Welcome to the Treehouse Community

Want to collaborate on code errors? Have bugs you need feedback on? Looking for an extra set of eyes on your latest project? Get support with fellow developers, designers, and programmers of all backgrounds and skill levels here with the Treehouse Community! While you're at it, check out some resources Treehouse students have shared here.

Looking to learn something new?

Treehouse offers a seven day free trial for new students. Get access to thousands of hours of content and join thousands of Treehouse students and alumni in the community today.

Start your free trial

Python Dates and Times in Python (2014) Let's Build a Timed Quiz App Harder Time Machine

Lucas Alexander
Lucas Alexander
3,528 Points
Posted by Lucas Alexander
Lucas Alexander
3,528 Points

Harder Time Machine unsure of what's expected of return

Checking this code in my workspace, outside of returning datetime.datetime( ... ) I seem to be returning what the comments are mentioning, and going through years, days, hours, and minutes it all seems to be lining up, so I'm unsure what I'm missing.

time_machine.py 
import datetime

starter = datetime.datetime(2015, 10, 21, 16, 29)

def time_machine(delta, duration):
    if delta == 'years':
        duration = duration * 365
        return starter + datetime.timedelta(days=duration)

    if delta == 'days':
        return starter + datetime.timedelta(days=duration)

    if delta == 'hours':
        return starter + datetime.timedelta(hours=duration)

    if delta == 'minutes':
        return starter + datetime.timedelta(minutes=duration)

# Remember, you can't set "years" on a timedelta!
# Consider a year to be 365 days.

## Example
# time_machine(5, "minutes") => datetime(2015, 10, 21, 16, 34)

1 Answer

Anthony Reinosa
Anthony Reinosa
4,499 Points
Anthony Reinosa
Anthony Reinosa
4,499 Points

You have your delta and duration flip flopped... The instructions say it takes an integer and a string ("minutes", "hours", "days" or "years").

def time_machine(delta, duration):

if duration == 'years':
    delta = delta* 365
    return starter + datetime.timedelta(days=delta)
if duration == 'days':
    return starter + datetime.timedelta(days=delta)
if duration == 'hours':
    return starter + datetime.timedelta(hours=delta)
if duration == 'minutes':
    return starter + datetime.timedelta(minutes=delta)