datetime

datetime is Python's built-in datetime.datetime class, exposed inside the formula sandbox as a constructor. Calling it returns a datetime object representing a specific date and time. Use datetime() for timestamp comparisons, date arithmetic with time precision, and when constructing datetime values for filter conditions.

Syntax

datetime(year, month, day, hour=0, minute=0, second=0)

Parameters

Name	Type	Required	Description
year	int	Yes	The year (e.g., 2024)
month	int	Yes	The month (1–12)
day	int	Yes	The day of the month (1–31)
hour	int	No	The hour (0–23). Default: 0
minute	int	No	The minute (0–59). Default: 0
second	int	No	The second (0–59). Default: 0

Returns

Type: datetime

A datetime object representing the specified date and time.

Class Methods

Method	Description	Example
`datetime.now()`	Returns the current date and time	`datetime.now()`
`datetime.strptime(string, fmt)`	Parse a string into a datetime	`datetime.strptime('2024-06-15', '%Y-%m-%d')`

Instance Methods and Properties

Method/Property	Description	Example
`.year`	The year	`datetime.now().year`
`.month`	The month	`datetime.now().month`
`.day`	The day	`datetime.now().day`
`.hour`	The hour	`datetime.now().hour`
`.minute`	The minute	`datetime.now().minute`
`.second`	The second	`datetime.now().second`
`.date()`	Extract the date portion	`datetime.now().date()`
`.time()`	Extract the time portion	`datetime.now().time()`
`.isoformat()`	ISO 8601 string	`datetime.now().isoformat()`
`.strftime(fmt)`	Format as string	`datetime.now().strftime('%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S')`
`.replace(...)`	Return datetime with replaced fields	`datetime.now().replace(hour=0, minute=0, second=0)`

Common Format Codes

Code	Meaning	Example Output
`%Y`	4-digit year	`2024`
`%m`	2-digit month	`06`
`%d`	2-digit day	`15`
`%H`	24-hour hour	`14`
`%M`	Minute	`30`
`%S`	Second	`00`
`%B`	Full month name	`June`
`%b`	Abbreviated month name	`Jun`
`%A`	Full weekday name	`Saturday`

Examples

Get the current date and time:

datetime.now()

Create a specific datetime:

datetime(2024, 6, 15, 14, 30, 0)

Calculate 30 days ago:

datetime.now() - timedelta(days=30)

Start of today (midnight):

datetime.now().replace(hour=0, minute=0, second=0)

Format for display:

datetime.now().strftime('%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S')

Produces '2024-06-15 14:30:00'.

Parse a date string:

datetime.strptime([created_on], '%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S')

Converts a string field into a datetime object for arithmetic or comparison.

Days since a record was created:

(datetime.now() - datetime.strptime([created_on], '%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S')).days

Using datetime() in Filter Conditions

When building standard filter conditions that compare against datetime fields, use the datetime() function to construct values:

datetime.now() - timedelta(days=90)

This ensures the value is a proper datetime object that PB translates into the source system's format. Always use date() or datetime() constructors for date comparisons in filters — do not pass raw date strings.

Notes

Datetime arithmetic uses timedelta — see timedelta.
For date-only values (no time component), use date.
Datetimes support comparison operators: <, >, <=, >=, ==, !=.
Subtracting two datetimes produces a timedelta object.

date — Date-only values
timedelta — Duration for date arithmetic
Working with Types — Overview of all data types
Formulas in Filters — Using datetime() in filter conditions