strptime(3) Library Functions Manual strptime(3)
NAME
strptime - Converts a character string to a time value
LIBRARY
Standard C Library (libc.so, libc.a)
SYNOPSIS
#include <time.h>
char *strptime(
const char *buf,
const char *format,
struct tm *tm);
STANDARDS
Interfaces documented on this reference page conform to industry standards as follows:
strptime(): XSH4.2
Refer to the standards(5) reference page for more information about industry standards and associated tags.
PARAMETERS
Contains the character string to be converted by the strptime() function. Specifies the format of the string to be converted by the strp-
time() function. Specifies the structure to contain the output of the strptime() function.
DESCRIPTION
The strptime() function converts the characters pointed to by the buf parameter to values that are stored in the tm structure, using the
format specified by the format parameter. The strptime() function modifies only the fields in the tm structure that have corresponding
conversion specifications in the format.
The format parameter can contain zero or more of the following items: A conversion specification that directs the conversion of the next
input field. Conversion specifications start with a % (percent sign). Any white space character (as determined by the isspace() function)
that matches 0 (zero) or more white space characters in the input stream. Any character except % (percent sign) or a white space character
that must match the next character in the input stream. If the character read from the input stream is different from the character in the
format parameter, the function stops processing the input stream and returns a null pointer.
Conversion specifications must be separated by white-space or other non-alphanumeric characters.
The following conversion specifications are supported: Inputs day of the week, using the locale-dependent weekday name. The abbreviated or
full name may be specified. Same as %a. Inputs the month, using the locale-dependent month name. The abbreviated or full name may be
specified. Same as %b. Inputs the date and time, using the locale-dependent default format. Inputs the century as a decimal number in
the range from 00 to 99. Leading zeros are permitted but not required. Inputs the day of the month as a decimal number in the range from
01 to 31. Leading zeros are permitted but not required. Inputs the date as %m/%d/%y. Same as %d. [Tru64 UNIX] Inputs the year, using
the locale-dependent Emperor/Era name and year format. Same as %b. Inputs the hour based on a 24-hour clock as a decimal number in the
range from 00 to 23. Leading zeros are permitted but not required. Inputs the hour based on a 12-hour clock as a decimal number in the
range from 00 to 12. Leading zeros are permitted but not required. Inputs the day number of the year as a decimal number in the range
from 001 to 366. Leading zeros are permitted but not required. Inputs the month number as a decimal number in the range from 01 to 12.
Leading zeros are permitted but not required. Inputs the minute as a decimal number in the range from 00 to 59. Leading zeros are permit-
ted but not required. Inputs any white space up to and including a newline character. [Tru64 UNIX] Inputs the Emperor/Era name. [Tru64
UNIX] Inputs the Emperor/Era year. Inputs the locale-dependent equivalent of AM or PM. Inputs the 12-hour clock time with an AM/PM nota-
tion as defined by the t_fmt_ampm statement (see locale(4) for details), or, by default, inputs the time as %I:%M:%S %p. Inputs the time
as %H:%M. Inputs the second as a decimal number in the range from 00 to 61. Leading zeros are permitted but not required. Inputs any
white-space up to and including a tab character. Inputs the time as %H:%M:%S. Inputs the week number of the year as a decimal number in
the range from 00 to 53. Sunday is the first day of the week. Leading zeros are permitted but not required. Inputs the weekday as a deci-
mal number in the range from 0 to 6. Sunday is the first day of the week. Leading zeros are permitted but not required. Inputs the week
number of the year as a decimal number in the range from 00 to 53. Monday is the first day of the week. Leading zeros are permitted but
not required. Inputs the date, using the locale-dependent short date format. Inputs the time, using the locale-dependent short time for-
mat. Inputs the year (excluding the century). When a century is not otherwise specified (for example, with %C), values in the range 69-99
refer to years in the twentieth century (1969-1999, inclusive); values in the range 00-68 refer to years in the twenty-first century (2000
to 2068, inclusive). Leading zeros are permitted but not required. Inputs the year (including the century), for example, 1991. [Tru64
UNIX] Inputs the time-zone name. Inputs a % (percent sign) character.
Case is ignored for the following conversion specifications when matching items such as month or weekday names in buf: %a, %A, %b, %B, %E,
%h, %N, %p, and %r.
Alternative-format Directives
The E and O characters can be used with some of the directives to stipulate that an alternative format be used, if available. If the
alternative format is not available in the current locale, the modifier will be ignored and the unmodified behavior for that directive will
be followed.
Inputs the date and time, using the locale-dependent alternative format. Inputs the base year (period), using the locale-dependent alter-
native format. Inputs the date, using the locale-dependent alternative format. Inputs the time, using the locale-dependent alternative
format. Inputs the year within the century, using the locale-dependent alternative format. Inputs the year (including the century), using
the locale-dependent alternative format. Inputs the day of the month, using the locale-dependent alternative format. Leading zeros are
permitted but not required. Same as %Od. Inputs the hour (24-hour clock), using the locale-dependent alternative format. Inputs the hour
(12-hour clock), using the locale-dependent alternative format. Inputs the month number, using the locale-dependent alternative format.
Inputs the minute, using the locale-dependent alternative format. Inputs the second, using the locale-dependent alternative format.
Inputs the week number (Sunday as first day of week), using the locale-dependent alternative format. Inputs the number of the weekday
(Sunday=0), using the locale-dependent alternative format. Inputs the week number (Monday as first day of week), using the locale-depen-
dent alternative format. Inputs the year (offset from %C) in the locale-dependent alternative representation and using the locale-depen-
dent alternative numeric symbols.
A directive consisting of white-space characters is executed by reading input until reaching the first nonwhite-space character, which is
not read, or until no more characters can be read.
A directive consisting of an ordinary character is executed by reading the next character from the buf parameter. If the character read
from the buf parameter differs from the character comprising the directive, the directive fails and the differing character and any charac-
ters following it remain unread. Case is ignored when matching buf items, such as month or weekday names.
If a conversion fails, the contents of the tm structure are undefined.
In most cases, it is possible to use the same format in the strftime() and strptime() calls because most of the conversion specifications
formats are identical in both functions.
NOTES
Applications should use %Y (4-digit years) in preference to %y (2-digit years).
RETURN VALUES
On successful completion, the strptime() function returns a pointer to the character following the last character parsed. Otherwise, a
null pointer is returned.
ERRORS
The strptime() function sets errno to the specified values for the following conditions:
The functionality is not supported on this implementation.
RELATED INFORMATION
Functions: scanf(3), strfmon(3), strftime(3), time(3)
Standards: standards(5) delim off
strptime(3)