How do I determine if current time is within a specified range using Python's datetime module?
Question:
What would be the best way to see if the current time lies between say 10:30 AM and 4:30 PM.
I could think of the following, not sure how correct:
from datetime import datetime
nw = datetime.now()
hrs = nw.hour;mins = nw.minute;secs = nw.second;
zero = timedelta(seconds = secs+mins*60+hrs*3600)
st = nw - zero # this take me to 0 hours.
time1 = st + timedelta(seconds=10*3600+30*60) # this gives 10:30 AM
time2 = st + timedelta(seconds=16*3600+30*60) # this gives 4:30 PM
if nw>= time1 or nw <= time2:
print "yes, within the interval"
Please let me know if this the correct approach, can something better be written?
Answers:
My original answer focused very specifically on the question as posed and didn’t accommodate time ranges that span midnight. As this is still the accepted answer 6 years later, I’ve incorporated @rouble’s answer below that expanded on mine to support midnight.
from datetime import datetime, time
def is_time_between(begin_time, end_time, check_time=None):
# If check time is not given, default to current UTC time
check_time = check_time or datetime.utcnow().time()
if begin_time < end_time:
return check_time >= begin_time and check_time <= end_time
else: # crosses midnight
return check_time >= begin_time or check_time <= end_time
# Original test case from OP
is_time_between(time(10,30), time(16,30))
# Test case when range crosses midnight
is_time_between(time(22,0), time(4,00))
I still stick to my original comment below that most applications of this logic would probably be better suited with datetime objects where crossing midnight is reflected as a date change anyway.
The above accepted solution does not work with overnight times, this does:
import datetime as dt
def isNowInTimePeriod(startTime, endTime, nowTime):
if startTime < endTime:
return nowTime >= startTime and nowTime <= endTime
else:
#Over midnight:
return nowTime >= startTime or nowTime <= endTime
#normal example:
isNowInTimePeriod(dt.time(13,45), dt.time(21,30), dt.datetime.now().time())
#over midnight example:
isNowInTimePeriod(dt.time(20,30), dt.time(1,30), dt.datetime.now().time())
here’s little example for @rouble’s answer:
from datetime import datetime
def isNowInTimePeriod(startTime, endTime, nowTime):
if startTime < endTime:
return nowTime >= startTime and nowTime <= endTime
else: #Over midnight
return nowTime >= startTime or nowTime <= endTime
timeStart = '3:00PM'
timeEnd = '11:00AM'
timeNow = '2:59AM'
timeEnd = datetime.strptime(timeEnd, "%I:%M%p")
timeStart = datetime.strptime(timeStart, "%I:%M%p")
timeNow = datetime.strptime(timeNow, "%I:%M%p")
print(isNowInTimePeriod(timeStart, timeEnd, timeNow))
Take a look in py-time-between package: https://pypi.org/project/py-time-between/
Test cases:
from datetime import time
from timebetween import is_time_between
def test_is_time_between():
t, s, e = time(0), time(0), time(0)
assert is_time_between(t, s, e)
t, s, e = time(0, 0, 0, 1), time(0), time(0, 0, 0, 2)
assert is_time_between(t, s, e)
t, s, e = time(0, 0, 0, 1), time(0, 0, 0, 1), time(0, 0, 0, 2)
assert is_time_between(t, s, e)
t, s, e = time(0, 0, 0, 2), time(0, 0, 0, 1), time(0, 0, 0, 2)
assert is_time_between(t, s, e)
t, s, e = time(0, 0, 1), time(23, 59, 59), time(0, 0, 2)
assert is_time_between(t, s, e)
t, s, e = time(12, 0, 0), time(23, 59, 59), time(0, 0, 0)
assert is_time_between(t, s, e)
t, s, e = time(23, 59, 57), time(23, 59, 59), time(23, 59, 57)
assert is_time_between(t, s, e)
t, s, e = time(23, 59, 58), time(23, 59, 59), time(23, 59, 57)
assert not is_time_between(t, s, e)
t, s, e = time(22), time(22), time(5, 59, 59)
assert is_time_between(t, s, e)
Can be simplified further:
def isNowInTimePeriod(startTime, endTime, nowTime):
if startTime < endTime:
return startTime <= nowTime <= endTime
else: #Over midnight
return nowTime >= startTime or nowTime <= endTime
My 2 cent, it works for me and it is easy
while True:
now = datetime.now()
current_time = now.strftime("%H:%M:%S")
start = '19:19:00'
end = '19:19:20'
if current_time > start and current_time < end:
print('in')
print(current_time)
tempo.sleep(1)
else:
print('out')
print(current_time)
I had a similar requirement where I wanted a certain task to run on every weekday between 9 AM and 3:30 PM.
