C# DateTime Format

C# DateTime Format String Format for Date DateTime Time [C#] This example shows how to format DateTime using String.Format method. All formatting can be done also using DateTime.ToString method. Custom DateTime Formatting There are following custom format specifiers y (year), M (month), d (day), h (hour 12), H (hour 24), m (minute), s (second), f (second fraction), F (second fraction, trailing zeroes are trimmed),t (P.M or A.M) and z (time zone). Following examples examples demonstrate how are the format specifiers rewritten to the output. [C#] // create date time 2008-03-09 16:05:07.123 DateTime dt = new DateTime DateTime(2008, (2008, 3, 9, 16, 5, 7, 123);

String.Format( String .Format("{0:y "{0:y yy yyy yyyy}" , dt);

// "8 08 008 2008"

year

String.Format( String .Format("{0:M "{0:M MM MMM MMMM}" , dt);

// "3 03 Mar March"

month

String.Format( String .Format("{0:d "{0:d dd ddd dddd}" , dt);

// "9 09 Sun Sunday" day

String.Format( String .Format("{0:h "{0:h hh H HH}" ,

dt);

// "4 04 16 16"

hour 12/24

String.Format( String .Format("{0:m "{0:m mm}", mm}" ,

dt);

// "5 05"

minute

String.Format( String .Format("{0:s "{0:s ss}", ss}" ,

dt);

// "7 07"

second

String.Format( String .Format("{0:f "{0:f ff fff ffff}" , dt);

// "1 12 123 1230"

sec.fraction

String.Format( String .Format("{0:F "{0:F FF FFF FFFF}" , dt);

// "1 12 123 123"

without zeroes

String.Format( String .Format("{0:t "{0:t tt}", tt}" ,

dt);

// "P PM"

A.M. or P.M.

String.Format( String .Format("{0:z "{0:z zz zzz}" ,

dt);

// "-6 -06 -06:00"

time zone

You can use also date separator / (slash) and time sepatator : (colon). These characters will be rewritten to characters defined in the current DateTimeFormatInfo.DateSeparator and andDateTimeFormaDateTimeFormatInfo.TimeSeparator.. tInfo.TimeSeparator [C#] // date separator in german culture is "." (so "/" changes to ".") String.Format( String .Format("{0:d/M/yyyy "{0:d/M/yyyy HH:mm:ss}" , dt); // "9/3/2008 16:05:07" - english (en-US) String.Format( String .Format("{0:d/M/yyyy "{0:d/M/yyyy HH:mm:ss}" , dt); // "9.3.2008 16:05:07" - german (de-DE)

Here are some examples of custom date and time formatting: [C#] // month/day numbers without/with leading zeroes String.Format( String .Format("{0:M/d/yyyy}" "{0:M/d/yyyy}", , dt);

// "3/9/2008"

String.Format( String .Format("{0:MM/dd/yyyy}" "{0:MM/dd/yyyy}", , dt);

// "03/09/2008"

// day/month names String.Format( String .Format("{0:ddd, "{0:ddd, MMM d, yyyy}" , dt);

// "Sun, Mar 9, 2008"

String.Format( String .Format("{0:dddd, "{0:dddd, MMMM d, yyyy}" , dt);

// "Sunday, March 9, 2008"

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// two/four digit year String.Format( String .Format("{0:MM/dd/yy}" "{0:MM/dd/yy}", , dt);

// "03/09/08"

String.Format( String .Format("{0:MM/dd/yyyy}" "{0:MM/dd/yyyy}", , dt);

// "03/09/2008"

Standard DateTime Formatting In DateTimeFormatInfo there are defined standard patterns for the current culture. For example property ShortTimePattern is string that contains value h:mm tt for en-US culture and value HH:mm for de-DE culture. Following table shows patterns defined in DateTimeFormatInfo and their values for en-US culture. First column contains format specifiers for the String.Format method.

Specifier DateTimeFormatInfo pr property Pattern va value (f (for en en-US cu culture) t h:mm tt ShortTimePattern d M/d/yyyy ShortDatePattern T

LongTimePattern

h:mm:ss tt

D

LongDatePattern

dddd, MMMM dd, yyyy

f

(combination of D and t )

dddd, MMMM dd, yyyy h:mm tt

F

FullDateTimePattern

dddd, MMMM dd, yyyy h:mm:ss tt

g

(combination of d and t )

M/d/yyyy h:mm tt

G

(combination of d and T )

M/d/yyyy h:mm:ss tt

m, M

MonthDayPattern

MMMM dd

y, Y

YearMonthPattern

MMMM, yyyy

r, R

RFC1123Pattern

ddd, dd MMM yyyy HH':'mm':'ss 'GMT' (*)

s

SortableDateTimePattern

yyyy'-'MM'-'dd'T'HH':'mm':'ss (*)

u

HH':'mm':'ss'Z' (*) UniversalSortableDateTimePattern yyyy'-'MM'-'dd HH':'mm':'ss'Z'

