use Time::ParseDate;
$seconds_since_jan1_1970 = parsedate("12/11/94 2pm", NO_RELATIVE => 1)
$seconds_since_jan1_1970 = parsedate("12/11/94 2pm", %options)
FUZZY -> it's okay not to parse the entire date string
NOW -> the "current" time for relative times (defaults to time())
ZONE -> local timezone (defaults to $ENV{TZ})
WHOLE -> the whole input string must be parsed
GMT -> input time is assumed to be GMT, not localtime
UK -> prefer UK style dates (dd/mm over mm/dd)
DATE_REQUIRED -> do not default the date
TIME_REQUIRED -> do not default the time
NO_RELATIVE -> input time is not relative to NOW
TIMEFIRST -> try parsing time before date [not default]
PREFER_PAST -> when year or day of week is ambigueous, assume past
PREFER_FUTURE -> when year or day of week is ambigueous, assume future
SUBSECOND -> parse fraction seconds
VALIDATE -> only accept normal values for HHMMSS, YYMMDD. Otherwise
days like -1 might give the last day of the previous month.
Dow, dd Mon yy
Dow, dd Mon yyyy
Dow, dd Mon
dd Mon yy
dd Mon yyyy
Month day{st,nd,rd,th}, year
Month day{st,nd,rd,th}
Mon dd yyyy
yyyy/mm/dd
yyyy/mm
mm/dd/yy
mm/dd/yyyy
mm/yy
yy/mm (only if year > 12, or > 31 if UK)
yy/mm/dd (only if year > 12 and day < 32, or year > 31 if UK)
dd/mm/yy (only if UK, or an invalid mm/dd/yy or yy/mm/dd)
dd/mm/yyyy (only if UK, or an invalid mm/dd/yyyy)
dd/mm (only if UK, or an invalid mm/dd)
count "days"
count "weeks"
count "months"
count "years"
Dow "after next"
Dow (requires PREFER_PAST or PREFER_FUTURE)
"next" Dow
"tomorrow"
"today"
"yesterday"
"last" dow
"last week"
"now"
"now" "+" count units
"now" "-" count units
"+" count units
"-" count units
hh:mm:ss[.ddd]
hh:mm
hh:mm[AP]M
hh[AP]M
hhmmss[[AP]M]
"noon"
"midnight"
count "minuts"
count "seconds"
count "hours"
"+" count units
"+" count
"-" count units
"-" count
[+-]dddd
GMT[+-]d+
[+-]dddd (TZN)
TZN
[ d]d/Mon/yyyy:hh:mm:ss [[+-]dddd]
yy/mm/dd.hh:mm
The return code is always the time in seconds since January 1st, 1970 or undef if it was unable to parse the time.
If a timezone is specified it must be after the time. Year specifications can be tacked onto the end of absolute times.
If parsedate() is called from array contect, then it will return two elements. On
sucessful parses, it will return the seconds and what remains of its input
string. On unsucessful parses, it will return
undef and an error string.
$seconds = parsedate("Mon Jan 2 04:24:27 1995");
$seconds = parsedate("Tue Apr 4 00:22:12 PDT 1995");
$seconds = parsedate("04.04.95 00:22", ZONE => PDT);
$seconds = parsedate("Jan 1 1999 11:23:34.578", SUBSECOND => 1);
$seconds = parsedate("122212 950404", ZONE => PDT, TIMEFIRST => 1);
$seconds = parsedate("+3 secs", NOW => 796978800);
$seconds = parsedate("2 months", NOW => 796720932);
$seconds = parsedate("last Tuesday");
($seconds, $remaining) = parsedate("today is the day");
($seconds, $error) = parsedate("today is", WHOLE=>1);
Patch for UK-style dates: Sam Yates