def somefunction():
cdate = datetime.datetime.strftime(datetime.datetime.now(), "%d-%m-%Y")
if (0 <= time.localtime().tm_wday <= 4) and (datetime.datetime.strptime(cdate + " 09:00:00", "%d-%m-%Y %H:%M:%S") <= datetime.datetime.now() <= datetime.datetime.strptime(cdate + " 15:30:00", "%d-%m-%Y %H:%M:%S")):
<< do something >>
explanation:
cdate variable gets current date in string format.
The condition checks if the current week day is >= 0 (Monday) and <= 4(Friday). It also checks if the current time in datetime format is >= 9:00 AM on today’s date and if current time is <= 15:30 on today’s date.
A solution that may be closer to OP’s request than the selected answer.
It uses datetime rather than time as the object to check against.
It also uses a duration rather than a time to specify the end of the interval.
from datetime import datetime, time, timedelta
def is_date_within(begin_time, span_time, check_date=None):
"""
Return True if given check_date is within the interval begining
at begin_time with a duration of span_time.
Args:
- begin_time: datetime.time object
- span_time: datetime.timedelta object
- check_date: datetime.datetime object.
If None, default to current UTC date
"""
check_date = check_date or datetime.utcnow()
if check_date.time() >= begin_time:
begin_date = check_date.combine(check_date.date(), begin_time)
else:
begin_date = check_date.combine(check_date.date() - timedelta(days=1),
begin_time)
return begin_date <= check_date <= begin_date + span_time
test_date = datetime(2020, 6, 22, 11, 31)
assert(is_date_within(time(10,30), timedelta(hours=4), test_date) == True)
assert(is_date_within(time(10,30), timedelta(hours=1), test_date) == False)
# Span midnight
assert(is_date_within(time(23,30), timedelta(hours=13), test_date) == True)
assert(is_date_within(time(23,30), timedelta(hours=1), test_date) == False)
Here how i did it in python
import datetime
e = datetime.datetime.now()
current_time = (e.strftime("%I:%M:%S %p"))
if current_time < '04:30:00 PM' or current_time > '9:30 AM':
print(current_time)
What would be the best way to see if the current time lies between say 10:30 AM and 4:30 PM.
I could think of the following, not sure how correct:
from datetime import datetime
nw = datetime.now()
hrs = nw.hour;mins = nw.minute;secs = nw.second;
zero = timedelta(seconds = secs+mins*60+hrs*3600)
st = nw - zero # this take me to 0 hours.
time1 = st + timedelta(seconds=10*3600+30*60) # this gives 10:30 AM
time2 = st + timedelta(seconds=16*3600+30*60) # this gives 4:30 PM
if nw>= time1 or nw <= time2:
print "yes, within the interval"
Please let me know if this the correct approach, can something better be written?
My original answer focused very specifically on the question as posed and didn’t accommodate time ranges that span midnight. As this is still the accepted answer 6 years later, I’ve incorporated @rouble’s answer below that expanded on mine to support midnight.
from datetime import datetime, time
def is_time_between(begin_time, end_time, check_time=None):
# If check time is not given, default to current UTC time
check_time = check_time or datetime.utcnow().time()
if begin_time < end_time:
return check_time >= begin_time and check_time <= end_time
else: # crosses midnight
return check_time >= begin_time or check_time <= end_time
# Original test case from OP
is_time_between(time(10,30), time(16,30))
# Test case when range crosses midnight
is_time_between(time(22,0), time(4,00))
I still stick to my original comment below that most applications of this logic would probably be better suited with datetime objects where crossing midnight is reflected as a date change anyway.
