Hi Martin! The second challenge says the from_string function must:

• take two arguments: a date as a string and an strftime-compatible format string
• return a datetime object created from them.

def from_string(string_date, strf_time):
      string_date = datetime.datetime.strptime("09/24/12 18:30", "%m/%d/%y %H:%M")
      strf_time = string_date.strptime(strf_time, "%m/%d/%y %H:%M")
      return strf_time, string_date

In your code, you define the from_string function and pass in the correct arguments. The issue is with the body of the function.

Let's return to the instructions: The challenge asks to return one datetime object created, using your two arguments.

def from_string(string_date, strf_time):
      string_date = datetime.datetime.strptime("09/24/12 18:30", "%m/%d/%y %H:%M")
      #the line above creates a variable that contains a datetime object 
       #it takes the arguments "09/24/12 18:30" & "%m/%d/%y %H:%M"
      strf_time = string_date.strptime(strf_time, "%m/%d/%y %H:%M")
      #not sure what's going on with the line above.
      return strf_time, string_date
      #here, you are returning whatever the strf_time variable represents, then the datetime object (string_date)

When you return the string_date variable, you ARE returning a datetime_object. It's just not using the string_date and strf_time arguments. You passed your own arguments into it ("09/24/12 18:30", "%m/%d/%y %H:%M")

Upon clicking "Check Work," the Treehouse checker passes in its own arguments for string_date and strf_time. It will look something like this:

def from_string("whatever the date string is", '%y-%m-%d'):
      string_date = datetime.datetime.strptime("whatever the date string is", '%y-%m-%d')

It's expecting to see whatever it passes in as the strf_time argument (in this case, the format '%y-%m-%d'), but your code is setup so that '%m/%d/%y %H:%M' is always your strf_time compatible format string.

Do you see the problem? If you:

• Adjust your string_date variable (you should change the name of that variable to datetime_object, by the way, so that Python knows whether you're referring to the function argument or the variable) to accept your function arguments

then

• Return just that variable

.. It should pass the challenge.

I hope this helps. Let me know if you have questions!

PS- whenever you post a question about a specific challenge, be sure to attach the challenge to your question. This is done by clicking the "Get Help" button on the challenge, then posting your question. It will attach automatically.