(*) = culture independent Following examples examples show usage of standard format specifiers in String.Format method and the resulting output. [C#] String.Format( String .Format("{0:t}" "{0:t}", , dt);

// "4:05 PM"

ShortTime

String.Format( String .Format("{0:d}" "{0:d}", , dt);

// "3/9/2008"

ShortDate

String.Format( String .Format("{0:T}" "{0:T}", , dt);

// "4:05:07 PM"

LongTime

String.Format( String .Format("{0:D}" "{0:D}", , dt);

// "Sunday, March 09, 2008"

LongDate

String.Format( String .Format("{0:f}" "{0:f}", , dt);

// "Sunday, "Sunday, March 09, 2008 2008 4:05 PM"

LongDate+ShortTime

String.Format( String .Format("{0:F}" "{0:F}", , dt);

// "Sunday, March 09, 2008 4:05:07 PM" FullDateTime

String.Format( String .Format("{0:g}" "{0:g}", , dt);

// "3/9/2008 4:05 PM"

ShortDate+ShortTime

String.Format( String .Format("{0:G}" "{0:G}", , dt);

// "3/9/2008 4:05:07 PM"

ShortDate+LongTime

String.Format( String .Format("{0:m}" "{0:m}", , dt);

// "March 09"

MonthDay

String.Format( String .Format("{0:y}" "{0:y}", , dt);

// "March, 2008"

YearMonth

String.Format( String .Format("{0:r}" "{0:r}", , dt);

// "Sun, 09 Mar 2008 16:05:07 GMT"

RFC1123

String.Format( String .Format("{0:s}" "{0:s}", , dt);

// "2008-03-09T16:05:07"

SortableDateTime



























You need help with DateTime format strings in the C# language or other .NET languages. The framework provides powerful formatting capabilities, but the syntax is confusing and there are some tricks. Here we see examples of using DateTime formats, and also the different values you can get with the individual formats. Format your DateTimes for your application.

You will not have to write elaborate custom routines. The .NET Framework has a powerful DateTime format mechanism.

DateTime format string Here we see an example of how you can use a specific formatting string with DateTime and ToString to obtain a special DateTime string. This is useful when interacting with other systems, or when you require a precise format. === Program that uses DateTime format [C#] ===

using System;

class Program { static void Main() { DateTime time = DateTime.Now;

// Use current time

string format = "MMM ddd d HH:mm yyyy";

// Use this format

Console.WriteLine(time.ToString Console.WriteLine(time. ToString(format)); (format)); // Write to console } }



























Feb Fri 27 11:41 2009

=== Format string pattern ===

MMM ddd

display three-letter three-lette r month display three-letter three-lette r day of the WEEK

d

display day of the MONTH

HH

display two-digit hours on 24-hour scale

mm

display two-digit minutes

yyyy

display four-digit year

Notes on the letters. The letters in the format string above specify the output you want to display. The final comment shows what the MMM, ddd, d, HH, mm, and yyyy will do.

Modify format Here we see how you can modify the DateTime format string in the above example to get different output with ToString. We change some of the fields so the resulting value is shorter. === Program that uses different format [C#] ===

using System;

class Program { static void Main() { DateTime time = DateTime.Now;

// Use current time



























} }

=== Output of the program ===

2 27 11:48 09

=== Format string pattern ===

M

display one-digit month number

[changed]

d

display one-digit day of the MONTH

[changed]

h

display one-digit hour on 12-hour scale [changed]

mm yy

display two-digit minutes display two-digit year

[changed]

Note on format string usages. You will also need to specify a format string when using DateTime.ParseExact and DateTime.ParseExact. This is because those methods require a custom pattern to parse.

Single-letter format Here we see that you can use a single character with ToString or DateTime.ParseExact to specify a preset format available in the framework. These are standard formats and very useful in many programs. They can eliminate typos in the custom format strings. === Program that tests formats [C#] ===

using System;



























{ DateTime now = DateTime.Now; Console.WriteLine(now.ToString("d")); Console.WriteLine(now.ToString("D")); Console.WriteLine(now.ToString("f")); Console.WriteLine(now.ToString("F")); Console.WriteLine(now.ToString("g")); Console.WriteLine(now.ToString("G")); Console.WriteLine(now.ToString("m")); Console.WriteLine(now.ToString("M")); Console.WriteLine(now.ToString("o")); Console.WriteLine(now.ToString("O")); Console.WriteLine(now.ToString("s")); Console.WriteLine(now.ToString("t")); Console.WriteLine(now.ToString("T")); Console.WriteLine(now.ToString("u")); Console.WriteLine(now.ToString("U")); Console.WriteLine(now.ToString("y")); Console.WriteLine(now.ToString("Y")); } }






























