How to Convert a String to DateTime Format in Python

When working with dates and times in Python, it's common to encounter strings that represent dates in various formats. In this article, we'll explore how to convert a string column to a datetime format using the popular Pandas library.

### Extracting Specific Components from a Datetime Column

Once you have a datetime column, you can extract specific components such as day, month, and year using the dt accessor. For example:

```python

df''date''.dt.day

df''date''.dt.month

df''date''.dt.year

```

### Converting a String to DateTime Format

To convert a string column to a datetime format, you can use the `to_datetime()` function from Pandas. This function allows you to specify the format of the input strings.

For example, if your string is in the format 'YYYY/MM/DD', you can convert it to a datetime format using:

```python

df''date'' = pd.to_datetime(df''date'', format='%Y/%m/%d')

```

### Changing Multiple Columns from String to Date Format

Alternatively, you can convert multiple columns from string type to date format by using the `to_datetime()` function. This is useful when you have multiple columns that contain dates in different formats.

For example:

```python

df'''column1', 'column2', 'column3''' = pd.to_datetime(df'''column1', 'column2', 'column3''', format='%Y/%m/%d')

```

### Converting a String to 'yyyymmdd' Format

If you have a date in 'yymmdd' format and want to change it to a datetime format, you can use the `to_datetime()` function with the format argument set to '%y%m%d'.

For example:

```python

df''date'' = pd.to_datetime(df''date'', format='%y%m%d')

```

###

In this article, we've covered how to convert a string column to a datetime format using Pandas. We've also explored ways to extract specific components from a datetime column and change multiple columns from string type to date format.

By following these examples, you should be able to easily convert your string columns to datetime formats in Python.

References

* 'Pandas documentation: to_datetime()'(https://pandas.pydata.org/pandas-docs/stable/reference/api/pandas.to_datetime.html)

* 'Pandas documentation: dt accessor'(https://pandas.pydata.org/pandas-docs/stable/user_guide/timeseries.html#offset-aliases)

Python convert string to datetime time