DateParser

DateParser is a simple, fast, effective way of parsing dates from natural language text.

Installation

$ gem install date_parser

Examples

require 'date_parser'

# DateParser::parse(txt, creation_date = nil, opts)

text = "Newsflash: things happen on 02/12!"
creation_date = Date.parse("January 1st, 1994")

DateParser::parse(text, creation_date).to_s
    #=> [#<Date: 1994-02-12 ((2449396j,0s,0n),+0s,2299161j)>]


text = "We should go on the 4th if we can."
creation_date = Date.parse("July 1st 2016")

DateParser::parse(text, creation_date).to_s
    #=> [#<Date: 2016-07-04 ((2457574j,0s,0n),+0s,2299161j)>]


text = "Yesterday was certainly a day."
creation_date = Date.parse("January 12, 1994")

DateParser::parse(text, creation_date).to_s
    #=> [#<Date: 1994-01-11 ((2449364j,0s,0n),+0s,2299161j)>]


text = "7-24-2015"
DateParser::parse(text).to_s
    #=> [#<Date: 2015-07-24 ((2457228j,0s,0n),+0s,2299161j)>]
    
    
text = "7/24/2015"
DateParser::parse(text).to_s
    #=> [#<Date: 2015-07-24 ((2457228j,0s,0n),+0s,2299161j)>]


text = "2012-02-12"
DateParser::parse(text).to_s
    #=> [#<Date: 2012-02-12 ((2455970j,0s,0n),+0s,2299161j)>]


text = "24-07-2015"
DateParser::parse(text).to_s
    #=> [#<Date: 2015-07-24 ((2457228j,0s,0n),+0s,2299161j)>]


text = "In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue."
creation_date = nil

DateParser::parse(text, creation_date, parse_single_years: true).to_s
    #=> [#<Date: 1492-01-01 ((2266011j,0s,0n),+0s,2299161j)>]


text = "Charlie Chaplin and Jason Earles (Hannah Montana's brother) were " +
       "alive at the same time for eight months in 1977"
creation_date = Date.parse("July 6, 2016")

DateParser::parse(text, creation_date, parse_single_years: true).to_s
    #=> [#<Date: 1977-01-01 ((2443145j,0s,0n),+0s,2299161j)>]


text = "Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!"
DateParser::parse(text, nil, unique: false).to_s
    #=> [#<Date: 2016-07-24 ((2457594j,0s,0n),+0s,2299161j)>, 
         #<Date: 2016-07-24 ((2457594j,0s,0n),+0s,2299161j)>, 
         #<Date: 2016-07-24 ((2457594j,0s,0n),+0s,2299161j)>]


text = "Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!"
DateParser::parse(text, nil, unique: true).to_s
    #=> [#<Date: 2016-07-24 ((2457594j,0s,0n),+0s,2299161j)>]


DateParser::parse("No dates here", nil).to_s
    #=> []


DateParser::parse("No dates here", 
                  nil, 
                  nil_date: Date.parse("Jan 1, 2016")
                  ).to_s
    #=> [#<Date: 2016-01-01 ((2457389j,0s,0n),+0s,2299161j)>]

Usage

DateParser has just one function: parse(txt, creation_date, opts), which always returns an array with Date elements parsed from the text. If DateParser can't find any dates, it'll return an empty array (or an array containing just the nil_date, if you define that!)

parse is case-insensitive, robust to crazy punctuation and spacing, and will try to interpret dates in the strictest possible way before trying to find looser interpretations. Additionally, no word can be used in more than one Date.

For example: DateParser::parse("Jan 12, 2013", nil, parse_single_years: true) will return ["Jan 12, 2013"], and not ["Jan 12, 2013", "Jan 1, 2013"]

What is creation_date?

It's meant to make the parser smarter! creation_date is the date the text was written. If provided, the parser will try to interpret dates like "Monday" relative to the creation_date.

Options!

• unique: (boolean) Return only unique dates in the output array.
• nil_date: (Date) If no dates are found, instead of returning an empty array, return an array containing only nil_date.
• parse_single_years: (boolean) Interpret integers as years.
• parse_ambiguous_dates: (boolean) Some phrases are not necessarily dates depending on context. For example "1st" may not refer to the 1st of a month. This option toggles whether or not those phrases are considered dates. Defaults to true.

Requests or Bugs?

Feel free to contact me at rynkwn@gmail.com!