F

Friday, Friday, February 27, 2009 12:12:22 PM

g

2/27/2009 12:12 PM

G

2/27/2009 12:12:22 PM

m

February 27

M

February 27

o

2009-02-27T12:12:22.1020000-08:00

O

2009-02-27T12:12:22.1020000-08:00

s

2009-02-27T12:12:22

t

12:12 PM

T

12:12:22 PM

u

2009-02-27 12:12:22Z

U

Friday, Friday, February 27, 2009 8:12:22 PM

y

February, February, 2009

Y

February, February, 2009

Date strings Here we see the ToLongDateString, ToLongTimeString, ToShortDateString, and ToShortTimeString ToShortTimeString methods on DateTime. DateTime. These Thes e methods are equivalent to the lowercase and uppercase D and T methods shown in the example above. === Program that uses ToString methods [C#] ===



























Console.WriteLine(now.ToLongDateString Console.WriteLine(now. ToLongDateString()); ()); // Equivalent to D Console.WriteLine(now.ToLongTimeString Console.WriteLine(now. ToLongTimeString()); ()); // Equivalent to T Console.WriteLine(now.ToShortDateString Console.WriteLine(now. ToShortDateString()); ()); // // Equivalent to d Console.WriteLine(now.ToShortTimeString Console.WriteLine(now. ToShortTimeString()); ()); // // Equivalent to t Console.WriteLine(now.ToString Console.WriteLine(now. ToString()); ()); } }


ToLongDateString

Friday, Friday, February 27, 2009

ToLongTimeString

12:16:59 PM

ToShortDateString

2/27/2009

ToShortTimeString

12:16 PM

ToString

2/27/2009 12:16:59 PM

Note on default ToString method. The default ToString method on DateTime shown above is equivalent to the simple "G" formatting string in the previous example. In other words, ToString("G") and ToString() do the same thing.

Format characters When you use DateTime.ParseExact, or ToString(), you need to specify



























digits, with a leading 0 prepended if necessary. ddd This displays a three-letter string that indicates the current day of the week. dddd This displays the full string for the day of the week. f ff fff ffff fffff ffffff fffffff F FF FFF FFFF FFFFF FFFFFF FFFFFFF Use the lowercase f to indicate the seconds to one digit length. Use two lowercase fs to indicate the seconds to two digits. The uppercase F patterns do the same but work differently on trailing zeros. gg



























H This represents the hours in a range of 0-23, which is called military time in some parts of the world. HH This represents the hours in a range of 00-23. The only different here between the single H is that there is always a leading zero if the number is one digit. K Use this to display time zone information. m mm This formats the minutes in your date format string. Here, the one m means that there is only one digit displayed if possible. The two ms means that there are always two digits displayed, with a leading zero if necessary. M MM These display the months in numeric form. The one uppercase M does not have a leading zero on it. The two uppercase Ms will format a number with a leading zero if it is required. MMM This displays the abbreviated three-letter form of the month represented in the DateTime.



























and P, for when the time is in PM. tt Use two lowercase tts to display the full AM or PM string. You will normally want this for when you are displaying the string to a user. y yy yyy yyyy yyyyy These display the year to different digits. In your programs, you won't need three digits for the year, or five. Therefore, you should only consider one y, two ys, or four ys. z zz zzz These represent the offset from the UTC time on the local operating system. : This is the time separator. / This is the date separator.

Difference Difference between d and dd, ddd and dddd. It is important to note that d and dd (one and two ds) mean something entirely different than





























using System;

class Program { static void Main() { DateTime now = DateTime.T Dat eTime.Today; oday; for (int i = 0; i < 7; i++) { Console.WriteLine(now.ToString Console.WriteLine(now. ToString("ddd")); ("ddd")); now = now.AddDays(1); } } }



























=== Program that shows day strings [C#] ===

using System;

class Program { static void Main() { DateTime now = DateTime.T Dat eTime.Today; oday; for (int i = 0; i < 7; i++) { Console.WriteLine(now.ToString Console.WriteLine(now. ToString("dddd")); ("dddd")); now = now.AddDays(1); } }



























Display the era The .NET platform allows you to display the date with the era or period, which is usually A.D. or B.C. It is unlikely that you will need to use B.C., except in a rare theoretical application. Nevertheless, here is what the two gs will print. Use the code "DateTime.Now.ToString("gg");".

Month format You may need to display the month name in a three-letter format. This is equivalent, in English, to taking a substring of the first three letters, but using the three Ms next to each other may be easier and more terse for your code. Additionally, you may want full month strings. This site contains a useful article that covers DateTime month strings and the Month property in more detail. See DateTime.Month Property.

Display AM/PM This isn't something you are likely to need, but interesting to find out. When you specify one t, you can get the first letter of the AM or PM string. This is equivalent to using Substring or getting the first char of the tt string. There is a space at the end of the format string because the value "t" can mean something else in the format string. Full string. Here we see how you can get the string AM or PM in your



























{ Console.WriteLine(now.ToString Console.WriteLine(now. ToString("tt ("tt ")); now = now.AddHours(12); } } }


PM AM

Note on lack of periods. There are no periods in the output of tt in the example above. Therefore, if you require periods in your AM or PM, you would have to manipulate the string.

