DateTimeExceptIntervals

DateTimeExcept... is a hypothetical operation in date-time data processing that returns a sequence of timestamps within a specified interval while excluding designated subintervals or individual moments. The construct is discussed in scheduling and time-series processing to model blackout periods, holidays, or maintenance windows without altering the underlying data type.

Definition and behavior: Given a start and end DateTime and a list of exclusions, the operation yields all instants in the inclusive range [start, end] that do not fall into any exclusion interval or point. Exclusions can be single timestamps or closed intervals. The result preserves the original timestamp granularity and type (local, UTC, or offset-aware) and can be provided as a generator or a concrete list. If the start is after the end, the result is empty. Overlapping exclusions are typically merged before evaluation to avoid repeated checks.

Usage and examples: In practice, DateTimeExcept... can be used to filter time-series data, schedule tasks, or align datasets by skipping restricted times. For example, starting at 2024-01-01 and ending at 2024-01-10 with exclusions that include 2024-01-03 and the interval 2024-01-07 to 2024-01-08 yields a sequence that excludes those dates. Implementations may support a configurable granularity, such as hourly or daily steps, enabling efficient iteration over large ranges.

Variants and related concepts: Related ideas include DateTimeExceptPoints, DateTimeExceptIntervals, and complementary operators like DateTimeUnion or DateTimeIntersect. See also DateTime, TimeSpan, Interval, and temporal data models.