Incorrect Inputformat for datetime function

Hi

I have the following code:0

DateStrings = {'2022-11-08T17:20:00Z'};

t = datetime(DateStrings,'InputFormat','yyyy-MM-dd''T''HH:mm:ss','TimeZone','UTC');

That gives me the following error

Unable to convert '2022-11-08T17:20:00Z' to datetime using the format 'yyyy-MM-dd'T'HH:mm:ss'.

Any idea why?

[Rik]

If you remove the quotes in your input format it should work. Since there are no quotes in your input text, you don't need them.

[Steve]

It gives me this error when i remove the quotes

Invalid expression. Check for missing multiplication operator, missing or unbalanced delimiters, or other syntax error. To construct matrices, use brackets instead of parentheses.

[Steve]

If i remove the Z, the code runs fine

[Walter Roberson]

@Rik

the ''T'' inside the InputFormat is the syntax for datetime() to indicate that there is a literal T in the string -- that datetime() should not try to interpret the T as a format code and should match it literally instead.

Actual problem: the user did not put in a format code to match the Z

Answer 1

[Steven Lord]

If I look at the documentation for the Format property on the datetime documentation page, two of the "Examples of Common Formats" look similar to your date and time data.

'MMMM d, yyyy HH:mm:ss Z' April 9, 2014 21:41:06 -0400

'yyyy-MM-dd''T''HH:mmXXX' 2014-04-09T21:41-04:00

So let's combine them and see what happens. I added the Z from the first of those examples to the end of the format you'd specified in your original code and it seems to have worked.

DateStrings = {'2022-11-08T17:20:00Z'};
t = datetime(DateStrings,'InputFormat','yyyy-MM-dd''T''HH:mm:ssZ','TimeZone','UTC')

t = datetime
   08-Nov-2022 17:20:00