totn C Functions

C Language: asctime function
(Convert Date and Time to ASCII)

In the C Programming Language, the asctime function returns a pointer to a null-terminated string that is constructed from the broken-down time pointed to by timeptr. The null-terminated string is stored in a static variable that is modified each time the asctime function is called.

Syntax

The syntax for the asctime function in the C Language is:

char *asctime(const struct tm *timeptr);

Parameters or Arguments

timeptr
A pointer to a tm structure that contains a time broken down into its components.

Returns

The asctime function returns a pointer to a null-terminated string that is of the form:

Fri Feb 15 14:45:01 2013\n

Required Header

In the C Language, the required header for the asctime function is:

#include <time.h>

Applies To

In the C Language, the asctime function can be used in the following versions:

  • ANSI/ISO 9899-1990

asctime Example

Let's look at an example to see how you would use the asctime function in a C program:

/* Example using asctime by TechOnTheNet.com */

#include <stdio.h>
#include <time.h>

int main(int argc, const char * argv[])
{
    /* Define temporary variables */
    time_t current_time;
    struct tm *local_time;

    /* Retrieve the current time */
    current_time = time(NULL);

    /* Get the local time using the current time */
    local_time = localtime(&current_time);

    /* Display the local time */
    printf("The time at TechOnTheNet is: %s", asctime(local_time));

    return 0;
}

When compiled and run, this application will output:

The time at TechOnTheNet is: Tue Oct  2 16:19:41 2016

Similar Functions

Other C functions that are similar to the asctime function:

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