This issue tracker has been migrated to GitHub, and is currently read-only.
For more information, see the GitHub FAQs in the Python's Developer Guide.

classification
Title: Confusing error message when dividing timedelta using /
Type: enhancement Stage:
Components: Interpreter Core Versions: Python 3.2
process
Status: closed Resolution: duplicate
Dependencies: Superseder: timedelta multiply and divide by floating point
View: 1289118
Assigned To: Nosy List: belopolsky, brett.cannon, l0nwlf, mark.dickinson, tebeka, vstinner, webograph
Priority: normal Keywords: patch

Created on 2007-09-01 19:19 by skip.montanaro, last changed 2022-04-11 14:56 by admin. This issue is now closed.

Files
File name Uploaded Description Edit
py3k_datetime_1083.patch christian.heimes, 2007-11-21 10:36
Messages (10)
msg55566 - (view) Author: Skip Montanaro (skip.montanaro) * (Python triager) Date: 2007-09-01 19:19
I discovered the hard way today that this won't work:

>>> import datetime
>>> d = datetime.timedelta(1)
>>> d / 2
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "<stdin>", line 1, in <module>
TypeError: unsupported operand type(s) for /: 'datetime.timedelta' and 'int'

The error message is misleading, because in fact timedelta
objects *do* support division by ints, just not with the
/ operator:

>>> d // 2
datetime.timedelta(0, 43200)

Is there some way the error message can be improved,
perhaps by identifying the denominator as effectively
a float?
msg55904 - (view) Author: Brett Cannon (brett.cannon) * (Python committer) Date: 2007-09-14 00:10
If you set nb_true_div on timedelta objects to delta_divide (just like
nb_floor_div) you won't have this problem as the division will just
work.  Otherwise there is no other good way as if the divisor doesn't
work you need to return NotImplemented, which then tries the right-hand
object which fails, and 'object' returns the TypeError.  Best you could
do is a warning or something.  

But it might make sense to only set it on nb_true_div as the division
does not round anything.
msg75725 - (view) Author: STINNER Victor (vstinner) * (Python committer) Date: 2008-11-11 03:22
The current behaviour is consistent with the integer divison:
>>> 21 // 10
2
>>> timedelta(microseconds=20) // 10
datetime.timedelta(0, 0, 2)

Whereas int/int gives float:
>>> 21 / 10
2.1000000000000001
>> timedelta(microseconds=20) / 1
...
TypeError: unsupported operand type(s) for /: ...

Now in the real world, it's hard to understand that the operator // 
should be used instead of /. So timedelta()/int might be an alias to 
timedelta()//int.
msg101281 - (view) Author: Miki Tebeka (tebeka) * Date: 2010-03-18 21:01
I see the same problem when "from __future__ import division" on the 2.x series. Seem like the timedelta objects is missing the __truediv__ method.
msg101969 - (view) Author: Shashwat Anand (l0nwlf) Date: 2010-03-31 01:14
I do not understand why python2.7 is marked in Version tag ?

I reproduced the error on 3.1 but no isues on 2.7

06:39:30 l0nwlf-MBP:data $ python2.7
Python 2.7a4+ (trunk:78750, Mar  7 2010, 08:09:00) 
[GCC 4.2.1 (Apple Inc. build 5646) (dot 1)] on darwin
Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
>>> import datetime
>>> d = datetime.timedelta(1)
>>> d / 2
datetime.timedelta(0, 43200)
>>> d // 2
datetime.timedelta(0, 43200)
>>> 

06:41:13 l0nwlf-MBP:data $ python3.1
Python 3.1.1 (r311:74480, Mar 21 2010, 20:21:46) 
[GCC 4.2.1 (Apple Inc. build 5646) (dot 1)] on darwin
Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
>>> import datetime
>>> d = datetime.timedelta(1)
>>> d / 2
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "<stdin>", line 1, in <module>
TypeError: unsupported operand type(s) for /: 'datetime.timedelta' and 'int'
>>> d // 2
datetime.timedelta(0, 43200)
>>>
msg102006 - (view) Author: Miki Tebeka (tebeka) * Date: 2010-03-31 13:46
It's marked on 2.7 due to the following (this is svn 79528)

>>> from datetime import timedelta
>>> d = timedelta(1)
>>> d / 2
datetime.timedelta(0, 43200)
>>> d // 2
datetime.timedelta(0, 43200)
>>> from __future__ import division
>>> d / 2
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "<stdin>", line 1, in <module>
TypeError: unsupported operand type(s) for /: 'datetime.timedelta' and 'int'
>>>
msg103725 - (view) Author: Alexander Belopolsky (Alexander.Belopolsky) Date: 2010-04-20 15:28
This is certainly not a bug, so I don't think targeting 2.7 is appropriate.  I have explained in a comment on issue2706 (see msg75917) why I believe true division of timedelta by int should not be supported.  In short, true division of timedelta by int is supposed to return fractional number of microseconds, but python lacks a type that can represent it.
msg103771 - (view) Author: Mark Dickinson (mark.dickinson) * (Python committer) Date: 2010-04-20 21:37
I think it's fine to do the division and round the result to the nearest whole number of microseconds.  I don't see any good reason for disallowing timedelta / int (or even timedelta / float).
msg103778 - (view) Author: Skip Montanaro (skip.montanaro) * (Python triager) Date: 2010-04-20 21:52
Mark> I think it's fine to do the division and round the result to the
    Mark> nearest whole number of microseconds.

Right.  Just think of a timedelta as a floating point number of seconds with
very limited precision (1e-6 seconds).
msg107170 - (view) Author: Alexander Belopolsky (belopolsky) * (Python committer) Date: 2010-06-06 01:25
Closing as duplicate of issue1289118.  Division of timedelta by integer is supported in py3k since r81625.
History
Date User Action Args
2022-04-11 14:56:26adminsetgithub: 45424
2010-06-06 01:25:31belopolskysetstatus: open -> closed
superseder: timedelta multiply and divide by floating point
messages: + msg107170

nosy: + belopolsky, - Alexander.Belopolsky
resolution: duplicate
2010-05-20 20:38:12skip.montanarosetnosy: - skip.montanaro
2010-04-20 21:52:09skip.montanarosetmessages: + msg103778
2010-04-20 21:38:56mark.dickinsonsettype: behavior -> enhancement
versions: + Python 3.2, - Python 3.0, Python 2.7
2010-04-20 21:37:47mark.dickinsonsetnosy: + mark.dickinson
messages: + msg103771
2010-04-20 15:28:16Alexander.Belopolskysetnosy: + Alexander.Belopolsky
messages: + msg103725
2010-03-31 13:46:34tebekasetmessages: + msg102006
2010-03-31 01:14:23l0nwlfsetnosy: + l0nwlf
messages: + msg101969
2010-03-18 21:01:55tebekasetnosy: + tebeka

messages: + msg101281
versions: + Python 2.7
2008-11-20 16:28:43webographsetnosy: + webograph
2008-11-11 03:22:57vstinnersetnosy: + vstinner
messages: + msg75725
2008-01-06 22:29:45adminsetkeywords: - py3k
versions: Python 3.0
2007-11-21 10:36:56christian.heimessetkeywords: + patch
files: + py3k_datetime_1083.patch
2007-09-18 12:09:46jafosetpriority: normal
2007-09-14 00:10:16brett.cannonsetnosy: + brett.cannon
messages: + msg55904
2007-09-13 23:59:28brett.cannonsetkeywords: + py3k
versions: + Python 3.0
2007-09-01 19:19:34skip.montanarocreate