Fetching datetime from float in Python

Question

How does one get a datetime from a float in Python?

For e.g, I have a float such as 43111.0 and I want to get the datetime for this.

What is 43111.0 supposed to be? Is that some weird non-standard timestamp? — Jacob, Jul 15 '11 at 11:19
@Jacob usually a float as a date is days since the epoch. Everything to left of the decimal is usually seconds or miliseconds. — Jamie Marshall, Oct 09 '18 at 22:12

score 63 · Answer 1 · edited May 08 '18 at 21:48

63

Looks like an Excel datetime format, called serial date. Quick and dirty way to convert it:

>>> import datetime
>>> serial = 43111.0
>>> seconds = (serial - 25569) * 86400.0
>>> datetime.datetime.utcfromtimestamp(seconds)
datetime.datetime(2018, 1, 11, 0, 0)

edited May 08 '18 at 21:48

Community

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answered Jul 15 '11 at 11:48

tuomur

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score 26 · Answer 2 · edited Nov 21 '17 at 15:45

26

Try this:

from datetime import datetime

datetime.fromtimestamp(*your_timestamp_here*).strftime('%Y-%m-%d')

edited Nov 21 '17 at 15:45

fresheed

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answered Sep 01 '17 at 08:47

Sagar Dawda

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score 13 · Answer 3 · answered Jul 15 '11 at 11:25

13

import datetime, time

print datetime.datetime.fromtimestamp(time.time())
print datetime.datetime.fromtimestamp(43111.0)

answered Jul 15 '11 at 11:25

jerboa

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Thanks for your answer but 43111.0 is not the timestamp,it is the flaot number format for the date 11 January 2018. – Pravin Jul 15 '11 at 11:30

score 8 · Answer 4 · answered Jul 15 '11 at 11:41

So, with a little math:

If 43111 is 11 January 2018, then 0 is 30th December 1899. Python has datetime.date.fromordinal()

Return the date corresponding to the proleptic Gregorian ordinal, where January 1 of year 1 has ordinal 1. ValueError is raised unless 1 <= ordinal <= date.max.toordinal(). For any date d, date.fromordinal(d.toordinal()) == d.

If you use that with an offset, you have:

>>> dateoffset = 693594
>>> datetime.date.fromordinal(dateoffset + 43111)
datetime.date(2018, 1, 11)

Hope that helps, even if it does not work for floats.

One has to handle fractional part separately if ordinals are used:( — mlt, Jul 22 '12 at 08:28

score 0 · Answer 5 · answered Aug 20 '20 at 15:10

0

Here is another way

from pyxlsb import convert_date
convert_date(value)

You can use

format(convert_date(value), '%m/%d/%Y')

if you want to format it.

answered Aug 20 '20 at 15:10

Akhror Abduvaliev

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from a .xlsb no less, tyvm – DonkeyKong Apr 09 '21 at 20:08

Fetching datetime from float in Python

5 Answers5

Here is another way

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