Display year You can vary the number of digits displayed in the year string. You will



























DateTime now = DateTime.Now; Console.WriteLine(now.ToString("y ")); Console.WriteLine(now.ToString("yy")); Console.WriteLine(now.ToString("yyy")); // <-- Don't use this Console.WriteLine(now.ToString("yyyy")); Console.WriteLine(now.ToString("yyyyy")); // Console.WriteLine(now.ToString("yyyyy")); // <-- Don't use this } }


9 09 2009 2009





























Standard date and time format strings can be used with both DateTime and DateTimeOffset values. The following table describes the standard date and time format specifiers. Unless otherwise noted, a particular standard date and time format specifier produces an identical string representation regardless of whether it is used with a DateTime or a DateTimeOffset value. See the Notes the Notes section for additional information about using standard date and time format strings.

Format specifier

"d"

Description

Examples

Short date pattern. More information: The Short Date ("d") Format Specifier .

6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> 6/15/2009 (enUS) 6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> 15/06/2009 (frFR) 6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> 2009/06/15 (jaJP)

Long date pattern.

6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> Monday, June 15, 2009 (en-US)



























"m") Format Specifier .

6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> 15 Juni (id-ID)

"O", "o"

Round-trip date/time pattern. More information: The Round-trip ("O", "o") Format Specifier .

6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> 2009-0615T13:45:30.0900000

"R", "r"

RFC1123 RFC1123 pattern. More information: The RFC1123 ("R", "r") Format Specifier .

6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> Mon, 15 Jun 2009 20:45:30 GMT

"s"

Sortable date/time pattern. More information: The Sortable ("s") Format Specifier .

6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> 2009-0615T13:45:30

"t"

Short time pattern. More information: The Short Time ("t") Format Specifier .

6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> 1:45 PM (en-US) 6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> 13:45 (hr-HR) 6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> 01:45 ‫( م‬ar-EG)

Long time pattern. More information: The Long Time ("T") Format Specifier .

6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> 1:45:30 PM (enUS) 6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> 13:45:30 (hr-HR) ( hr-HR) 6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> 01:45:30 ‫( م‬arEG)

"T"



























If a standard format string in a formatting operation maps to a particular culture's custom format string, your application can define the specific culture whose custom format strings are used in one of these ways: •

You can use the default (or current) culture. The following example displays a date using the current culture's short date format. In this case, the current culture is en-US. VB C#

C++ F# JScript Copy // Display using current (en-us) culture's short date format DateTime thisDate = new DateTime(2008, 3, 15); Console.WriteLine(thisDate.ToString("d" Console.WriteLine(thisDate.ToString( "d")); )); // Displays 3/15/2008

•

You You can pass a CultureInfo object representing the culture whose formatting is to be used to a method that has an IFormatProvider parameter. The following example displays a date using the short date format of the pt-BR culture. VB C#



























"O" or "o"

None

yyyy'-'MM'-'dd'T'HH':'mm' :'ss'.'fffffffzz

"R" or "r"

RFC1123Pattern

ddd, dd MMM yyyy HH':'mm':'ss 'GMT'

"s"

SortableDateTimePattern

yyyy'-'MM'-'dd'T'HH':'mm' :'ss

"u"

UniversalSortableDateTimePattern

yyyy'-'MM'-'dd HH':'mm':'ss'Z'

Standard format strings can also be used in parsing operations with the DateTime.ParseExact or DateTimeOffset.ParseExact methods, which require an input string to exactly conform to a particular pattern for the parse operation to succeed. Many standard format strings map to multiple custom format strings, so a date and time value can be represented in a variety of formats and the parse operation will still succeed. You can determine the custom format string or strings that correspond to a standard format string by calling the DateTimeFormatInfo.GetAllDateTimePatterns(Char) method. The following example displays the custom format strings that map to the "d" (short date pattern) standard format string. VB C#

C++ F#



























The following table lists the DateTimeFormatInfo object properties that control the formatting of the returned string.

Property

Description

ShortDatePattern Defines the overall format of the result string. DateSeparator

Defines the string that separates the year, month, and day components of a date.

The following example uses the "d" format specifier to display a date and time value. VB C#

C++ F# JScript Copy DateTime date1 = new DateTime(2008,4, 10); Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString("d" Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString( "d",, DateTimeFormatInfo.InvariantInfo)); // Displays 04/10/2008 Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString("d" Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString( "d",, CultureInfo.CreateSpecificCulture( "en-US" "en-US"))); ))); // Displays 4/10/2008





























DateTime date1 = new DateTime(2008, 4, 10); Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString("D" Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString( "D",, CultureInfo.CreateSpecificCulture( "en-US" "en-US"))); ))); // Displays Thursday, April 10, 2008 Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString("D" Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString( "D",, CultureInfo.CreateSpecificCulture( "pt-BR" "pt-BR"))); ))); // Displays quinta-feira, 10 de abril de 2008 Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString("D" Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString( "D",, CultureInfo.CreateSpecificCulture( "es-MX" "es-MX"))); ))); // Displays jueves, 10 de abril de 2008 Back to table



























Back to table The Full Date Long Time ("F") Format Specifier

The "F" standard format specifier represents a custom date and time format string that is defined by the current DateTimeFormatInfo.FullDateTimePattern property. property. For example, exa mple, the custom format string for the invariant culture is "dddd, dd MMMM yyyy HH:mm:ss".



























properties that may control the formatting of the returned string. The custom format specifier that is returned by the DateTimeFormatInfo.ShortDatePattern andDateTimeFormatInfo.ShortTimePattern andDateTimeFormatInfo.ShortTimePattern properties of some cultures may not make use of all properties.

