Python: Validate a Gregorian date

Last update on April 22 2025 12:47:16 (UTC/GMT +8 hours)

53. Gregorian Date Validator

Write a Python program to validate a Gregorian date. The month is between 1 and 12 inclusive, the day is within the allowed number of days for the given month. Leap year’s are taken into consideration. The year is between 1 and 32767 inclusive.

Sample Solution:

Python Code:

# Import the datetime module
import datetime

# Define a function named check_date which checks if the provided date is valid
def check_date(m, d, y):
    try:
        # Convert month, day, and year to integers
        m, d, y = map(int, (m, d, y))
        # Attempt to create a datetime object with the provided date components
        datetime.date(y, m, d)
        # If successful, return True (valid date)
        return True
    except ValueError:
        # If ValueError is raised (invalid date), return False
        return False

# Test the check_date function with different inputs
print(check_date(11, 11, 2002))      # Valid date: November 11, 2002
print(check_date('11', '11', '2002')) # Valid date: November 11, 2002 (provided as strings)
print(check_date(13, 11, 2002))       # Invalid date: February 13, 2002 (day exceeds maximum for February)

Output:

True
True
False

Explanation:

In the exercise above,

The code imports the "datetime" module.
It defines a function named "check_date()" which takes three parameters representing the month, day, and year respectively.
Inside the function:

It attempts to convert the month, day, and year to integers using the "map()" function and 'int' constructor.
It attempts to create a datetime.date object with the provided date components.
If successful (no "ValueError" is raised), it returns 'True' indicating a valid date.
If a "ValueError" is raised (invalid date), it catches the exception and returns 'False'.

It tests the "check_date()" function with different inputs:

check_date(11, 11, 2002) checks for November 11, 2002, which is a valid date.
check_date('11', '11', '2002') checks for the same date, but with the components provided as strings.
check_date(13, 11, 2002) checks for February 13, 2002, which is an invalid date because the day exceeds the maximum for February.

Flowchart:

For more Practice: Solve these Related Problems:

Write a Python program to validate if an input date is a valid Gregorian date, considering leap years and month-day limits.
Write a Python script to check whether a given date string represents a valid Gregorian date and then return a boolean result.
Write a Python function to validate a date by ensuring the month is 1–12 and the day is valid for that month, including leap year adjustments.
Write a Python program to prompt the user for a date and then verify its validity as a Gregorian date using custom logic.

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