NAME
    Time::ParseDate -- date parsing both relative and absolute

SYNOPSIS
            use Time::ParseDate;
            $seconds_since_jan1_1970 = parsedate("12/11/94 2pm", NO_RELATIVE => 1)
            $seconds_since_jan1_1970 = parsedate("12/11/94 2pm", %options)

OPTIONS
    Date parsing can also use options. The options are as follows:

            FUZZY   -> it's okay not to parse the entire date string
            NOW     -> the "current" time for relative times (defaults to time())
            ZONE    -> local timezone (defaults to $ENV{TZ})
            WHOLE   -> the whole input string must be parsed
            GMT     -> input time is assumed to be GMT, not localtime
            UK      -> prefer UK style dates (dd/mm over mm/dd)
            DATE_REQUIRED -> do not default the date
            TIME_REQUIRED -> do not default the time
            NO_RELATIVE -> input time is not relative to NOW
            TIMEFIRST -> try parsing time before date [not default]
            PREFER_PAST -> when year or day of week is ambigueous, assume past
            PREFER_FUTURE -> when year or day of week is ambigueous, assume future
            SUBSECOND -> parse fraction seconds
            VALIDATE -> only accept normal values for HHMMSS, YYMMDD.  Otherwise
                    days like -1 might give the last day of the previous month.

DATE FORMATS RECOGNIZED
  Absolute date formats
            Dow, dd Mon yy
            Dow, dd Mon yyyy
            Dow, dd Mon
            dd Mon yy
            dd Mon yyyy
            Month day{st,nd,rd,th}, year
            Month day{st,nd,rd,th}
            Mon dd yyyy
            yyyy/mm/dd
            yyyy-mm-dd      (usually the best date specification syntax)
            yyyy/mm
            mm/dd/yy
            mm/dd/yyyy
            mm/yy
            yy/mm      (only if year > 12, or > 31 if UK)
            yy/mm/dd   (only if year > 12 and day < 32, or year > 31 if UK)
            dd/mm/yy   (only if UK, or an invalid mm/dd/yy or yy/mm/dd)
            dd/mm/yyyy (only if UK, or an invalid mm/dd/yyyy)
            dd/mm      (only if UK, or an invalid mm/dd)

  Relative date formats:
            count "days"
            count "weeks"
            count "months"
            count "years"
            Dow "after next"
            Dow "before last"
            Dow                     (requires PREFER_PAST or PREFER_FUTURE)
            "next" Dow
            "tomorrow"
            "today"
            "yesterday"
            "last" dow
            "last week"
            "now"
            "now" "+" count units
            "now" "-" count units
            "+" count units         
            "-" count units
            count units "ago"

  Absolute time formats:
            hh:mm:ss[.ddd] 
            hh:mm 
            hh:mm[AP]M
            hh[AP]M
            hhmmss[[AP]M] 
            "noon"
            "midnight"

  Relative time formats:
            count "minutes"         (count can be franctional "1.5" or "1 1/2")
            count "seconds"
            count "hours"
            "+" count units
            "+" count
            "-" count units
            "-" count
            count units "ago"

  Timezone formats:
            [+-]dddd
            GMT[+-]d+
            [+-]dddd (TZN)
            TZN

  Special formats:
            [ d]d/Mon/yyyy:hh:mm:ss [[+-]dddd]
            yy/mm/dd.hh:mm

DESCRIPTION
    This module recognizes the above date/time formats. Usually a date and a
    time are specified. There are numerous options for controlling what is
    recognized and what is not.

    The return code is always the time in seconds since January 1st, 1970 or
    undef if it was unable to parse the time.

    If a timezone is specified it must be after the time. Year
    specifications can be tacked onto the end of absolute times.

    If "parsedate()" is called from array context, then it will return two
    elements. On sucessful parses, it will return the seconds and what
    remains of its input string. On unsucessful parses, it will return
    "undef" and an error string.

EXAMPLES
            $seconds = parsedate("Mon Jan  2 04:24:27 1995");
            $seconds = parsedate("Tue Apr 4 00:22:12 PDT 1995");
            $seconds = parsedate("04.04.95 00:22", ZONE => PDT);
            $seconds = parsedate("Jan 1 1999 11:23:34.578", SUBSECOND => 1);
            $seconds = parsedate("122212 950404", ZONE => PDT, TIMEFIRST => 1);
            $seconds = parsedate("+3 secs", NOW => 796978800);
            $seconds = parsedate("2 months", NOW => 796720932);
            $seconds = parsedate("last Tuesday");
            $seconds = parsedate("Sunday before last");

            ($seconds, $remaining) = parsedate("today is the day");
            ($seconds, $error) = parsedate("today is", WHOLE=>1);

LICENSE
    Copyright (C) 1996-2010 David Muir Sharnoff. Copyright (C) 2011 Google,
    Inc. License hereby granted for anyone to use, modify or redistribute
    this module at their own risk. Please feed useful changes back to
    cpan@dave.sharnoff.org.