[Python-Dev] Python strptime

[Brett Cannon]

On 18 Jun 2002, Martin v. Loewis wrote:

> Brett Cannon <bac@OCF.Berkeley.EDU> writes:
>
> > Well, since locale info is not directly accessible for time-specific
> > things in Python (let alone in C in a standard way), I have to do multiple
> > calls to strftime to get the names of the weekdays.
>
> I wonder what the purpose of having a pure-Python implementation of
> strptime is, if you have to rely on strftime. Is this for Windows only?
>

The purpose is that strptime is not common across all platforms.  As it
stands now, it requires that the underlying C library support it.  Since
it is not specified in ANSI C, not all have it.  glibc has it so most UNIX
installs have it.  But Windows doesn't.  It is not meant specifically for
Windows, but it happens to be the major OS that lacks it.

But strftime is guaranteed by Python to be there since it is in ANSI C.
The reason I have the reliance on strftime is because it was the only way
I could think of to reliably gain access to locale information in regards
for time.  If I didn't try to figure out what the names of months were, I
would not need strftime at all.  But since I wanted this to be able to be
a drop-in replacement, I decided it was worth my time to figure out how to
get this locale info when it is not directly accessible.

As for why it is in Python and not C, it's mainly because I prefer Python.
=)  I think it could be done in C, but it would be much more work.  I also
remember Guido saying somewhere that he would like to see modules in
Python when possible.  It was possible, so I did it in Python.

> Regards,
> Martin
>
>

-Brett C.