van.timeformat 1.1.1

Convienience functions for formatting dates/times using zope.i18n and TAL

Contents

• Python Format Functions

  • Fixed formatting

    • default formatting

    • rfc2822

    • Extending formats

    • Unicode

  • Locale dependant translations

    • Localized formatting examples

• Integration with ZPT

• Changes

  • 1.1.1 (2012-01-05)

  • 1.1.0 (2010-01-20)

  • 1.0.0 (2008-11-21)

Python Format Functions

The van.timefmt module is a support module for date/time specific operations.

>>> from datetime import date, datetime
>>> mydate = date(1975, 12, 17)
>>> mydatetime = datetime(1975, 12, 17, 5, 24, 36)

It provides a “timefmt” function which can take either a date or datetime object:

>>> from van.timeformat import ltimefmt, timefmt

Fixed formatting

Fixed formats are locale independant. They are useful in 2 situations:

• Computer parsable dates

• Projects with no localization requirement

default formatting

If no format argument is specified, dates and datetimes are formatted using .isoformat(” “):

>>> print timefmt(mydatetime)
1975-12-17T05:24:36

>>> print timefmt(mydate)
1975-12-17

The ‘iso’ format also triggers this:

>>> print timefmt(mydatetime, format='iso')
1975-12-17T05:24:36

If None is used as an input date, timefmt will return None:

>>> timefmt(None) is None
True

rfc2822

The date in compliance with the RFC 2822 Internet email standard.

>>> print timefmt(mydate, 'rfc2822')
Wed, 17 Dec 1975 00:00:00 +0000

>>> print timefmt(mydatetime, 'rfc2822')
Wed, 17 Dec 1975 05:24:36 +0000

Extending formats

If we want to extend the list of formats available, we can use the “time_format” zcml command defined in this module’s meta.zcml.

An example of use is in configure.zcml where the rfc2822 format is defined.

Note: it’s probably a good idea to use namespaces for registrations. The van.timeformat module promises to not use “.” in any of it’s default registrations.

Unicode

The return type is a unicode string:

>>> timefmt(mydatetime)
u'1975-12-17T05:24:36'

And we can have unicode in the formats:

>>> timefmt(mydatetime, format='unicode_test')
u'1975-17-12 Extended Arabic-Indic Digit Seven: \u06f7:'

Locale dependant translations

>>> from zope.i18n.locales import locales
>>> german = locales.getLocale('de', 'de')
>>> us = locales.getLocale('en', 'us')
>>> britain = locales.getLocale('en', 'gb')

Returns unicode:

>>> ltimefmt(mydate, us)
u'Dec 17, 1975'

Defaults correctly chosen for date and datetime:

>>> print ltimefmt(mydate, us)
Dec 17, 1975
>>> print ltimefmt(mydatetime, us)
Dec 17, 1975 5:24:36 AM

But we can force format one as the other:

>>> print ltimefmt(mydate, us, category="dateTime")
Dec 17, 1975 12:00:00 AM
>>> print ltimefmt(mydatetime, us, category="date")
Dec 17, 1975

Localized:

>>> print ltimefmt(mydate, britain, category="date", length="long")
17 December 1975
>>> print ltimefmt(mydate, german, category="date", length="long")
17. Dezember 1975

If None is used as an input date, ltimefmt will return None:

>>> ltimefmt(None, us) is None
True

Localized formatting examples

Short times:

>>> print ltimefmt(mydate, us, category="time", length="short")
12:00 AM

Short dates:

>>> print ltimefmt(mydate, us, category="date", length="short")
12/17/75

Medium Dates:

>>> print ltimefmt(mydate, us, category="date", length="medium")
Dec 17, 1975

Long Dates:

>>> print ltimefmt(mydate, us, category="date", length="long")
December 17, 1975

Short Datetimes:

>>> print ltimefmt(mydatetime, us, category="dateTime", length="short")
12/17/75 5:24 AM

Medium Datetimes:

>>> print ltimefmt(mydatetime, us, category="dateTime", length="medium")
Dec 17, 1975 5:24:36 AM

Long Datetimes:

>>> print ltimefmt(mydatetime, us, category="dateTime", length="long")
December 17, 1975 5:24:36 AM +000

Integration with ZPT

If the zope.app.pagetemplate module is available, the timeformat module will integrate itself with it:

>>> import os
>>> import tempfile
>>> from zope.publisher.browser import TestRequest

