The Python timedelta function is available in the datetime library. We use this Python timedelta function to calculate the difference between two dates. Or, you can use this to predict the past dates and future dates.
In this section, we show the maximum number of examples of this Python timedelta. The syntax behind this Python timedelta is
datetime.timedelta(days = 0, seconds = 0, microseconds = 0, milliseconds = 0, minutes = 0, hours = 0, weeks = 0)
Python timedelta Examples
It is a basic example to explain to you how the datetime timedelta works.
# Python timedelta Example
import datetime
print("Microseconds = ", datetime.timedelta(microseconds = 1))
print("Milliseconds = ", datetime.timedelta(milliseconds = 1))
print("Seconds = ", datetime.timedelta(seconds = 1))
print("Minutes = ", datetime.timedelta(minutes = 1))
print("Hours = ", datetime.timedelta(hours = 1))
print("Days = ", datetime.timedelta(days = 1))
print("Weeks = ", datetime.timedelta(weeks = 1))OUTPUT
timedelta attributes
The datetime timedelta object has three special attributes min, max, resolution to return the most negative, most positive, and the smallest difference between two non-equal timedelta objects.
import datetime
print("Minimum = ", datetime.timedelta.min)
print("Maximum = ", datetime.timedelta.max)
print("Resoultion = ", datetime.timedelta.resolution)OUTPUT
Python timedelta Future Dates
Let me give you a simple Python example to return the dates one year from now and two years from now. We can say something like predicting future dates using this timedelta in datetime.
# Python timedelta Example
from datetime import datetime, timedelta
current_dt = datetime.now()
print("Current Date and Time : ", str(current_dt))
dt_after_one_year = current_dt + timedelta(days = 365)
print("Date and Time After One Year : ", str(dt_after_one_year))
dt_after_two_years = current_dt + timedelta(days = 730)
print("Date and Time of Two Years from Now : ", str(dt_after_two_years))OUTPUT
Python timedelta Past Dates
Here, we used the subtraction to find the past dates. From the below code, days = 730 means subtracting 730 days from the current date.
from datetime import datetime, timedelta
current_dt = datetime.now()
print("Current Date and Time : ", str(current_dt))
dt_before_two_years = current_dt - timedelta(days = 730)
print("Date and Time before Two Years from Now : ", str(dt_before_two_years))
dt_before_six_years = current_dt - timedelta(days = 2190)
print("Date and Time before Six Years from Now : ", str(dt_before_six_years))
dt_before_thirty_years = current_dt - timedelta(days = 10950)
print("Date and Time before Thirty Years : ", str(dt_before_thirty_years))OUTPUT
Python timedelta Week
In this example, we are using the weeks argument inside the timedelta function to find the date before and after 2 weeks / 4 weeks from now.
from datetime import datetime, timedelta
current_dt = datetime.now()
print("Current Date and Time : ", str(current_dt))
dt_before_two_weeks = current_dt - timedelta(weeks = 2)
print("DateTime before Two Weeks from Now : ", str(dt_before_two_weeks))
dt_after_two_weeks = current_dt + timedelta(weeks = 2)
print("DateTime after Two Weeks from Now : ", str(dt_after_two_weeks))
print()
dt_before_four_weeks = current_dt - timedelta(weeks = 4)
print("DateTime before Four Weeks from Now : ", str(dt_before_four_weeks))
dt_after_six_weeks = current_dt + timedelta(weeks = 6)
print("DateTime after Six Weeks from Now : ", str(dt_after_six_weeks))OUTPUT
Python timedelta Days
In this example, we used the days argument inside the timedelta function to return the date before and after 2 days from now.
from datetime import datetime, timedelta
current_dt = datetime.now()
print("Current Date and Time : ", str(current_dt))
dt_before_two_days = current_dt - timedelta(days = 2)
print("Date and Time before Two Days from Now : ", str(dt_before_two_days))
dt_after_two_days = current_dt + timedelta(days = 2)
print("Date and Time of Two Days from Now : ", str(dt_after_two_days))OUTPUT
Here, we are returning the date (not Date and Time) before and after two days from now.