Property

Description

ShortDatePattern Defines the format of the date component of the result string. ShortTimePattern Defines the format of the time component of the result string. DateSeparator

Defines the string that separates the year, month, and day components of a date. Defines the string that separates the hour, minute, and second components of a



























LongTimePattern Defines the format of the time component of the result string. DateSeparator

Defines the string that separates the year, month, and day components of a date.

TimeSeparator

Defines the string that separates the hour, minute, and second components of a time.

AMDesignator

Defines the string that indicates times from midnight to before noon in a 12hour clock.

PMDesignator

Defines the string that indicates times from noon to before midnight in a 12hour clock.

The following example uses the "G" format specifier to display a date and time value.



























Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString("m",, Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString("m" CultureInfo.CreateSpecificCulture( "en-us" "en-us"))); ))); // Displays April 10 Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString("m" Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString( "m",, CultureInfo.CreateSpecificCulture( "ms-MY" "ms-MY"))); ))); // Displays 10 April Back to table The Round-trip ("O", "o") Format Specifier





























Copy // Round-trip DateTime values.



























string. Although the RFC 1123 standard expresses a time as Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), the



























The "t" standard format specifier represents a custom date and time format string that is defined by the current DateTimeFormatInfo.ShortTimePattern property. property. For example, the custom format string



























AMDesignator

Defines the string that indicates times from midnight to before noon in a 12hour clock.

















































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































The "hh" custom format specifier (plus any number of additional "h" specifiers) represents the hour as a number from 01 through 12; that is, the hour is represented by a 12-hour clock that counts the whole hours since midnight or noon. A particular hour after midnight is indistinguishable from the same hour after noon. The hour is not rounded, and a single-digit hour is formatted with a leading zero. For example, given a time of 5:43 in the morning or afternoon, this format specifier displays "05". The following example includes the "hh" custom format specifier in a custom format string. VB C#

C++ F# JScript Copy DateTime date1; date1 = new DateTime(2008, 1, 1, 18, 9, 1); Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString("hh:mm:ss Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString( "hh:mm:ss tt", tt", CultureInfo.InvariantCulture)); // Displays 06:09:01 PM Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString("hh:mm:ss Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString( "hh:mm:ss tt", tt", CultureInfo.CreateSpecificCulture( "hu-HU" "hu-HU"))); ))); // Displays 06:09:01 du. date1 = new DateTime(2008, 1, 1, 18, 9, 1, 500); Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString("hh:mm:ss Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString( "hh:mm:ss.ff .ff tt" tt",, CultureInfo.InvariantCulture)); // Displays 06:09:01.50 PM Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString("hh:mm:ss Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString( "hh:mm:ss.ff .ff tt" tt",, CultureInfo.CreateSpecificCulture( "hu-HU" "hu-HU"))); ))); // Displays 06:09:01.50 du. Back to table The "H" Custom Format Specifier

The "H" custom format specifier represents the hour as a number from 0 through 23; that is, the hour is represented by a zero-based 24-hour clock that counts the hours since midnight. A singledigit hour is formatted without a leading zero. If the "H" format specifier is used without other custom format specifiers, it is interpreted as a standard date and time format specifier and throws a FormatException FormatException.. For more information about using a single format specifier, see Using Single Custom Format Specifiers later in this topic. The following example includes the "H" custom format specifier in a custom format string. VB C#

C++ F# JScript Copy



























Back to table The "HH" Custom Format Specifier

The "HH" custom format specifier (plus any number of additional "H" specifiers) represents the hour as a number from 00 through 23; that is, the hour is represented by a zero-based 24-hour clock that counts the hours since midnight. A single-digit hour is formatted with a leading zero. The following example includes the "HH" custom format specifier in a custom format string. VB C#

C++ F# JScript Copy DateTime date1 = new DateTime(2008, 1, 1, 6, 9, 1); Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString("HH:mm:ss" Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString( "HH:mm:ss",, CultureInfo.InvariantCulture)); // Displays 06:09:01 Back to table The "K" Custom Format Specifier

The "K" custom format specifier represents the time zone information of a date and time value. When this format specifier is used with DateTime values, the result string is defined by the value of the DateTime.Kind property: •

•

•

For the local time zone (a DateTime.Kind property value of DateTimeKind.Local of DateTimeKind.Local), ), this specifier is equivalent to the "zzz" specifier and produces a result string containing the local offset from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC); for example, "-07:00". For a UTC time (a DateTime.Kind property value of DateTimeKind.Utc of DateTimeKind.Utc), ), the result string includes a "Z" character to represent a UTC date. For a time from an unspecified time zone (a time whose DateTime.Kind property equals DateTimeKind.Unspecified ), the result is equivalent to String.Empty String.Empty..

