code: def date_parser(items):
      
      try:
          dt = datetime.strptime(items,"%d/%m/%Y %H:%M:%S")
      except Exception as e:
          try:
              dt = datetime.strptime(items,"%m/%d/%Y %H:%M:%S")
          except Exception as ee:
              raise Exception("error parsing datetime string" +\
                              " {0}: \n{1}\n{2}".format(str(items),str(e),str(ee)))
      return dt
docs: datetime parser to help load smp files
  
      Parameters
      ----------
      items : iterable
          something or somethings to try to parse into datetimes
  
      Returns
      -------
      dt : iterable
          the cast datetime things