from datetime import datetime, timedelta
dt = datetime.now()
current_dt = dt.date()
print("Current Date and Time : ", str(current_dt))
dt_before_two_days = current_dt - timedelta(days = 2)
print("Date and Time before Two Days from Now : ", str(dt_before_two_days))
dt_after_five_days = current_dt + timedelta(days = 2)
print("Date and Time of Five Days from Now : ", str(dt_after_five_days))OUTPUT
Python timedelta Hours
This example returns the date and time before and after two hours from now.
from datetime import datetime, timedelta
current_dt = datetime.now()
print("Current Date and Time : ", str(current_dt))
dt_before_two_hours = current_dt - timedelta(hours = 2)
print("Date and Time before Two Hours from Now : ", str(dt_before_two_hours))
dt_after_two_hours = current_dt + timedelta(hours = 2)
print("Date and Time of Two Hours from Now : ", str(dt_after_two_hours))OUTPUT
timedelta Minutes
In this example, we are using timedelta to return DateTime before two minutes, and after 6 minutes from now.
from datetime import datetime, timedelta
current_dt = datetime.now()
print("Current Date and Time : ", str(current_dt))
dt_before_two_minutes = current_dt - timedelta(minutes = 2)
print("Date and Time before Two Minutes from Now : ", str(dt_before_two_minutes))
dt_after_six_minutes = current_dt + timedelta(minutes = 6)
print("Date and Time After Six Minutes from Now : ", str(dt_after_six_minutes))OUTPUT
timedelta Seconds
In this example, we are using timedelta to return DateTime before twenty seconds, and after 90 seconds from now.
from datetime import datetime, timedelta
current_dt = datetime.now()
print("Current Date and Time : ", str(current_dt))
dt_before_twenty_seconds = current_dt - timedelta(seconds = 20)
print("DateTime before Twenty seconds : ", str(dt_before_twenty_seconds))
dt_after_ninty_seconds = current_dt + timedelta(seconds = 90)
print("DateTime After Ninty seconds : ", str(dt_after_ninty_seconds))OUTPUT
timedelta Milliseconds
This example returns date and time before 10000 milliseconds and after 9000000 milliseconds from now.
from datetime import datetime, timedelta
current_dt = datetime.now()
print("Current Date and Time : ", str(current_dt))
dt_before_mseconds = current_dt - timedelta(milliseconds = 10000)
print("DateTime before Ten Thousand Milliseconds : ", str(dt_before_mseconds))
dt_after_mseconds = current_dt + timedelta(milliseconds = 900000)
print("DateTime After 900000 Milliseconds : ", str(dt_after_mseconds))OUTPUT
Python timedelta Multiple Arguments
Until now, we are using the timedelta with a single argument. In this example, we are using more than one argument. current_dt – timedelta(days = 2, hours = 2) returns date and time before 2 days and 2 hours from now.
from datetime import datetime, timedelta
current_dt = datetime.now()
print("Current Date and Time : ", str(current_dt))
dt_before_days = current_dt - timedelta(days = 2, hours = 2)
print("Before Date and Time : ", str(dt_before_days))
dt_after_days = current_dt + timedelta(days = 3, hours = 4)
print("After Date and Time : ", str(dt_after_days))
dt_before_days = current_dt - timedelta(days = 2, hours = 2, minutes = 10)
print("Before Date and Time : ", str(dt_before_days))
dt_after_days = current_dt + timedelta(days = 3, hours = 4, seconds = 20)
print("After Date and Time : ", str(dt_after_days))OUTPUT
If you know the order of the arguments and you are using them in the same order, then you don’t need the name. I mean, you can place argument values. current_dt – timedelta(2, 2) returns date and time before 2 days and 2 seconds from now.
