Error when calling datetime.date()

Question

I have two versions, both which don't work for a reason I can't tell.

First Version

from datetime import datetime, date

d = datetime.date(2011, 01, 01)
print(d)

Which gives

  File "timeSince.py", line 3
    d = datetime.date(2011, 01, 01)
                             ^
SyntaxError: invalid token

Second Version

from datetime import datetime, date

d = datetime.date(2011, 1, 1)
print(d)

Which gives

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "timeSince.py", line 3, in <module>
    d = datetime.date(2011, 1, 1)
TypeError: descriptor 'date' requires a 'datetime.datetime' object but received
a 'int'

Running Python 3.3

Ryan Saxe · Accepted Answer · 2013-05-09 18:54:44Z

3

You imported date from datetime, so this will work:

>>> d = date(2011, 1, 1)
>>> d
datetime.date(2011, 1, 1)

no need to put the datetime infront

when you import a method from a module, you no longer use the name of the module to call that method because you imported that specific method!

note:

Your first instance is invalid syntax because you can't have a 0 in the beginning of an integer in python. You must use it this way: date(2011, 1, 1) and not this way: date(2011, 01, 01)

answered May 9, 2013 at 18:54

Ryan Saxe

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2 Comments

Geesh_SO Over a year ago

Still gives the same error. File "timeSince.py", line 3 d = date(2011, 01, 01) ^ SyntaxError: invalid token

Ryan Saxe Over a year ago

you can't use the integers starting with a 0 in python! it doesn't work! This works when you actually use correct python syntax!

Eric Clack · Accepted Answer · 2013-05-09 18:59:51Z

2

Your import statement is wrong (or at least not helpful), so you end up using a date method on the datetime class (which converts datetimes to dates) rather than the date class (which creates dates).

>>> from datetime import datetime, date
>>> datetime.date
<method 'date' of 'datetime.datetime' objects>
>>> datetime.date.__doc__
'Return date object with same year, month and day.'

Do this instead:

>>> import datetime
>>> datetime.date(2011,1,1)
datetime.date(2011, 1, 1)
>>> datetime.date.__doc__
'date(year, month, day) --> date object'

answered May 9, 2013 at 18:59

Eric Clack

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Comments

Martijn Pieters · Accepted Answer · 2013-05-09 19:03:01Z

2

You are using integer literals with leading 0 digits, which are not allowed in Python 3.

In Python 2, these were interpreted as octal values:

>>> 017
15

but the syntax is ambiguous and confusing to those not coming from a C background, and only the 0o123 syntax with leading 0o is now supported. The old syntax was made a syntax error to prevent people that do know the C octal syntax from creating subtle bugs.

Both versions try to use the datetime.date() method without an instance. You want to use just date() instead:

>>> from datetime import date, datetime
>>> date(2011, 1, 1)
datetime.date(2011, 1, 1)
>>> datetime
<type 'datetime.datetime'>
>>> datetime.date
<method 'date' of 'datetime.datetime' objects>

edited May 9, 2013 at 19:03

answered May 9, 2013 at 18:56

Martijn Pieters

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1 Comment

Geesh_SO Over a year ago

My second version in the post is not.

Henry Keiter · Accepted Answer · 2013-05-09 18:58:41Z

0

Two separate problems. You can't write integers with leading 0s (which is why your first version fails), and you've imported date from the datetime module already, so you shouldn't be trying to re-reference it (which is why your second version fails). Your code should look like this:

from datetime import date
d = date(2011, 1, 1)
print(d) # prints "2011-01-01"

answered May 9, 2013 at 18:58

Henry Keiter

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