Timezone Tools

Get current time in any timezone and convert times between different timezones using IANA timezone database.

Quick Start

Get current time in a timezone

python scripts/get_time.py "America/New_York"

Convert time between timezones

python scripts/convert_time.py "America/New_York" "14:30" "Australia/Perth"

Search for timezone names

python scripts/list_timezones.py "perth"

Instructions

When the user asks about time or timezones:

1. For current time queries (e.g., "What time is it in Tokyo?"):

   • Use get_time.py with IANA timezone name
   • If unsure of timezone name, search first with list_timezones.py
   • Script outputs: timezone, datetime, day of week, DST status

2. For time conversions (e.g., "What's 2pm EST in Perth time?"):

   • Use convert_time.py with source timezone, time (HH:MM 24-hour), target timezone
   • Script shows source time, target time, and time difference
   • Automatically handles DST changes

3. For timezone searches:

   • Use list_timezones.py with city/country name
   • Returns matching IANA timezone names

Common Timezones Reference

For quick reference, see data/common_timezones.json which includes major cities worldwide, with Perth prominently featured.

User's local timezone: The scripts automatically detect your local timezone using tzlocal.

Examples

Example 1: Current time query

User: "What time is it in Perth?"

python scripts/list_timezones.py "perth"
# Output: Australia/Perth

python scripts/get_time.py "Australia/Perth"
# Output:
# Timezone: Australia/Perth
# Current time: 2025-11-07T15:30:45
# Day: Thursday
# DST: No

Example 2: Time conversion

User: "I have a meeting at 2pm New York time, what time is that in Perth?"

python scripts/convert_time.py "America/New_York" "14:00" "Australia/Perth"
# Output:
# Source: America/New_York - 2025-11-07T14:00:00 (Thursday, DST: No)
# Target: Australia/Perth - 2025-11-08T03:00:00 (Friday, DST: No)
# Time difference: +13.0h

Example 3: Multiple timezone search

User: "What are the timezone codes for London, Tokyo, and Sydney?"

python scripts/list_timezones.py "london"
python scripts/list_timezones.py "tokyo"
python scripts/list_timezones.py "sydney"
# Outputs:
# Europe/London
# Asia/Tokyo
# Australia/Sydney

Time Format

• All times use 24-hour format (HH:MM): 14:30 not 2:30 PM
• ISO 8601 datetime format for output: 2025-11-07T14:30:45
• IANA timezone names (e.g., America/New_York, not EST)

Troubleshooting

"Invalid timezone" error

• Use IANA timezone names: America/New_York not EST or Eastern
• Search with list_timezones.py if unsure
• Check data/common_timezones.json for reference

"Invalid time format" error

• Use 24-hour format: 14:30 not 2:30 PM
• Format must be HH:MM with colon separator

Missing dependencies

Install required Python packages:

pip install tzlocal

Dependencies

• Python 3.9+
• tzlocal>=5.0 - for local timezone detection
• zoneinfo - built-in Python 3.9+ (IANA timezone database)

Notes

• Scripts automatically handle Daylight Saving Time (DST)
• Local timezone is auto-detected from system
• All timezone data uses IANA Time Zone Database
• Perth, Australia timezone: Australia/Perth (UTC+8, no DST)