Time Difference Calculator

This Python script calculates the time difference between an input time and the current time, displaying the result in a human-readable format.

Features

• Calculates time differences in years, months, days, hours, and minutes
• Shows whether the input time is in the past ("X ago") or future ("X from now")
• Supports multiple date/time input formats
• Provides customizable labels for time events
• Handles edge cases like times less than a minute apart

Usage

Run the script and enter dates in any of these formats:

• YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS (e.g., 2025-06-15 10:30:00)
• YYYY-MM-DD (e.g., 2025-06-15)
• MM/DD/YYYY HH:MM:SS (e.g., 06/15/2025 10:30:00)
• MM/DD/YYYY (e.g., 06/15/2025)
• YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS (ISO format, e.g., 2025-06-15T10:30:00)
• YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SSZ (ISO format with Z, e.g., 2025-06-15T10:30:00Z)

Example Output

Time since vacation to Bali: 1 year, 2 months, 3 days, 4 hours, 5 minutes ago

How to Run

Interactive Mode

python time_difference_calculator.py

Programmatic Usage

You can also import and use the functions in your own code:

from time_difference_calculator import calculate_time_difference
import datetime

# Calculate time difference for a specific date
my_date = datetime.datetime(2025, 6, 15, 10, 0, 0)
result = calculate_time_difference(my_date)
print(f"Time difference: {result}")

Testing

The repository includes test scripts to verify the functionality:

Run Basic Tests

python test_time_calculator.py

Run Demo Example

python demo_bali_vacation.py

Functions

• calculate_time_difference(input_time): Main function that calculates and formats the time difference
• parse_input_time(time_str): Parses various date/time string formats into datetime objects
• main(): Entry point for the interactive command-line interface

Example Use Cases

• Tracking how long ago an event happened (e.g., "Time since vacation to Bali")
• Countdown to future events (e.g., "Time until birthday")
• Age calculation (e.g., "How many years since founding")
• Duration tracking (e.g., "How long since last maintenance")

Approximations Used

• 1 year = 365 days
• 1 month = 30 days (for calculation purposes)
• These approximations may cause slight variations in results for very long periods

Exit

To exit the interactive mode, type 'quit' when prompted for input.