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PROLOG
This manual page is part of the POSIX Programmer's Manual. The Linux implementation of
this interface may differ (consult the corresponding Linux manual page for details of
Linux behavior), or the interface may not be implemented on Linux.
NAME
localtime, localtime_r — convert a time value to a broken-down local time
SYNOPSIS
#include <time.h>
struct tm *localtime(const time_t *timer);
struct tm *localtime_r(const time_t *restrict timer,
struct tm *restrict result);
DESCRIPTION
For localtime(): The functionality described on this reference page is aligned with the
ISO C standard. Any conflict between the requirements described here and the ISO C
standard is unintentional. This volume of POSIX.1‐2017 defers to the ISO C standard.
The localtime() function shall convert the time in seconds since the Epoch pointed to by
timer into a broken-down time, expressed as a local time. The function corrects for the
timezone and any seasonal time adjustments. Local timezone information is used as though
localtime() calls tzset().
The relationship between a time in seconds since the Epoch used as an argument to
localtime() and the tm structure (defined in the <time.h> header) is that the result shall
be as specified in the expression given in the definition of seconds since the Epoch (see
the Base Definitions volume of POSIX.1‐2017, Section 4.16, Seconds Since the Epoch)
corrected for timezone and any seasonal time adjustments, where the names in the structure
and in the expression correspond.
The same relationship shall apply for localtime_r().
The localtime() function need not be thread-safe.
The asctime(), ctime(), gmtime(), and localtime() functions shall return values in one of
two static objects: a broken-down time structure and an array of type char. Execution of
any of the functions may overwrite the information returned in either of these objects by
any of the other functions.
The localtime_r() function shall convert the time in seconds since the Epoch pointed to by
timer into a broken-down time stored in the structure to which result points. The
localtime_r() function shall also return a pointer to that same structure.
Unlike localtime(), the localtime_r() function is not required to set tzname. If
localtime_r() sets tzname, it shall also set daylight and timezone. If localtime_r() does
not set tzname, it shall not set daylight and shall not set timezone.
RETURN VALUE
Upon successful completion, the localtime() function shall return a pointer to the broken-
down time structure. If an error is detected, localtime() shall return a null pointer and
set errno to indicate the error.
Upon successful completion, localtime_r() shall return a pointer to the structure pointed
to by the argument result. If an error is detected, localtime_r() shall return a null
pointer and set errno to indicate the error.
ERRORS
The localtime() and localtime_r() functions shall fail if:
EOVERFLOW
The result cannot be represented.
The following sections are informative.
EXAMPLES
Getting the Local Date and Time
The following example uses the time() function to calculate the time elapsed, in seconds,
since January 1, 1970 0:00 UTC (the Epoch), localtime() to convert that value to a broken-
down time, and asctime() to convert the broken-down time values into a printable string.
#include <stdio.h>
#include <time.h>
int main(void)
{
time_t result;
result = time(NULL);
printf("%s%ju secs since the Epoch\n",
asctime(localtime(&result)),
(uintmax_t)result);
return(0);
}
This example writes the current time to stdout in a form like this:
Wed Jun 26 10:32:15 1996
835810335 secs since the Epoch
Getting the Modification Time for a File
The following example prints the last data modification timestamp in the local timezone
for a given file.
#include <stdio.h>
#include <time.h>
#include <sys/stat.h>
int
print_file_time(const char *pathname)
{
struct stat statbuf;
struct tm *tm;
char timestr[BUFSIZ];
if(stat(pathname, &statbuf) == -1)
return -1;
if((tm = localtime(&statbuf.st_mtime)) == NULL)
return -1;
if(strftime(timestr, sizeof(timestr), "%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S", tm) == 0)
return -1;
printf("%s: %s.%09ld\n", pathname, timestr, statbuf.st_mtim.tv_nsec);
return 0;
}
Timing an Event
The following example gets the current time, converts it to a string using localtime() and
asctime(), and prints it to standard output using fputs(). It then prints the number of
minutes to an event being timed.
#include <time.h>
#include <stdio.h>
...
time_t now;
int minutes_to_event;
...
time(&now);
printf("The time is ");
fputs(asctime(localtime(&now)), stdout);
printf("There are still %d minutes to the event.\n",
minutes_to_event);
...
APPLICATION USAGE
The localtime_r() function is thread-safe and returns values in a user-supplied buffer
instead of possibly using a static data area that may be overwritten by each call.
RATIONALE
None.
FUTURE DIRECTIONS
None.
SEE ALSO
asctime(), clock(), ctime(), difftime(), getdate(), gmtime(), mktime(), strftime(),
strptime(), time(), tzset(), utime()
The Base Definitions volume of POSIX.1‐2017, Section 4.16, Seconds Since the Epoch,
<time.h>
COPYRIGHT
Portions of this text are reprinted and reproduced in electronic form from IEEE Std
1003.1-2017, Standard for Information Technology -- Portable Operating System Interface
(POSIX), The Open Group Base Specifications Issue 7, 2018 Edition, Copyright (C) 2018 by
the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc and The Open Group. In the
event of any discrepancy between this version and the original IEEE and The Open Group
Standard, the original IEEE and The Open Group Standard is the referee document. The
original Standard can be obtained online at http://www.opengroup.org/unix/online.html .
Any typographical or formatting errors that appear in this page are most likely to have
been introduced during the conversion of the source files to man page format. To report
such errors, see https://www.kernel.org/doc/man-pages/reporting_bugs.html .