The Python calendar module provides several ways to generate calendars for Python programs. It also includes a variety of functions for working with calendar data as strings, numbers, and datetime objects.
In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to use the calendar module to create and customize calendars with Python.
By the end of this tutorial, you’ll be able to:
- Display calendars in your terminal with Python
- Create plain text and HTML calendars
- Format calendars for specific locales and display conventions
- Use calendar-related functions and methods to access lower-level calendar data in a variety of formats
Get Your Code: Click here to download the free sample code you’ll use to learn about creating calendars with the calendar module in Python.
Take the Quiz: Test your knowledge with our interactive “The Python calendar Module” quiz. You’ll receive a score upon completion to help you track your learning progress:
Interactive Quiz
The Python calendar ModuleIn this quiz, you'll test your understanding of the calendar module in Python. It'll evaluate your proficiency in manipulating, customizing, and displaying calendars directly within your terminal. By working through this quiz, you'll revisit the fundamental functions and methods provided by the calendar module.
Displaying Calendars in Your Terminal
Unix and Unix-like operating systems such as macOS and Linux include a cal command-line utility for displaying calendars in an interactive console:
$ cal
May 2024
Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa
1 2 3 4
5 6 7 8 9 10 11
12 13 14 15 16 17 18
19 20 21 22 23 24 25
26 27 28 29 30 31
Python provides a similar tool, which allows you to run the calendar module as a command-line script. To begin exploring the Python calendar module, open up your terminal program and enter the following command:
$ python -m calendar
2024
January February March
Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 1 2 3
8 9 10 11 12 13 14 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
15 16 17 18 19 20 21 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
22 23 24 25 26 27 28 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
29 30 31 26 27 28 29 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
April May June
Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 1 2
8 9 10 11 12 13 14 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
15 16 17 18 19 20 21 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
22 23 24 25 26 27 28 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 17 18 19 20 21 22 23
29 30 27 28 29 30 31 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
July August September
Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 1
8 9 10 11 12 13 14 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
15 16 17 18 19 20 21 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
22 23 24 25 26 27 28 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 16 17 18 19 20 21 22
29 30 31 26 27 28 29 30 31 23 24 25 26 27 28 29
30
October November December
Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su
1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 1
7 8 9 10 11 12 13 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
14 15 16 17 18 19 20 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
21 22 23 24 25 26 27 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 16 17 18 19 20 21 22
28 29 30 31 25 26 27 28 29 30 23 24 25 26 27 28 29
30 31
Running python -m calendar with no arguments outputs a full year’s calendar for the current year. To display the full calendar for a different year, pass in the integer representation of a year as the first argument of the calendar command:
$ python -m calendar 1989
To view a single month, pass in both a year and a month as the second parameter:
$ python -m calendar 2054 07
July 2054
Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su
1 2 3 4 5
6 7 8 9 10 11 12
13 14 15 16 17 18 19
20 21 22 23 24 25 26
27 28 29 30 31
As you can see in these examples, the calendar module can display calendars for both past and future dates. According to the official documentation, the calendar module uses the current Gregorian calendar, extended indefinitely in both directions. It also uses the ISO 8601 standard, which is an international standard for exchanging and communicating date and time-related data.
Now that you know how to display calendars in your terminal with Python, you can move on and explore other approaches to creating calendars as plain text or HTML markup representations.
Creating Text-Based Calendars
To generate plain text calendars, the calendar module provides calendar.TextCalendar with methods to format and print monthly and yearly calendars.
TextCalendar.formatyear() accepts a single parameter for the year, like the calendar command-line script. Try it out in your Python REPL by executing the following code:
>>> import calendar
>>> text_calendar = calendar.TextCalendar()
>>> text_calendar.formatyear(2024)
' 2024\n\n January (...)'
