testing Python library 'parsedatetime', from https://github.com/bear/parsedatetime

parsedatetime_unittest.py

#!/usr/bin/env python
# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-

import sys, time, platform, calendar, subprocess as sp
from datetime import date

# from https://github.com/bear/parsedatetime
import parsedatetime as pdt
def print_parsedatetime_test_conversions(natural_langage_dates_list):
    cal = pdt.Calendar()
    for date in natural_langage_dates_list:
        (struct_time_date, success) = cal.parse(date)
        if success:
            formal_date = time.strftime('%Y-%m-%d', struct_time_date)
        else:
            formal_date = '(conversion failed)'
        print '{0:>15s} -> {1:10s}'.format(date, formal_date)

def print_OS_info():
    if platform.system() == 'Windows':
        sys.exit()
    cmds = [ 'python --version', 'pip show parsedatetime', 'uname -a' ]
    if platform.system() == 'Darwin':
        cmds.append('sw_vers')
    if platform.system() == 'Linux':
        cmds.append('lsb_release -a')
    for cmd in cmds:
        print "'$ " + cmd + "':"
        p = sp.Popen(cmd, shell=True)
        p.communicate()
        print

def print_todays_date():
    todays_day_of_week = calendar.day_name[date.today().weekday()]
    print "today's date = " + todays_day_of_week + ', ' + \
                              time.strftime('%Y-%m-%d') + '\n'

example_natural_langage_dates_list = \
[
    '-1 thursday',
    'last thursday',
    '-1 thursday',
    '- thursday',
    '-thursday',
    '1 thursday',
    '+1 thursday',
    'last thursday',
    'next thursday',
    'monday',
    '-1 monday',
    'last monday',
    '-1 monday',
    '-2 monday',
    '- monday',
    'monday',
    '-1 sunday',
    '- sunday',
    'sunday',
    'last sat',
    'tomorrow',
    'yesterday',
    '- days',
    '- day',
    '-1d',
    '2d',
    '16month',
    '-16month',
    '6 months',
    '3y',
    '-1 days',
    '-3 days',
    ' 3 d',
    '-2 months',
    ' 2 month',
    '-1 years',
    ' 1 yrs',
    ' 1 yr',
    '-2 yr',
    'thur',
    'thu',
    'th',
    'mon',
    'monday',
    'next monday',
    'next tues',
    'last tues',
    '-3 tues',
]

print_OS_info()
print_todays_date()
print_parsedatetime_test_conversions(example_natural_langage_dates_list)

Thanks bear for your timely response. I'll await what you discover. In meantime, I made a minor (1-line) update to the above code gist, for more-readable output format, example below.

Also: I really appreciate the dateparsetime library. Saves me a lot of work.

$ ./parsedatetime_unittest.py
'$ python --version':
Python 2.7.8

'$ pip show parsedatetime':

---
Name: parsedatetime
Version: 1.4
Location: /usr/local/lib/python2.7/site-packages
Requires: 

'$ uname -a':
Darwin mba2mme 13.4.0 Darwin Kernel Version 13.4.0: Wed Mar 18 16:20:14 PDT 2015; root:xnu-2422.115.14~1/RELEASE_X86_64 x86_64 i386 MacBookAir6,2 Darwin

'$ sw_vers':
ProductName:    Mac OS X
ProductVersion: 10.9.5
BuildVersion:   13F1077

today's date = Thursday, 2015-05-14

    -1 thursday -> 2015-05-21
  last thursday -> 2015-05-07
    -1 thursday -> 2015-05-07
     - thursday -> 2015-05-07
      -thursday -> (conversion failed)
     1 thursday -> 2015-05-07
    +1 thursday -> 2015-05-07
  last thursday -> 2015-05-07
  next thursday -> 2015-05-21
         monday -> 2015-05-11
      -1 monday -> 2015-05-14
    last monday -> 2015-05-11
      -1 monday -> 2015-05-14
      -2 monday -> 2015-05-14
       - monday -> 2015-05-11
         monday -> 2015-05-11
      -1 sunday -> 2015-05-14
       - sunday -> 2015-05-10
         sunday -> 2015-05-10
       last sat -> 2015-05-09
       tomorrow -> 2015-05-15
      yesterday -> 2015-05-13
         - days -> (conversion failed)
          - day -> (conversion failed)
            -1d -> 2015-05-13
             2d -> 2015-05-16
        16month -> 2016-09-14
       -16month -> 2014-01-14
       6 months -> 2015-11-14
             3y -> 2018-05-14
        -1 days -> 2015-05-13
        -3 days -> 2015-05-11
            3 d -> 2015-05-17
      -2 months -> 2015-03-14
        2 month -> 2015-07-14
       -1 years -> 2014-05-14
          1 yrs -> (conversion failed)
           1 yr -> 2016-05-14
          -2 yr -> 2013-05-14
           thur -> (conversion failed)
            thu -> (conversion failed)
             th -> 2015-05-07
            mon -> 2015-05-11
         monday -> 2015-05-11
    next monday -> 2015-05-18
      next tues -> 2015-05-19
      last tues -> 2015-05-12
        -3 tues -> 2015-05-12
$ 

All of these should be working now except for those that are +/- # format, like

-1 sunday

The reason for that is that the -1 is a modifier for a default unit of the phrase that follows but not a next/last modifier - so it will determine the date for "sunday" and then adjust it by a single day.

marking this as closed

and... that should have been on the issue and not on your code - sorry!