How Do You Find Consecutive Dates in Python?

You can find consecutive dates in Python by comparing the difference between dates in a list or sequence. Here's a step-by-step guide:

1. Import the datetime Module

First, you need to import the datetime module, which provides tools for working with dates and times in Python.

import datetime

2. Create a List of Dates

Create a list containing the dates you want to check for consecutive occurrences. You can use the datetime.date() function to create individual date objects.

dates = [
    datetime.date(2023, 10, 26),
    datetime.date(2023, 10, 27),
    datetime.date(2023, 10, 28),
    datetime.date(2023, 10, 30),
    datetime.date(2023, 10, 31),
]

3. Iterate and Compare Dates

Iterate through the list, comparing each date to the previous date. If the difference is one day, you've found consecutive dates.

consecutive_dates = []
for i in range(1, len(dates)):
    if (dates[i] - dates[i-1]).days == 1:
        consecutive_dates.append((dates[i-1], dates[i]))

4. Print Results

Finally, print the list of consecutive date pairs.

print(consecutive_dates)

This will output:

[(datetime.date(2023, 10, 26), datetime.date(2023, 10, 27)), (datetime.date(2023, 10, 27), datetime.date(2023, 10, 28)), (datetime.date(2023, 10, 30), datetime.date(2023, 10, 31))]

This code snippet identifies the consecutive date pairs within the provided list of dates.

Practical Insights:

• You can modify the code to find consecutive dates spanning more than one day by changing the == 1 condition.
• This approach assumes the dates are sorted chronologically.
• You can use this technique to analyze data sets with date information, identify patterns, or perform other time-based calculations.