**`asctime`** is a function in C, defined in the header file `time.h`. It takes a `tm` object as input and returns a pointer to a string containing the year, month, days, hours, minutes, and seconds in the `Www mmm dd hh:mm:ss yyyy` format.
# Function syntax

# Parameters

`asctime` takes in a single, mandatory, parameter which is a pointer to an object of type `tm`. Following is the declaration of the `tm` structure:

**`tm_sec`:** Seconds passed in a minute seconds (0-59)         
**`tm_min`:** Minutes passed in an hour (0-59)   
**`tm_hour`:** Hours passed in a day (0-23)        
**`tm_mday`:** Days passed in a month (1-31)      
**`tm_mon`:**  Months passed in a year (0-11)   
**`tm_wday`:** Days passed in a week (0-6)        
**`tm_yday`:** Days passed in a year (0-365)         
**`tm_year`:** Years passed since 1900       
     

# Return value

The `asctime` function returns a pointer to a string containing the year, month, days, hours, minutes, and seconds values stored in the `tm` object received as input. The pointed string is in the `Www mmm dd hh:mm:ss yyyy` format.

`Www:` three character abbreviation of the weekday with a capital first letter (Sun)

`Mmm:` three character abbreviation of the month with a capital first letter(e.g., Dec)

`dd:` two digit day of the month (01-31)

`hh:` two digit hour (0-23)

`mm:` two digit minute (0-59)

`ss:` two digit second (0-59)

`yyyy:` four digit year (e.g. 2021)
 
# Example

The following example uses the `time` function to generate a UTC value for the current time. This value is then used to populate a `tm` object using the `gmtime` function. Finally, we use the `asctime` function to generate a string for the current time format: `Www mmm dd hh:mm:ss yyyy`.



#include <stdio.h>
#include <time.h>


int main () {

  // creating an object to put the current time in
  time_t current_time;


  // inserting th current UTC time in the object 
  time(&current_time);

  // creating a tm object to hold the output of the gmt function 
  struct tm *curr_t_struct;

  curr_t_struct = gmtime(&current_time );


  //printing the date string using the asctime function
  printf("This today's date and time:  %2s\n", asctime(curr_t_struct));

  return(0);

}

What is asctime() in C?

Converts a tm object to a string representing date and time in Www mmm dd hh:mm:ss yyyy format.