>>> temp_file = tempfile.mkstemp()[1]
>>> open(temp_file, 'w').write("""
... <html>
...   <body tal:define="mydatetime python:modules['datetime'].datetime(1975, 12, 17, 5, 24, 36)">
...       RFC 2822 date         : <span tal:replace="timefmt:rfc2822:mydatetime" />
...       Medium Time           : <span tal:replace="ltimefmt:time:medium:mydatetime" />
...       Medium Date           : <span tal:replace="ltimefmt:date:medium:mydatetime" />
...       Medium DateTime       : <span tal:replace="ltimefmt:dateTime:medium:mydatetime" />
...       Python Expr (ltimefmt): <span tal:replace="ltimefmt:dateTime:long:python:modules['datetime'].date(1975, 12, 17)" />
...       Python Expr (timefmt) : <span tal:replace="timefmt:rfc2822:python:modules['datetime'].date(1975, 12, 17)" />
...   </body>
... </html>
... """)

>>> from zope.app.pagetemplate.simpleviewclass import SimpleViewClass
>>> Page = SimpleViewClass(temp_file, name='main.html')
>>> request = TestRequest()
>>> print Page(None, request)().strip() # doctest: +NORMALIZE_WHITESPACE
<html>
  <body>
      RFC 2822 date         : Wed, 17 Dec 1975 05:24:36 +0000
      Medium Time           : 05:24:36
      Medium Date           : 1975 12 17
      Medium DateTime       : 1975 12 17  05:24:36
      Python Expr (ltimefmt): 1975 12 17  00:00:00 +000
      Python Expr (timefmt) : Wed, 17 Dec 1975 00:00:00 +0000
  </body>
</html>

Using the german locale:

>>> request = TestRequest(environ={'HTTP_ACCEPT_LANGUAGE': 'de-de'})
>>> print Page(None, request)().strip()
<html>
  <body>
      RFC 2822 date         : Wed, 17 Dec 1975 05:24:36 +0000
      Medium Time           : 05:24:36
      Medium Date           : 17.12.1975
      Medium DateTime       : 17.12.1975 05:24:36
      Python Expr (ltimefmt): 17. Dezember 1975 00:00:00 +000
      Python Expr (timefmt) : Wed, 17 Dec 1975 00:00:00 +0000
  </body>
</html>

Let’s see if it works with spaces after the colon (at various places):

>>> open(temp_file, 'w').write("""
... <html>
...   <body tal:define="mydatetime python:modules['datetime'].datetime(1975, 12, 17, 5, 24, 36)">
...       RFC 2822 date         : <span tal:replace="timefmt: rfc2822:mydatetime" />
...       Medium Date           : <span tal:replace="ltimefmt: date: medium:mydatetime" />
...       Medium DateTime       : <span tal:replace="ltimefmt: dateTime:medium: mydatetime" />
...       Python Expr (ltimefmt): <span tal:replace="ltimefmt: dateTime:long: python:modules['datetime'].date(1975, 12, 17)" />
...       Python Expr (timefmt) : <span tal:replace="timefmt: rfc2822: python:modules['datetime'].date(1975, 12, 17)" />
...   </body>
... </html>
... """)

>>> Page = SimpleViewClass(temp_file, name='main_with_spaces.html')
>>> request = TestRequest()
>>> print Page(None, request)().strip() # doctest: +NORMALIZE_WHITESPACE
<html>
  <body>
      RFC 2822 date         : Wed, 17 Dec 1975 05:24:36 +0000
      Medium Date           : 1975 12 17
      Medium DateTime       : 1975 12 17  05:24:36
      Python Expr (ltimefmt): 1975 12 17  00:00:00 +000
      Python Expr (timefmt) : Wed, 17 Dec 1975 00:00:00 +0000
  </body>
</html>

CleanUp:

>>> os.remove(temp_file)

Changes

1.1.1 (2012-01-05)

Features:

• Add time examples to the documentation.

Bugfixes:

• Conform to Zope repository policy.

• Remove conditional on zope.app.pagetemplate being installed, was a bad idea.

1.1.0 (2010-01-20)

Features:

• Accept None as an argument for timefmt and ltimefmt. These functions will now return None in this case instead of erroring.

Bugfixes:

• Re-add tests mistakenly removed.

• Update dependencies: van.testing is only needed for tests.

• Update tests to run with new ZTK packages.

• Add author e-mail.

1.0.0 (2008-11-21)

• Initial Release