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To: python-list@python.org
From: Mark Lawrence <breamoreboy@yahoo.co.uk>
Subject: Re: How to check the date validity?
Date: Tue, 24 Dec 2013 00:42:53 +0000
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On 24/12/2013 00:30, Igor Korot wrote:
> Hi, ALL,
> I'm working on the python script which reads the data from the csv file.
> In this file I have 3 different kind of fields: one consist of the
> sole date, one - sole time and one - datetime. The time includes
> milliseconds, i.e. "12:55:55.705"
> All fields of the file including those 3 I am reading as the string.
> All those strings after validating will go into mySQL table.
>
> Now, it looks that the python way of validating the date/time of the
> string is to call strptime(). However looking at the docs and trying
> to use the function I didn't find a way to check for the milliseconds.
> Now the dates can be formatted differently I think according to the
> locale under which the csv is generated.
>
> So, my question is: since there is a simple way of inserting
> preformatted string into the datetime field of mySQL, how do I
> validate the date string?
> I don't want to convert that string to datetime object, just want to
> check if all those types of dates are good dates and does not contain
> garbage.
>
> I tried to do an RE, but its static validation and so will not work in
> all cases.
>
> Thank you for any hints.
>

You actually need the %f format code for milliseconds, not microseconds. 
  Note 5 from 
http://docs.python.org/3/library/datetime.html#strftime-and-strptime-behavior 
"When used with the strptime() method, the %f directive accepts from one 
to six digits and zero pads on the right. %f is an extension to the set 
of format characters in the C standard (but implemented separately in 
datetime objects, and therefore always available)"

-- 
My fellow Pythonistas, ask not what our language can do for you, ask 
what you can do for our language.

Mark Lawrence