handling Different Date Formats:

The to_datetime function can handle a wide variety of string formats:

date_formats = ["31-08-2023", "31/08/2023", "August 31, 2023", "2023.08.31"]
for date_str in date_formats:
    print(pd.to_datetime(date_str))

6. Handling Errors:

When passing unrecognized formats, you can handle errors using the errors parameter:

  • raise: Will raise an error (default behavior).
  • coerce: Will convert unparseable data to NaT (Not a Timestamp).
  • ignore: Will return the original string if it can't be parsed.

Example:

bad_date_string = "2023-13-31"
print(pd.to_datetime(bad_date_string, errors='coerce'))

7. Convert a Series of Strings to Datetime:

If you have a pandas Series of date strings, to_datetime can be used directly on it:

date_series = pd.Series(["2023-08-31", "2023-09-01", "2023-09-02"])
datetime_series = pd.to_datetime(date_series)
print(datetime_series)

8. Time Zones:

You can also add time zone information during the conversion:

date_string_with_tz = "2023-08-31 12:45:30+03:00"
datetime_obj_tz = pd.to_datetime(date_string_with_tz)
print(datetime_obj_tz)

9. Summary:

Converting string representations of dates and times into Python datetime objects is straightforward with pandas' to_datetime function. This function can handle a myriad of date-time formats and offers flexibility in error handling. This makes it invaluable when working with datasets that may have inconsistent or erroneous date-time data.

  1. Convert string to datetime in Pandas:

    • Description: Use pd.to_datetime() to convert a string to a Pandas datetime object.
    • Code:
      import pandas as pd
      
      # Convert string to datetime
      date_string = '2022-01-01'
      datetime_object = pd.to_datetime(date_string)
      
  2. Parsing string dates to datetime with Pandas:

    • Description: Parse string dates into Pandas datetime objects using pd.to_datetime().
    • Code:
      import pandas as pd
      
      # Parse string dates to datetime
      date_strings = ['2022-01-01', '2022-01-02', '2022-01-03']
      datetime_objects = pd.to_datetime(date_strings)
      
  3. Create Python datetime object from string in Pandas:

    • Description: Create Python datetime objects from string dates using pd.to_datetime() and the .dt.to_pydatetime() method.
    • Code:
      import pandas as pd
      
      # Create Python datetime object from string
      date_string = '2022-01-01'
      datetime_object = pd.to_datetime(date_string).to_pydatetime()
      
  4. Using pd.to_datetime for string conversion in Pandas:

    • Description: Utilize pd.to_datetime() for converting string dates in Pandas.
    • Code:
      import pandas as pd
      
      # Using pd.to_datetime for string conversion
      date_strings = ['2022-01-01', '2022-01-02', '2022-01-03']
      datetime_objects = pd.to_datetime(date_strings)
      
  5. String to datetime conversion in Pandas DataFrame:

    • Description: Convert a column of string dates to datetime in a Pandas DataFrame using pd.to_datetime().
    • Code:
      import pandas as pd
      
      # Create DataFrame with string dates
      df = pd.DataFrame({'date': ['2022-01-01', '2022-01-02', '2022-01-03']})
      
      # Convert string column to datetime
      df['date'] = pd.to_datetime(df['date'])
      
  6. Handling date formats with Pandas to_datetime:

    • Description: Use pd.to_datetime() with the format parameter to handle different date formats.
    • Code:
      import pandas as pd
      
      # Convert string to datetime with format
      date_string = '01-Jan-2022'
      datetime_object = pd.to_datetime(date_string, format='%d-%b-%Y')
      
  7. Converting string datetime to Python datetime with Pandas:

    • Description: Convert a string datetime to a Python datetime object using pd.to_datetime() and .to_pydatetime().
    • Code:
      import pandas as pd
      
      # Convert string datetime to Python datetime
      datetime_string = '2022-01-01 12:30:45'
      python_datetime = pd.to_datetime(datetime_string).to_pydatetime()
      
  8. Date parsing and formatting in Pandas:

    • Description: Parse and format dates using pd.to_datetime() and the .dt.strftime() method.
    • Code:
      import pandas as pd
      
      # Parse and format dates
      date_strings = ['2022-01-01', '2022-01-02', '2022-01-03']
      datetime_objects = pd.to_datetime(date_strings)
      formatted_dates = datetime_objects.dt.strftime('%Y/%m/%d')
      
  9. Working with string dates in Pandas and Python:

    • Description: Work with string dates in Pandas, convert them to datetime, and perform operations.
    • Code:
      import pandas as pd
      
      # Work with string dates in Pandas
      date_strings = ['2022-01-01', '2022-01-02', '2022-01-03']
      
      # Convert to datetime
      datetime_objects = pd.to_datetime(date_strings)
      
      # Perform operations
      one_day_later = datetime_objects + pd.Timedelta(days=1)