Date - Today's date in Python?

[ionarawilson1]

Hi guys,

I am writing a python script that adds a feature to geodatabase feature class. Some fields the user has to enter manually and some are automatic. However the date field output is an incorrect date of 7/5/1905. Does anybody have any idea why this is happening? I have tried everything I could find and nothing worked. I am using a file geodatabase, the date field is of date type and my computer's setting has the correct today's date. Thank you for any help!

Here is the code

#Calculate Date Field expression = time.strftime("%Y") arcpy.CalculateField_management("Boundary", "Date", expression, "PYTHON")

If I change the code I get a date of 3/29/1969. Here is the code for that:

#Calculate Date Field                                                     import time                                                               import datetime                                                           now = datetime.date.today()                                               expression = now.strftime("%m%d%y")                                                                                                                 arcpy.CalculateField_management("Boundary", "Date", expression, "PYTHON")

[JamesCrandall]

I am not entirely clear on what the issue is and what your desired result should be, but here is how you get a current date

#current date
d1 = datetime.today()
_currdate = datetime.strftime(d1, "%Y-%m-%d")

#date of 15 days ago from the current date
d2 = d1 - timedelta(15)
_pastdate = datetime.strftime(d2, "%Y-%m-%d")

[AmandaBishop]

Does this python code also work in the field calculator inside of the attribute table?  I have an active edit session on my feature class in the geodatabase and I am trying to get the current date for editing.

[Zeke]

Is the field you're calculating a date type field or text? Either way, you can use these types of code snippets in Field Calculator, but you may want/need the Advanced codeblock to set up a def returning your value.

[AmandaBishop]

Hello Greg,

After I posted this if found out that there is a default "data" field calculation in the field calculator tool.  It was handy and much easier than trying to write my own.

Thank you.

[DanPatterson_Retired]

As Greg said, it can be done... a snippet designed for a text field

>>> print datetime.strftime(datetime.today(),"%Y-%m-%d")

2014-12-10

>>>

as a function it would have to be

Parser:  Python

from datetime import datetime

def (dateFld):

     datetime.strftime(datetime.today(),"%Y-%m-%d")

Expression box:  !YourDateFieldName!

[AmandaBishop]

Hey Dan,

After I posted this if found out that there is a default "data" field calculation in the field calculator tool.  It was handy and much easier than trying to write my own.

Thank you.

[DanPatterson_Retired]

[RhettZufelt]

A few options, depending on the format you want.

>>> from time import strftime
>>> strftime("%m-%d-%Y %H:%M:%S")
'06-13-2013 11:52:00'
>>> strftime("%m-%d-%Y")
'06-13-2013'
>>> strftime("%m%d%y")
'061313'
>>> strftime("%m%d%Y")
'06132013'
>>> strftime("%Y")
'2013'
>>> 

R_

[ionarawilson1]

Thank you James, but I tried your code and I get a null value for the date field. I am not sure if the calculate field management method is recognizing as a string, a real expression.

Here is my code

#Calculate Date Field                                                   
import time                                                             
import datetime                                                         
#current date                                                           
d1 = datetime.today()                                                   
_currdate = datetime.strftime(d1, "%Y-%m-%d")                           
                                                               
                                                                        
arcpy.CalculateField_management("Boundary", "Date", _currdate, "PYTHON")