Quick Start
Practical guide and essential code examples to start working with Bikram Sambat dates in Python.
This quick start guide demonstrates common practical workflows for creating dates, performing calendar arithmetic, formatting output strings, and converting between Gregorian and Bikram Sambat calendars in Python. Use these patterns for building web portals, financial reports, and calendar tools.
1. Creating Dates
Initialize dates representing the current moment, specific Bikram Sambat coordinates, or existing Gregorian dates:
from datetime import datetime, timezone
from nepali_date_library import NepaliDate
# Current date and time in Nepal
now = NepaliDate()
print(now.format("YYYY-MM-DD"))
# Specific Bikram Sambat date (Year, Month 0-11, Day 1-32)
# Month index 6 corresponds to Kartik
constitution_day = NepaliDate(2072, 5, 3)
print(constitution_day.format("YYYY-MM-DD"))
# Parse from standard string formats (YYYY-MM-DD, YYYY/MM/DD, YYYY.MM.DD)
parsed_date = NepaliDate("2081-07-15")
print(parsed_date.format("MMMM DD, YYYY"))
# From native Python datetime
gregorian_dt = datetime(2024, 10, 31, tzinfo=timezone.utc)
from_gregorian = NepaliDate(gregorian_dt)
print(from_gregorian.format("YYYY-MM-DD"))2. Converting Between Calendars
Convert strings directly without instantiating class objects:
from nepali_date_library import ADtoBS, BStoAD
# Convert Gregorian (AD) to Bikram Sambat (BS)
bs_string = ADtoBS("2024-11-15")
print(bs_string) # "2081-07-30"
# Convert Bikram Sambat (BS) to Gregorian (AD)
ad_string = BStoAD("2081-07-30")
print(ad_string) # "2024-11-15"3. Date Arithmetic
Add or subtract days, months, and years with automatic rollover:
from nepali_date_library import NepaliDate
date = NepaliDate("2081-01-25")
# Add 15 days (automatically transitions to Jestha)
date.add_days(15)
print(date.format("YYYY-MM-DD"))
# Add 3 months
date.add_months(3)
print(date.format("YYYY-MM-DD"))
# Calculate difference in days between two dates
d1 = NepaliDate("2081-01-01")
d2 = NepaliDate("2081-01-15")
diff_days = d2.diff(d1, "days")
print(f"Days difference: {diff_days}")4. Fiscal Year and Trimesters
Query official Nepalese fiscal calendar information:
from nepali_date_library import NepaliDate
date = NepaliDate("2081-06-15")
# Active fiscal quarter (trimester 1 to 4)
quarter = date.fiscal_quarter()
print(f"Fiscal Quarter: {quarter}")
# Current fiscal year string
fy = NepaliDate.current_fiscal_year()
print(f"Current Fiscal Year: {fy}")
# Start and end dates of the active fiscal quarter
dates = date.fiscal_quarter_dates()
print(f"Quarter starts: {dates['start'].format('YYYY-MM-DD')}")
print(f"Quarter ends: {dates['end'].format('YYYY-MM-DD')}")5. Devanagari Formatting
Format dates with Nepali numerals and month names:
from nepali_date_library import NepaliDate
date = NepaliDate("2081-07-15")
# English format tokens
print(date.format("dddd, MMMM DD, YYYY"))
# "Friday, Kartik 15, 2081"
# Devanagari Nepali format tokens
print(date.format("dddd, MMMM DD, YYYY", nepali=True))Installation & Setup
Installation and setup instructions for nepali date library in Python projects using pip, uv, and poetry.
NepaliDate()
Constructor overloads and initialization options for creating NepaliDate instances in Python.