Get date-time of directory and compare

Question

import os

print(str(os.stat('/home/zarkopafilis/Python/test2.py').st_mtime))

Returns large values like : 1378906011.07

Within 5 seconds I run :

import datetime
now = datetime.datetime.now()
print(str(now.second))

It returns : 1-5(Depending how fast it runs)

How can I check the time that the file was created and see if X seconds have passed by the time script runs?

Answer 1

1378906011.07 is the number that represent seconds from epoch (January 1st 1970).

You can see the time using datetime.datetime.fromtimestamp:

>>> import datetime
>>> datetime.datetime.fromtimestamp(1378906011.07)
datetime.datetime(2013, 9, 11, 22, 26, 51, 70000)
>>> print(datetime.datetime.fromtimestamp(1378906011.07))
2013-09-11 22:26:51.070000

Use time.time() to get current date-time as the second:

>>> time.time()
1378906919.446

>>> t1 = time.time()
>>> t2 = time.time() # a few second later
>>> t2 - t1
18.51900005340576

time.time() - os.stat('/home/zarkopafilis/Python/test2.py').st_mtime will give you passed time.

Answer 2

You can do the following:

>>> time_diff = time.time() - os.stat('/home/zarkopafilis/Python/test2.py').st_mtime                                                                   
>>> hours, rest = divmod(time_diff, 3600)                                                                                                    
>>> minutes, seconds = divmod(rest, 60)                                                                                                      
>>> print hours                                                                                                                              
0.0
>>> print minutes
1.0
>>> print seconds
51.3503739834

Now that you have stored the time difference in the variables hours, minutes and seconds you can check if seconds >= X where X is the number of seconds you are interested in waiting for.

Hope this helps