For DateTimeOffset values, the "K" format specifier is equivalent to the "zz" format specifier, and produces a result string containing the DateTimeOffset value's offset from UTC. If the "K" format specifier is used without other custom format specifiers, it is interpreted as a standard date and time format specifier and throws a FormatException FormatException.. For more information about using a single format specifier, see Using Single Custom Format Specifiers later in this topic. The following example displays the string that results from using the "K" custom format specifier



























JScript Copy Console.WriteLine(DateTime.Now.ToString( "%K" "%K")); )); // Displays -07:00 Console.WriteLine(DateTime.UtcNow.ToString("%K" Console.WriteLine(DateTime.UtcNow.ToString( "%K")); )); // Displays Z Console.WriteLine("'{0}'" Console.WriteLine( "'{0}'",, DateTime.SpecifyKind(DateTime.Now, DateTimeKind.Unspecified).ToString("%K" DateTimeKind.Unspecified).ToString( "%K")); )); // Displays '' Console.WriteLine(DateTimeOffset.Now.ToString("%K" Console.WriteLine(DateTimeOffset.Now.ToString( "%K")); )); // Displays -07:00 Console.WriteLine(DateTimeOffset.UtcNow.ToString("%K" Console.WriteLine(DateTimeOffset.UtcNow.ToString( "%K")); )); // Displays +00:00 Console.WriteLine(new Console.WriteLine( new DateTimeOffset(2008, 5, 1, 6, 30, 0, new TimeSpan(5, 0, 0)).ToString( 0)).ToString("%K" "%K")); )); // Displays +05:00 Back to table The "m" Custom Format Specifier

The "m" custom format specifier represents the minute as a number from 0 through 59. The minute represents whole minutes that have passed since the last hour. hour. A single-digit minute is formatted without a leading zero. If the "m" format specifier is used without other custom format specifiers, it is interpreted as the "m" standard date and time format specifier. For more information about using a single format specifier, see Using Single Custom Format Specifiers later in this topic. The following example includes the "m" custom format specifier in a custom format string. VB C#

C++ F# JScript Copy DateTime date1; date1 = new DateTime(2008, 1, 1, 18, 9, 1); Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString("h:m:s.F Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString( "h:m:s.F t", t", CultureInfo.InvariantCulture)); // Displays 6:9:1 P Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString("h:m:s.F Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString( "h:m:s.F t", t", CultureInfo.CreateSpecificCulture( "el-GR" "el-GR"))); ))); // Displays 6:9:1 µ date1 = new DateTime(2008, 1, 1, 18, 9, 1, 500); Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString("h:m:s.F Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString( "h:m:s.F t", t", CultureInfo.InvariantCulture)); // Displays 6:9:1.5 P Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString("h:m:s.F Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString( "h:m:s.F t", t",



























The "mm" Custom Format Specifier

The "mm" custom format specifier (plus any number of additional "m" specifiers) represents the minute as a number from 00 through 59. The minute represents whole minutes that have passed since the last hour. hour. A single-digit minute is formatted with a leading zero. The following example includes the "mm" custom format specifier in a custom format string. VB C#

C++ F# JScript Copy DateTime date1; date1 = new DateTime(2008, 1, 1, 18, 9, 1); Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString("hh:mm:ss Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString( "hh:mm:ss tt", tt", CultureInfo.InvariantCulture)); // Displays 06:09:01 PM Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString("hh:mm:ss Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString( "hh:mm:ss tt", tt", CultureInfo.CreateSpecificCulture( "hu-HU" "hu-HU"))); ))); // Displays 06:09:01 du. date1 = new DateTime(2008, 1, 1, 18, 9, 1, 500); Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString("hh:mm:ss Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString( "hh:mm:ss.ff .ff tt" tt",, CultureInfo.InvariantCulture)); // Displays 06:09:01.50 PM Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString("hh:mm:ss Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString( "hh:mm:ss.ff .ff tt" tt",, CultureInfo.CreateSpecificCulture( "hu-HU" "hu-HU"))); ))); // Displays 06:09:01.50 du. Back to table The "M" Custom Format Specifier

The "M" custom format specifier represents the month as a number from 1 through 12 (or from 1 through 13 for calendars that have 13 months). A single-digit month is formatted without a leading zero. If the "M" format specifier is used without other custom format specifiers, it is interpreted as the "M" standard date and time format specifier. For more information about using a single format specifier, see Using Single Custom Format Specifiers later in this topic. The following example includes the "M" custom format specifier in a custom format string. VB C#

C++ F# JScript



























Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString("(M) MMM, MMMM", Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString("(M) MMMM" , CultureInfo.CreateSpecificCulture( "nl-NL" "nl-NL"))); ))); // Displays (8) aug, augustus Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString("(M) Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString( "(M) MMM, MMMM", MMMM" , CultureInfo.CreateSpecificCulture( "lv-LV" "lv-LV"))); ))); // Displays (8) Aug, augusts Back to table The "MM" Custom Format Specifier

