How to Convert ISO 8061 Datetime to Timestamp in Python

Learn how to easily convert an ISO 8061 datetime string into a standard timestamp format using Python with detailed explanations and examples.
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Converting ISO 8061 Datetime to Timestamp in Python

Python is widely used for data manipulation, and one common task is handling datetime strings. A frequent challenge developers face is converting an ISO 8061 datetime string into a more readable timestamp format. If you've ever encountered the format 2021-03-12T14:45:34.000Z, you might have found it difficult to convert it into something like 12-Mar-2021 14:45:34.

In this guide, we'll explore how to effectively perform this conversion in Python using the datetime module.

Understanding the Problem

You might have encountered the following ISO 8061 datetime string in your project:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Your goal is to format this into a more human-readable form like:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

When you tried to use Python's strptime method, perhaps you faced an error like this:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

This error indicates that the format string you used does not match the format of the datetime string.

The Solution

The issue lies in how you're specifying the format. Specifically, the datetime string includes a decimal point (.) before the millisecond part. Here is how to solve it:

Correct Format String

You simply need to include the . in your format string. The correct format should be:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

This format breaks down as follows:

%Y - Year (4 digits)

%m - Month (01 to 12)

%d - Day of the month (01 to 31)

%H - Hour in 24-hour format (00 to 23)

%M - Minutes (00 to 59)

%S - Seconds (00 to 59)

%f - Microsecond (up to 6 digits)

Z - Literal character "Z" indicating UTC

Implementation Steps

Let's put this into practice with a simple code snippet:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Explanation of the Code

Import the datetime Module: This allows us to use datetime functionalities.

Define the ISO Datetime String: Here you specify the datetime string you want to convert.

Convert to Datetime Object: Using strptime, you convert the string into a datetime object with the correct format string.

Format the Datetime Object: Finally, use strftime to format the datetime object into the desired string representation.

Result

The output of the above code will be:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Conclusion

Converting an ISO 8061 datetime string to a standard timestamp format can be straightforward once you have the correct format string. In this post, we covered how to fix the error encountered when attempting to parse an ISO 8061 datetime string in Python. Remember to pay attention to detail, especially regarding characters like the decimal point in datetime formatting.

Feel free to experiment with other datetime strings and formats as you delve deeper into the world of Python programming!