What does the "p" in strptime stand for?

Question

There is a strptime function in many language libraries (C, Python, Ruby, PHP, PERL, etc.).

It seems to be based on the Open Group's specification for time.h.

I understand 'str' stands for string, and 'time' obviously stands for time, but what does the 'p' stand for? Parse? Pointer? Print?

Every time I reach for the strptime() function, I have a mental blank, and have to look up the name in a manual. I figure if I finally worked out what it stood for, perhaps I would have a chance of remembering it.

question from:https://stackoverflow.com/questions/12255932/what-does-the-p-in-strptime-stand-for

Answer 1

I guess it stands for "parse" because its reverse function is called strftime in Python's time module wherein the "f" I can reasonably guess stands for "format".