# Python script - datetime conversion list **URL:** \ **Category:** Revit\ **Created:** [July 13, 2020, 10:19am UTC](https://forum.dynamobim.com/t/python-script-datetime-conversion-list/52898 "2020-07-13T10:19:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![paolo.pozzoli](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/58956e/32.png) [@paolo.pozzoli](https://forum.dynamobim.com/u/paolo.pozzoli)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2020, 10:19am UTC](https://forum.dynamobim.com/t/python-script-datetime-conversion-list/52898/1 "2020-07-13T10:19:17Z")
Hi there, I’m new to Dynamo and to Python scripts as well. I’m creating a Dynamo routine to create sheets in Revit from data in an Excel file. I wish to set some sheets parameters as well (Drawn By, Designed By, etc). Each Excel column contains all data for one variable (i.e. Drawn By), so I get several Dynamo lists to be fed into Revit. When it comes to Sheet Issue Date I get dates formatted like “11/07/2020 00.00.00” and I want to reformat them to something like “11-07-2020”. I tried to create a Dynamo script with `datetime.strptime(*originalData*, "%d/%m/%Y").strftime(str_format)`. It performs good if I feed in to Python Script a single string, but I’m struggling to do the same with all the values from within a list. Following the Python code and a screenshot: ``` import sys import clr clr.AddReference('ProtoGeometry') from Autodesk.DesignScript.Geometry import * from datetime import datetime # The inputs to this node will be stored as a list in the IN variables. # Place your code below this line str_format = IN[0] myDatesList = IN[1] myNewDatesList = [] # Assign your output to the OUT variable. for d in myDatesList: myNewDatesList.append(datetime.strptime(d, "%d/%m/%Y").strftime(str_format)) OUT = myNewDatesList ``` Thank you in advance for your support. Best regards, PP ![Python_ReformatListOfDates](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex022/uploads/dynamobim/original/3X/9/0/90d839ce0679bf7dab5136bc7a53535140afb1a9.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![Brendan\_Cassidy](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex022/user_avatar/forum.dynamobim.com/brendan_cassidy/32/7685_2.png) [@Brendan\_Cassidy](https://forum.dynamobim.com/u/Brendan_Cassidy)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2020, 11:13am UTC](https://forum.dynamobim.com/t/python-script-datetime-conversion-list/52898/2 "2020-07-13T11:13:55Z")
What does the yellow error say for the python node? ---
**Author:** ![paolo.pozzoli](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/58956e/32.png) [@paolo.pozzoli](https://forum.dynamobim.com/u/paolo.pozzoli)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2020, 11:28am UTC](https://forum.dynamobim.com/t/python-script-datetime-conversion-list/52898/3 "2020-07-13T11:28:54Z")
![Python_ReformatListOfDates_Error](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex022/uploads/dynamobim/original/3X/f/b/fb065b8663e3a500107ae182f78bfb7cf8653342.jpeg) Row 27: it expects a string but I passed a datetime. Don’t know how to fix it. Should I convert the value to string? Thank you ---
**Author:** ![Brendan\_Cassidy](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex022/user_avatar/forum.dynamobim.com/brendan_cassidy/32/7685_2.png) [@Brendan\_Cassidy](https://forum.dynamobim.com/u/Brendan_Cassidy)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2020, 11:54am UTC](https://forum.dynamobim.com/t/python-script-datetime-conversion-list/52898/4 "2020-07-13T11:54:29Z")
Yeah the inputted date seems to want to be a string not a “DateTime” element. Therefore add a “.ToString()” to end of the “d”. ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex022/uploads/dynamobim/original/3X/5/4/54e8c661a22a34a13254961e09153dc93fc256f8.png) ---
**Author:** ![paolo.pozzoli](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/58956e/32.png) [@paolo.pozzoli](https://forum.dynamobim.com/u/paolo.pozzoli)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2020, 12:05pm UTC](https://forum.dynamobim.com/t/python-script-datetime-conversion-list/52898/5 "2020-07-13T12:05:04Z")
Thank you Brendan, I tried your suggestion and the type mismatch was solved. However I still get an error for the format now ``` ValueError: time data does not match format data= **12/07/2020 00.00.00** , fmt=%d/%m/%Y, to: d'/'M'/'yyyy ``` The date between asterisks is in the format I get from my Excel file (see first pic I uploaded, in the list of retrieved data below the “SheetIssueDate List.GetItemAtIndex” node). Thanks again. ---
**Author:** ![Brendan\_Cassidy](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex022/user_avatar/forum.dynamobim.com/brendan_cassidy/32/7685_2.png) [@Brendan\_Cassidy](https://forum.dynamobim.com/u/Brendan_Cassidy)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2020, 12:09pm UTC](https://forum.dynamobim.com/t/python-script-datetime-conversion-list/52898/6 "2020-07-13T12:09:57Z")
> [@paolo.pozzoli](#): > > `ValueError: time data does not match format` Your string format of %d%m%Y does not match the inputted date and time format “12/07/2020 00.00.00” You should have it as “%d%m%Y %H:%M:%S” Therefore : datetime.strptime(d, “%d%m%Y”) Becomes: datetime.strptime(d.ToString(), “%d%m%Y %H:%M:%S”) ---
**Author:** ![paolo.pozzoli](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/58956e/32.png) [@paolo.pozzoli](https://forum.dynamobim.com/u/paolo.pozzoli)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2020, 12:13pm UTC](https://forum.dynamobim.com/t/python-script-datetime-conversion-list/52898/7 "2020-07-13T12:13:12Z")
Thanks again Brendan! By the time I wrote my previous post I figured it out myself by reading the [https://docs.python.org/3/library/datetime.html#strftime-strptime-behavior](https://docs.python.org/3/library/datetime.html#strftime-strptime-behavior) I changed the code as following and now it works like a charm `myNewDatesList.append(datetime.strptime(d.ToString(), "%d/%m/%Y %H.%M.%S").strftime(str_format))` Thanks again for your support. Best regards.