How to convert a string to a time in Golang

Key takeaways:

• The time.Parse() function in Golang is essential for converting a string into a time object.

• The function requires two parameters: a format string that specifies the expected date format and the actual date string to be converted.

• Golang provides predefined time formats like RFC1123, which can be used for parsing strings in standard formats.

In programming, working with time and dates is a fundamental task, especially in applications that require event scheduling, logging, or time-based operations. One common challenge that developers face is converting a time represented as a string into a time object, which allows more advanced manipulations. In Golang, this conversion is straightforward but requires a solid understanding of how time formatting works.

In this Answer, we will learn how to properly convert a string to time.

The time.Parse() function#

Golang provides the time.Parse() function in the time package to convert a string into a time value. This function is essential for handling time-related data received in string format from sources like user input, APIs, or databases.

Syntax#

Parameters#

The Parse function accepts the following parameters:

• format: The format in which the time (output) should be. For example DD-MM-YYYY.

• dateString: The string that needs to be converted to time.

Return value#

The Parse function will return a Golang time object.

Golang code to convert a string to a time#

In the following code, we will convert a string to time using the Parse function:

Explanation#

Lines 3–6: we have imported the necessary packages.Line 8: Inside the main() function, we have declared a string dateString and initialized it with 2021-11-22 in line 9.Line 10: we then converted the string to date using the time.Parse() function by passing two parameters; the format and the dateString.Line 13: If a conversion error occurs, we output it on the console.Lines 17–21: If there are no errors, we output the type and value of dateString and date respectively on the console.

Predefined time format with time.Parse() function#

We can use multiple predefined format constants e.g., RFC1123, ANSIC, and so on. Let’s try out another example where we utilize the RFC1123 format constant for date and time representation.

• Line 10: parses the second argument using the RFC1123 layout and saves the corresponding time object to variable parseTime.

• Line 15: formats the parsed date and time value using the layout specified by the Format() method and prints the result to the standard output

Conclusion#

In conclusion, converting strings to time objects in Go is an essential skill for handling dates and times in the applications. Using functions like time.Parse(), we can easily manage time data and account for different time zones. Mastering these techniques ensures the code runs reliably and efficiently across various locales.

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