Extract datetime strings with datefinder

Question

matches = list(datefinder.find_dates(str(laslogsystime[0])))
if len(matches) > 0:
    date = matches[0]
    # print(date)

logging = re.findall(r'(.*?)', date)[0]
print(logging)

TypeError: expected string or bytes-like object

Whta is `laslogsystime[0]`? Why use `re.findall(r'(.*?)', date)`? What are you trying to achieve? — Wiktor Stribiżew, Sep 26 '19 at 08:34
Could you make sure `date` is either `str` or `bytes` ? I think `date` looks like `list` or something — han solo, Sep 26 '19 at 08:34

score 0 · Answer 1 · answered Sep 26 '19 at 08:45

You must be trying to extract the strings that datefinder identifies as datetime strings.

You need no re.findall, you need to tell find_dates to return tuples containing both datetime and source strings by passing source=True argument:

import datefinder
from datetime import datetime

laslogsystime = "August 1990 some text May 21 2015"
matches = [src for time, src in datefinder.find_dates(laslogsystime, source=True)]
print(matches) # => ['August 1990', 'May 21 2015']

Extract datetime strings with datefinder

1 Answers1