From 4ee5b32b8e217eac48799391a2f8182ac2abae35 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Pradnya <116059908+PradnyaGaitonde@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Tue, 21 May 2024 21:51:48 +0530
Subject: [PATCH] Create dates_and_times.md

Added content for Working with dates & times in python
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+## Working with Dates and Times in Python
+Handling dates and times is an essential aspect of many programming tasks. 
+Python provides robust modules to work with dates and times, making it easier to perform operations like formatting, parsing, and arithmetic. 
+This guide provides an overview of these modules and their key functionalities.
+
+## 1. 'datetime' Module
+The datetime module supplies classes for manipulating dates and times. The main classes in the datetime module are:
+
+* date: Represents a date (year, month, day).
+* time: Represents a time (hour, minute, second, microsecond).
+* datetime: Combines date and time information.
+* timedelta: Represents the difference between two dates or times.
+* tzinfo: Provides time zone information objects.
+
+**Key Concepts:**
+
+* Naive vs. Aware: Naive datetime objects do not contain time zone information, while aware datetime objects do.
+* Immutability: date and time objects are immutable; once created, they cannot be changed.
+
+Example:
+```bash
+python
+Copy code
+import datetime
+# Get the current date and time
+now = datetime.datetime.now()
+print("Current date and time:", now)
+```
+
+## 2. Formatting Dates and Times
+Formatting involves converting datetime objects into human-readable strings. This is achieved using the strftime method, which stands for "string format time." 
+You can specify various format codes to dictate how the output string should be structured.
+
+**Common Format Codes:**
+
+* %Y: Year with century (e.g., 2024)
+* %m: Month as a zero-padded decimal number (e.g., 01)
+* %d: Day of the month as a zero-padded decimal number (e.g., 15)
+* %H: Hour (24-hour clock) as a zero-padded decimal number (e.g., 13)
+* %M: Minute as a zero-padded decimal number (e.g., 45)
+* %S: Second as a zero-padded decimal number (e.g., 30)
+  
+Example:
+```bash
+python
+Copy code
+import datetime
+
+now = datetime.datetime.now()
+formatted_now = now.strftime("%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S")
+print("Formatted current date and time:", formatted_now)
+```
+
+## 3. Parsing Dates and Times
+Parsing is the process of converting strings representing dates and times into datetime objects. The strptime method, which stands for "string parse time," 
+allows you to specify the format of the input string.
+
+Example:
+```bash
+python
+Copy code
+import datetime
+
+date_string = "2024-05-15 13:45:30"
+date_object = datetime.datetime.strptime(date_string, "%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S")
+print("Parsed date and time:", date_object)
+```
+
+## 4. Working with Time Differences
+The timedelta class is used to represent the difference between two datetime objects. This is useful for calculations involving durations, such as finding the
+number of days between two dates or adding a certain period to a date.
+
+Example:
+```bash
+python
+Copy code
+import datetime
+
+date1 = datetime.datetime(2024, 5, 15, 12, 0, 0)
+date2 = datetime.datetime(2024, 5, 20, 14, 30, 0)
+
+difference = date2 - date1
+print("Difference:", difference)
+print("Days:", difference.days)
+print("Total seconds:", difference.total_seconds())
+```
+
+## 5. Time Zones
+Time zone handling in Python is facilitated by the pytz library. It allows you to convert naive datetime objects into timezone-aware objects and perform 
+operations across different time zones.
+
+**Key Concepts:**
+
+* Timezone-aware: A datetime object that includes timezone information.
+* Localization: The process of associating a naive datetime with a time zone.
+
+Example:
+```bash
+python
+Copy code
+import datetime
+import pytz
+
+# Define a timezone
+tz = pytz.timezone('Asia/Kolkata')
+
+# Get the current time in a specific timezone
+now = datetime.datetime.now(tz)
+print("Current time in Asia/Kolkata:", now)
+```
+
+## 6. Date Arithmetic
+Date arithmetic involves performing operations like addition or subtraction on date or datetime objects using timedelta. This is useful for calculating future 
+or past dates based on a given date.
+
+Example:
+```bash
+python
+Copy code
+import datetime
+
+today = datetime.date.today()
+future_date = today + datetime.timedelta(days=10)
+print("Date after 10 days:", future_date)
+```
+
+## Summary
+Python’s datetime module and the pytz library provide comprehensive tools for working with dates, times, and time zones. They enable you to perform a wide range 
+of operations, from basic date manipulations to complex time zone conversions.