How do you convert a time.struct_time object into a datetime object?

python

datetime

timezone

feedparser

byNikita Barsukov·Feb 14, 2025

Change time.struct_time into datetime.datetime by implementing the datetime.datetime.fromtimestamp with time.mktime:

from datetime import datetime
import time

struct_time_obj = time.localtime()  # We got a struct_time object here
datetime_obj = datetime.fromtimestamp(time.mktime(struct_time_obj))  # Abracadabra...and now it's a datetime object!

This snippet converts the struct_time object to a datetime object in a flash.

Timezone handling - an art!

Beware, when switching from struct_time to datetime, remember to handle timezones sensitively. If working with time zones other than UTC, adjust the tz argument, like so:

from datetime import datetime, timezone
import time

struct_time_obj = time.localtime()  # Local timezone. Beautiful.
datetime_obj = datetime.fromtimestamp(time.mktime(struct_time_obj), tz=timezone.utc)  # UTC. Universal. Like Marvel.

This valuable addition makes your datetime object conscious of timezone and sets it to UTC. Goodbye,timezone confusion!

Not a "leap" of faith - handling leap seconds

Leap seconds can be sneaky! They are the naughty one-second adjustments to UTC that most systems conveniently ignore in their time.struct_time depictions. If your app can't overlook them, consider a library like dateutil for nellie meticulous control over time manipulations and timezone management.

The "gotchas" of conversions

When converting, remember the age-old saying: "Look before you leap!" Here are some common stumbling blocks:

Naive vs Aware: While creating datetime objects, don't get caught off-guard by timezone unaware or 'naive' datetime objects. These can trigger issues when comparing times or doing arithmetic across time zones.
Field overflow: Some struct_time objects may contain fields like tm_wday (weekday) or tm_yday (day of year), which are coyly ignored in the default tuple unpacking method. Double-check if these fields are necessary for your application and use them accordingly before conversion.
Out-of-range values: If struct_time flaunts out-of-range values (hello there, year 10000!), the conversion might falter. Always validate or have exception handling in place for these scenarios.

Feedparser to the rescue!

Working with RSS feeds or similar time objects? feedparser library has your back! Here's a robust method to get datetime from such sources:

import feedparser
from datetime import datetime

feed = feedparser.parse('https://yourfeedurl.com/feed')  # Dinner is served, RSS is parsed
published_time_struct = feed.entries[0].published_parsed  # A struct_time? Very quaint!
datetime_obj = datetime(*published_time_struct[:6])  # And it's a datetime. Just. Like. Magic.