How to Subtract a Day from a Date in Python?

Subtracting a Day from a Date in Python

When working with dates and times in Python, it's often necessary to shift them by a specific amount. A common operation is subtracting a day from a given date. Here's how to do it effectively:

Using the timedelta Object:

The most straightforward method is to use the timedelta object from the datetime module. This object allows you to adjust dates by various units of time, including days:

from datetime import datetime, timedelta

# Create a datetime object
d = datetime.today()

# Create a timedelta object to subtract 1 day
days_to_subtract = 1
delta = timedelta(days=days_to_subtract)

# Subtract the delta from the datetime object
d -= delta

This will decrement the date by one day, and the resulting d variable will hold the new datetime object.

Example:

d = datetime(2023, 3, 15)
days_to_subtract = 1
d -= timedelta(days=days_to_subtract)
print(d)  # Output: 2023-03-14 00:00:00

Additional Considerations:

• The above method works for both date and datetime objects.
• The timedelta object can be customized to subtract other time units (e.g., hours, minutes, seconds) as needed.
• Alternatively, you can use the date.replace() method to specify a new day, but this approach is less flexible.

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