Mathematica 9 is now available
SEARCH MATHEMATICA 8 DOCUMENTATION
THIS IS DOCUMENTATION FOR AN OBSOLETE PRODUCT.
SEE THE DOCUMENTATION CENTER FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION.
Mathematica > Data Manipulation > Date & Time >
Built-in Mathematica SymbolTutorials »|See Also »|More About »

DateList

DateList[]
gives the current local date and time in the form {year, month, day, hour, minute, second}.
DateList[time]
gives a date list corresponding to an AbsoluteTime specification.
DateList[{y, m, d, h, m, s}]
converts a date list to standard normalized form.
DateList["string"]
converts a date string to a date list.
DateList[{"string", {"e1", "e2", ...}}]
gives the date list obtained by extracting elements "ei" from "string".
  • DateList[] uses whatever date and time have been set on your computer system. It performs no corrections for time zones, daylight saving time, etc.
  • DateList[TimeZone -> z] gives the date and time inferred for time zone z by assuming that your computer is set for the time zone specified by $TimeZone.  »
  • All values returned by DateList[] are integers, except the number of seconds. The number of seconds is never more accurate than $TimeUnit.
  • Shorter lists can be used in DateList[{y, m, ...}]: {y} is equivalent to {y, 1, 1, 0, 0, 0}, {y, m} to {y, m, 1, 0, 0, 0}, etc.
  • Values of m, d, h, m, s outside their normal ranges are appropriately reduced. Non-integer values of d, h, m, s can also be used.  »
  • In the form DateList[{"string", {"e1", "e2", ...}] the "ei" can be "Year", "YearShort", "Quarter", "Month", "MonthName", "Day", "DayName", "Hour", "Hour12", "AMPM", "Minute", or "Second".
  • DateList[{"string", {"e1", "e2", ...}] uses the "ei" to fill in elements of {y, m, d, h, m, s}. Those not filled in are taken to have default values {yc, 1, 1, 0, 0, 0}, where yc is the current year.  »
  • In DateList[{"string", {"e1", "e2", ...}], the "ei" are extracted from "string" in the order given, and can be separated by any non-alphanumeric characters.  »
  • DateList[{"string", {"e1", "sep12", "e2", "sep23", ...}] extracts elements using the explicit separators specified.  »
EXAMPLESCLOSE ALL
Basic Examples   (5)
Find the current date:
Convert an absolute time to a date list:
Expand an elided date list:
Convert a date string to a date list:
Specify date elements for converting a string:
Find the current date:
In[1]:=
Click for copyable input
Out[1]=
 
Convert an absolute time to a date list:
In[1]:=
Click for copyable input
Out[1]=
 
Expand an elided date list:
In[1]:=
Click for copyable input
Out[1]=
 
Convert a date string to a date list:
In[1]:=
Click for copyable input
Out[1]=
 
Specify date elements for converting a string:
In[1]:=
Click for copyable input
Out[1]=
Scope   (6)
Date lists are converted to standard normalized form:
Strings are automatically interpreted when possible:
Separators are assumed if not specified:
Give explicit separators:
Day, hour, minute and second values can be non-integers:
The current year is used if not specified in a string:
Generalizations & Extensions   (1)
Give explicit date elements to interpret ambiguous strings:
Options   (1)
Find the current date in Greenwich, United Kingdom:
Applications   (1)
Specify interpretation of a string in a standard format:
Properties & Relations   (4)
AbsoluteTime represents dates as seconds since the beginning of 1900:
DateList represents dates as lists of date elements:
DateString represents dates as strings:
Use DateListPlot to plot data with date list x coordinates:
Use DatePlus to add time units to a date list:
Use DateDifference to find the number of time units between dates:
Use Order to determine the order of dates:
The canonicalization performed by DateList is significant:
Possible Issues   (2)
Year and month must be integers because the lengths of years and months vary:
There is no 0^(th) month or day:
New in 6
Ask a question about this page  |  Suggest an improvement  |  Leave a message for the team