Python: Print current time and date

Last update on February 03 2025 12:59:14 (UTC/GMT +8 hours)

Current DateTime Display

Write a Python program to display the current date and time.

Python datetime:

The datetime module supplies classes for manipulating dates and times in both simple and complex ways. datetime.now(tz=None) returns the current local date and time. If optional argument tz is None or not specified, this is like today().

date.strftime(format) returns a string representing the date, controlled by an explicit format string. Format codes referring to hours, minutes or seconds will see 0 values.

Pre-Knowledge (Before you start!)

• Basic Python Syntax: Familiarity with how to write and run Python scripts.
• Importing Modules: Understanding of how to import modules in Python using the import statement.
• Datetime Module:
  • The datetime module provides classes for manipulating dates and times.
  • datetime.now() function returns the current local date and time.
• String Formatting:
  • Knowledge of string formatting, especially using the strftime() method.
  • Understanding format codes like %Y, %m, %d, %H, %M, and %S.
• Output Functions: Familiarity with the print() function to display output in Python.

Hints (Try before looking at the solution!)

• Import the Datetime Module: Begin by importing the datetime module to access date and time functionalities.
• Get Current Date and Time: Use datetime.datetime.now() to create a datetime object representing the current date and time.
• Display Information: Use the print() function to display a message indicating what is being printed.
• Format the Output: Use the strftime() method to format the datetime object into a readable string.
  • Format String Example: "%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S" translates to "Year-Month-Day Hour:Minute:Second".
• Common Format Codes:
  • %Y: Year with century (e.g., 2023).
  • %m: Month as a zero-padded decimal number (01-12).
  • %d: Day of the month as a zero-padded decimal number (01-31).
  • %H: Hour (24-hour clock) as a zero-padded decimal number (00-23).
  • %M: Minute as a zero-padded decimal number (00-59).
  • %S: Second as a zero-padded decimal number (00-59).
• Check Your Output: Ensure that the formatted date and time appear correctly in the console when you run your script.

Sample Solution:

Python Code:

# Import the 'datetime' module to work with date and time
import datetime

# Get the current date and time
now = datetime.datetime.now()

# Create a datetime object representing the current date and time

# Display a message indicating what is being printed
print("Current date and time : ")

# Print the current date and time in a specific format
print(now.strftime("%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S"))

# Use the 'strftime' method to format the datetime object as a string with the desired format

Sample Output:

Current date and time : 
2014-07-05 14:34:14

Explanation:

The said code imports the "datetime" module, gets the current date and time, and finally prints it in a formatted string.

1. The first line import datetime imports the datetime module which supplies classes for manipulating dates and times.
2. The second line now = datetime.datetime.now() creates a datetime object for the current date and time.
3. The third line print ("Current date and time : ") prints the string "Current date and time : " to the console.
4. The fourth line print (now.strftime("%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S")) uses the strftime() method of the datetime object to format the date and time as a string in the format "YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS" and prints it to the console.

The strftime() method returns a string representing the date, controlled by an explicit format string. The format codes used in this example are:

• %Y: year with century as a decimal number.
• %m: month as a zero-padded decimal number.
• %d: day of the month as a zero-padded decimal number.
• %H: hour (24-hour clock) as a zero-padded decimal number.
• %M: minute as a zero-padded decimal number.
• %S: second as a zero-padded decimal number.

This code can be useful for logging or timestamping events in a program, or for displaying the current date and time in a user interface.

Flowchart:

The following tool visualize what the computer is doing step-by-step as it executes the said program:

Python Code Editor:

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