defdate

defdate is a command-line utility designed for parsing and manipulating date and time strings. It aims to provide a flexible and robust way to handle various date formats commonly encountered in different systems and logs. The tool can convert input strings into a standardized date format, making it easier for scripts and users to process and compare temporal data.

One of the primary functions of defdate is its ability to recognize a wide array of date and time representations. This includes formats with different separators (e.g., hyphens, slashes, periods), varying order of day, month, and year, and the inclusion or exclusion of time components. Beyond simple parsing, defdate can also perform operations such as calculating differences between dates, adding or subtracting time intervals, and reformatting dates into user-specified output patterns.

defdate is often used in system administration, log analysis, and scripting tasks where automated date processing is required. Its ability to handle ambiguous or non-standard date inputs can significantly reduce the manual effort involved in data preparation. The tool typically works by taking a date string as input, optionally a format string to guide parsing, and then outputs the processed date in a desired format or the result of a requested operation. Its command-line interface makes it suitable for integration into shell scripts and other automated workflows.