**Input**: strings with date and optional time. Different representations would be nice but necessary. The strings are user-supplied and can be malformed. Examples:

* `"2004-03-21 12:45:33"` (I consider this the default layout)
* `"2004/03/21 12:45:33"` (optional layout)
* `"23.09.2004 04:12:21"` (german format, optional)
* `"2003-02-11"` (time may be missing)

**Needed Output**: Seconds since Epoch (1970/01/01 00:00:00) or some other fixed point.

**Bonus**: Also, reading the UTC-offset of the local system time would be great.

The input is assumed to be a local time on the machine in question.
The output needs to be UTC. System is Linux only (Debian Lenny and Ubuntu needed).

I have tried to use `boost/date_time`, but must admit I can't wrap my head around the documentation. The following works without the needed conversion from system local time to UTC:

```
std::string date = "2000-01-01";
boost::posix_time::ptime ptimedate = boost::posix_time::time_from_string(date);
ptimedate += boost::posix_time::hours(Hardcoded_UTC_Offset);// where to get from?
struct tm = boost::posix_time::to_tm(ptimedate);
int64_t ticks = mktime(&mTmTime);

```

I think `boost::date_time` can provide the needed UTC offset, but I wouldn't know how.