The above accepted solution does not work with overnight times, this does:
import datetime as dt
def isNowInTimePeriod(startTime, endTime, nowTime):
if startTime < endTime:
return nowTime >= startTime and nowTime <= endTime
else:
#Over midnight:
return nowTime >= startTime or nowTime <= endTime
#normal example:
isNowInTimePeriod(dt.time(13,45), dt.time(21,30), dt.datetime.now().time())
#over midnight example:
isNowInTimePeriod(dt.time(20,30), dt.time(1,30), dt.datetime.now().time())
here’s little example for @rouble’s answer:
from datetime import datetime
def isNowInTimePeriod(startTime, endTime, nowTime):
if startTime < endTime:
return nowTime >= startTime and nowTime <= endTime
else: #Over midnight
return nowTime >= startTime or nowTime <= endTime
timeStart = '3:00PM'
timeEnd = '11:00AM'
timeNow = '2:59AM'
timeEnd = datetime.strptime(timeEnd, "%I:%M%p")
timeStart = datetime.strptime(timeStart, "%I:%M%p")
timeNow = datetime.strptime(timeNow, "%I:%M%p")
print(isNowInTimePeriod(timeStart, timeEnd, timeNow))
Take a look in py-time-between package: https://pypi.org/project/py-time-between/
Test cases:
from datetime import time
from timebetween import is_time_between
def test_is_time_between():
t, s, e = time(0), time(0), time(0)
assert is_time_between(t, s, e)
t, s, e = time(0, 0, 0, 1), time(0), time(0, 0, 0, 2)
assert is_time_between(t, s, e)
t, s, e = time(0, 0, 0, 1), time(0, 0, 0, 1), time(0, 0, 0, 2)
assert is_time_between(t, s, e)
t, s, e = time(0, 0, 0, 2), time(0, 0, 0, 1), time(0, 0, 0, 2)
assert is_time_between(t, s, e)
t, s, e = time(0, 0, 1), time(23, 59, 59), time(0, 0, 2)
assert is_time_between(t, s, e)
t, s, e = time(12, 0, 0), time(23, 59, 59), time(0, 0, 0)
assert is_time_between(t, s, e)
t, s, e = time(23, 59, 57), time(23, 59, 59), time(23, 59, 57)
assert is_time_between(t, s, e)
t, s, e = time(23, 59, 58), time(23, 59, 59), time(23, 59, 57)
assert not is_time_between(t, s, e)
t, s, e = time(22), time(22), time(5, 59, 59)
assert is_time_between(t, s, e)
Can be simplified further:
def isNowInTimePeriod(startTime, endTime, nowTime):
if startTime < endTime:
return startTime <= nowTime <= endTime
else: #Over midnight
return nowTime >= startTime or nowTime <= endTime
My 2 cent, it works for me and it is easy
while True:
now = datetime.now()
current_time = now.strftime("%H:%M:%S")
start = '19:19:00'
end = '19:19:20'
if current_time > start and current_time < end:
print('in')
print(current_time)
tempo.sleep(1)
else:
print('out')
print(current_time)
I had a similar requirement where I wanted a certain task to run on every weekday between 9 AM and 3:30 PM.
def somefunction():
cdate = datetime.datetime.strftime(datetime.datetime.now(), "%d-%m-%Y")
if (0 <= time.localtime().tm_wday <= 4) and (datetime.datetime.strptime(cdate + " 09:00:00", "%d-%m-%Y %H:%M:%S") <= datetime.datetime.now() <= datetime.datetime.strptime(cdate + " 15:30:00", "%d-%m-%Y %H:%M:%S")):
<< do something >>
explanation:
cdate variable gets current date in string format.
The condition checks if the current week day is >= 0 (Monday) and <= 4(Friday). It also checks if the current time in datetime format is >= 9:00 AM on today’s date and if current time is <= 15:30 on today’s date.
A solution that may be closer to OP’s request than the selected answer.
It uses datetime rather than time as the object to check against.
It also uses a duration rather than a time to specify the end of the interval.
from datetime import datetime, time, timedelta
def is_date_within(begin_time, span_time, check_date=None):
"""
Return True if given check_date is within the interval begining
at begin_time with a duration of span_time.
Args:
- begin_time: datetime.time object
- span_time: datetime.timedelta object
- check_date: datetime.datetime object.
If None, default to current UTC date
"""
check_date = check_date or datetime.utcnow()
if check_date.time() >= begin_time:
begin_date = check_date.combine(check_date.date(), begin_time)
else:
begin_date = check_date.combine(check_date.date() - timedelta(days=1),
begin_time)
return begin_date <= check_date <= begin_date + span_time
test_date = datetime(2020, 6, 22, 11, 31)
assert(is_date_within(time(10,30), timedelta(hours=4), test_date) == True)
assert(is_date_within(time(10,30), timedelta(hours=1), test_date) == False)
# Span midnight
assert(is_date_within(time(23,30), timedelta(hours=13), test_date) == True)
assert(is_date_within(time(23,30), timedelta(hours=1), test_date) == False)
Here how i did it in python
import datetime
e = datetime.datetime.now()
current_time = (e.strftime("%I:%M:%S %p"))
if current_time < '04:30:00 PM' or current_time > '9:30 AM':
print(current_time)