from datetime import datetime, timedelta
current_dt = datetime.now()
print("Current Date and Time : ", str(current_dt))
dt_before_days = current_dt - timedelta(2, 2)
print("Before Date and Time : ", str(dt_before_days))
dt_before_days = current_dt - timedelta(2, 2, 2)
print("Before Date and Time : ", str(dt_before_days))
dt_before_days = current_dt - timedelta(2, 2, 0, 2, 0, 2)
print("Before Date and Time : ", str(dt_before_days))
dt_before_days = current_dt - timedelta(2, 2, 0, 2, 0, 2, 1)
print("Before Date and Time : ", str(dt_before_days))OUTPUT
Here, we are using the timedelta with argument values to predict future dates.
from datetime import datetime, timedelta
current_dt = datetime.now()
print("Current Date and Time : ", str(current_dt))
dt_after_days = current_dt + timedelta(3, 3)
print("After Date and Time : ", str(dt_after_days))
dt_after_days = current_dt + timedelta(3, 3, 3, 3)
print("After Date and Time : ", str(dt_after_days))
dt_after_days = current_dt + timedelta(3, 3, 0, 0, 3, 3)
print("After Date and Time : ", str(dt_after_days))
dt_after_days = current_dt + timedelta(3, 0, 0, 4, 2, 3, 1)
print("After Date and Time : ", str(dt_after_days))
dt_after_days = current_dt + timedelta(3, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 5)
print("After Date and Time : ", str(dt_after_days))OUTPUT
Python timedelta Negative Values
Until now, we are subtracted the current date and time with timedelta values. However, you can use negative values as the timedelta arguments. For instance, current_dt + timedelta(days = -35) returns date before 35 days from now.
from datetime import datetime, timedelta
current_dt = datetime.now()
print("Current Date and Time : ", str(current_dt))
dt_after_days = current_dt + timedelta(days = -35)
print("After Date and Time : ", str(dt_after_days))
dt_after_days = current_dt + timedelta(days = -3, hours = -4)
print("After Date and Time : ", str(dt_after_days))
dt_after_days = current_dt + timedelta(days = -10, hours = -40, minutes = -10)
print("After Date and Time : ", str(dt_after_days))OUTPUT
Find total Seconds using Python timedelta
This example returns the total number of seconds in an Hour, Day, Year, and Week
from datetime import datetime, timedelta
dt = timedelta(hours = 1)
print("One Hour = ", dt)
print("Total Seconds in One Hour = ", dt.total_seconds())
dt = timedelta(days = 1)
print("One Day = ", dt)
print("Total Seconds in One day = ", dt.total_seconds())
dt = timedelta(days = 365)
print("Total Days = ", dt)
print("Total Seconds in a Year = ", dt.total_seconds())
dt = timedelta(weeks = 1)
print("One Week = ", dt)
print("Total Seconds in a Week = ", dt.total_seconds())OUTPUT
Python timedelta strftime
In this example, we are using the timedelta function to predict future dates. Next, we are using the strftime function to format the date and times.
from datetime import datetime, timedelta
current_dt = datetime.now()
print("Current Date and Time : ", str(current_dt))
dt_after = current_dt + timedelta(days = 30)
print("Formatted DateTime : ", dt_after.strftime('%Y/%M/%d %H:%M:%S %p'))
dt_after = current_dt + timedelta(days = 365)
print("Formatted DateTime : ", dt_after.strftime('%A, %d %b %Y'))
dt_after = current_dt + timedelta(days = 365)
print("Formatted DateTime : ", dt_after.strftime('%A, %d %b %Y %H:%M:%S %p'))OUTPUT
Python Time difference
Here, we are finding the time difference between the current date and the date returned by the timedelta.
from datetime import datetime, timedelta
current_dt = datetime.now()
print("Current Date and Time : ", str(current_dt))
dt_before_ten_days = current_dt - timedelta(days = 10)
print("DateTime before Ten Days from Now : ", str(dt_before_ten_days))
print("Time Difference = ", current_dt - dt_before_ten_days)
dt_after_two_days = current_dt + timedelta(days = 2)
print("DateTime of Two Days from Now : ", str(dt_after_two_days))
print("Time Difference = ", current_dt - dt_after_two_days)OUTPUT