The "MM" custom format specifier represents the month as a number from 01 through 12 (or from 1 through 13 for calendars that have 13 months). A single-digit single-digit month is formatted with a leading zero. The following example includes the "MM" custom format specifier in a custom format string. VB C#

C++ F# JScript Copy DateTime date1 = new DateTime(2008, 1, 2, 6, 30, 15); Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString("dd, MM", Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString("dd, MM", CultureInfo.InvariantCulture)); // 02, 01 Back to table The "MMM" Custom Format Specifier

The "MMM" custom format specifier represents the abbreviated name of the month. The localized abbreviated name of the month is retrieved from theDateTimeFormatInfo.AbbreviatedMonthNames theDateTimeFormatInfo.AbbreviatedMonthNames property property of the current or specified culture. The following example includes the "MMM" custom format specifier in a custom format string. VB C#

C++ F# JScript Copy DateTime date1 = new DateTime(2008, 8, 29, 19, 27, 15);





























// Displays ven. 29 août Back to table The "MMMM" Custom Format Specifier

The "MMMM" custom format specifier represents the full name of the month. The localized name of the month is retrieved from the DateTimeFormatInfo.MonthNames property property of the current or specified culture. The following example includes the "MMMM" custom format specifier in a custom format string. VB C#

C++ F# JScript Copy DateTime date1 = new DateTime(2008, 8, 29, 19, 27, 15); Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString("dddd dd MMMM", Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString("dddd MMMM" , CultureInfo.CreateSpecificCulture( "en-US" "en-US"))); ))); // Displays Friday 29 August Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString("dddd Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString( "dddd dd MMMM", MMMM" , CultureInfo.CreateSpecificCulture( "it-IT" "it-IT"))); ))); // Displays venerdì 29 agosto Back to table The "s" Custom Format Specifier

The "s" custom format specifier represents the seconds as a number from 0 through 59. The result represents whole seconds that have passed since the last minute. A single-digit second is formatted without a leading zero.



























Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString("h:m:s.F t", Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString("h:m:s.F t", CultureInfo.CreateSpecificCulture( "el-GR" "el-GR"))); ))); // Displays 6:9:1 µ date1 = new DateTime(2008, 1, 1, 18, 9, 1, 500); Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString("h:m:s.F Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString( "h:m:s.F t", t", CultureInfo.InvariantCulture)); // Displays 6:9:1.5 P Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString("h:m:s.F Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString( "h:m:s.F t", t", CultureInfo.CreateSpecificCulture( "el-GR" "el-GR"))); ))); // Displays 6:9:1.5 µ Back to table The "ss" Custom Format Specifier

The "ss" custom format specifier (plus any number of additional "s" specifiers) represents the seconds as a number from 00 through 59. The result represents whole seconds that have passed since the last minute. A single-digit second is formatted with a leading zero. The following example includes the "ss" custom format specifier in a custom format string. VB C#

C++ F# JScript Copy DateTime date1; date1 = new DateTime(2008, 1, 1, 18, 9, 1); Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString("hh:mm:ss Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString( "hh:mm:ss tt", tt", CultureInfo.InvariantCulture)); // Displays 06:09:01 PM Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString("hh:mm:ss Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString( "hh:mm:ss tt", tt", CultureInfo.CreateSpecificCulture( "hu-HU" "hu-HU"))); ))); // Displays 06:09:01 du. date1 = new DateTime(2008, 1, 1, 18, 9, 1, 500); Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString("hh:mm:ss Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString( "hh:mm:ss.ff .ff tt" tt",, CultureInfo.InvariantCulture)); // Displays 06:09:01.50 PM Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString("hh:mm:ss Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString( "hh:mm:ss.ff .ff tt" tt",, CultureInfo.CreateSpecificCulture( "hu-HU" "hu-HU"))); )));



























current or specific culture. The AM designator is used for all times from 0:00:00 (midnight) to 11:59:59.999. 11:59:59.999. The PM designator is used for all al l times from 12:00:00 (noon) to 23:59:59.99. If the "t" format specifier is used without other custom format specifiers, it is interpreted as the "t" standard date and time format specifier. For more information about using a single format specifier, see Using Single Custom Format Specifiers later in this topic. The following example includes the "t" custom format specifier in a custom format string. VB C#

C++ F# JScript Copy DateTime date1; date1 = new DateTime(2008, 1, 1, 18, 9, 1); Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString("h:m:s.F Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString( "h:m:s.F t", t", CultureInfo.InvariantCulture)); // Displays 6:9:1 P Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString("h:m:s.F Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString( "h:m:s.F t", t", CultureInfo.CreateSpecificCulture( "el-GR" "el-GR"))); ))); // Displays 6:9:1 µ date1 = new DateTime(2008, 1, 1, 18, 9, 1, 500); Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString("h:m:s.F Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString( "h:m:s.F t", t", CultureInfo.InvariantCulture)); // Displays 6:9:1.5 P Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString("h:m:s.F Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString( "h:m:s.F t", t", CultureInfo.CreateSpecificCulture( "el-GR" "el-GR"))); ))); // Displays 6:9:1.5 µ Back to table The "tt" Custom Format Specifier

The "tt" custom format specifier (plus any number of additional "t" specifiers) represents the entire AM/PM designator. The The appropriate localize localized d designator is retrieved from the DateTimeFormatInfo.AMDesignator DateTimeFormatInfo.AMDesignator or or DateTimeFormatInfo.PMDesignator DateTimeFormatInfo.PMDesignator property property of the current or specific culture. The AM designator is used for all times from 0:00:00 (midnight) to 11:59:59.999. 11:59:59.999. The PM designator is used for all al l times from 12:00:00 (noon) to 23:59:59.99.



























Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString("hh:mm:ss tt", Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString("hh:mm:ss tt", CultureInfo.CreateSpecificCulture( "hu-HU" "hu-HU"))); ))); // Displays 06:09:01 du. date1 = new DateTime(2008, 1, 1, 18, 9, 1, 500); Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString("hh:mm:ss Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString( "hh:mm:ss.ff .ff tt" tt",, CultureInfo.InvariantCulture)); // Displays 06:09:01.50 PM Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString("hh:mm:ss Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString( "hh:mm:ss.ff .ff tt" tt",, CultureInfo.CreateSpecificCulture( "hu-HU" "hu-HU"))); ))); // Displays 06:09:01.50 du. Back to table The "y" Custom Format Specifier

The "y" custom format specifier represents the year as a one-digit or two-digit number. If the year has more than two digits, only the two low-order digits appear in the result. If the first digit of a two-digit year begins with a zero (for example, 2008), the number is formatted without a leading zero. If the "y" format specifier is used without other custom format specifiers, it is interpreted as the "y" standard date and time format specifier. For more information about using a single format specifier, see Using Single Custom Format Specifiers later in this topic. The following example includes the "y" custom format specifier in a custom format string. VB C#

C++ F# JScript Copy DateTime date1 = new DateTime(1, 12, 1); DateTime date2 = new DateTime(2010, 1, 1); Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString("%y" Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString( "%y")); )); // Displays 1 Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString("yy" Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString( "yy")); )); // Displays 01 Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString("yyy" Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString( "yyy")); )); // Displays 001 Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString("yyyy" Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString( "yyyy")); ));



























The "yy" Custom Format Specifier

The "yy" custom format specifier represents the year as a two-digit number. If the year has more than two digits, only the two low-order digits appear in the result. If the two-digit year has fewer than two significant digits, the number is padded with leading zeros to produce two digits. The following example includes the "yy" custom format specifier in a custom format string. VB C#

C++ F# JScript Copy DateTime date1 = new DateTime(1, 12, 1); DateTime date2 = new DateTime(2010, 1, 1); Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString("%y" Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString( "%y")); )); // Displays 1 Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString("yy" Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString( "yy")); )); // Displays 01 Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString("yyy" Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString( "yyy")); )); // Displays 001 Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString("yyyy" Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString( "yyyy")); )); // Displays 0001 Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString("yyyyy" Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString( "yyyyy")); )); // Displays 00001 Console.WriteLine(date2.ToString("%y" Console.WriteLine(date2.ToString( "%y")); )); // Displays 10 Console.WriteLine(date2.ToString("yy" Console.WriteLine(date2.ToString( "yy")); )); // Displays 10 Console.WriteLine(date2.ToString("yyy" Console.WriteLine(date2.ToString( "yyy")); )); // Displays 2010 Console.WriteLine(date2.ToString("yyyy" Console.WriteLine(date2.ToString( "yyyy")); )); // Displays 2010 Console.WriteLine(date2.ToString("yyyyy" Console.WriteLine(date2.ToString( "yyyyy")); )); // Displays 02010 Back to table The "yyy" Custom Format Specifier





























F# JScript Copy DateTime date1 = new DateTime(1, 12, 1); DateTime date2 = new DateTime(2010, 1, 1); Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString("%y" Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString( "%y")); )); // Displays 1 Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString("yy" Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString( "yy")); )); // Displays 01 Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString("yyy" Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString( "yyy")); )); // Displays 001 Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString("yyyy" Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString( "yyyy")); )); // Displays 0001 Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString("yyyyy" Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString( "yyyyy")); )); // Displays 00001 Console.WriteLine(date2.ToString("%y" Console.WriteLine(date2.ToString( "%y")); )); // Displays 10 Console.WriteLine(date2.ToString("yy" Console.WriteLine(date2.ToString( "yy")); )); // Displays 10 Console.WriteLine(date2.ToString("yyy" Console.WriteLine(date2.ToString( "yyy")); )); // Displays 2010 Console.WriteLine(date2.ToString("yyyy" Console.WriteLine(date2.ToString( "yyyy")); )); // Displays 2010 Console.WriteLine(date2.ToString("yyyyy" Console.WriteLine(date2.ToString( "yyyyy")); )); // Displays 02010 Back to table The "yyyy" Custom Format Specifier



























// Displays 00001 Console.WriteLine(date2.ToString("%y" Console.WriteLine(date2.ToString( "%y")); )); // Displays 10 Console.WriteLine(date2.ToString("yy" Console.WriteLine(date2.ToString( "yy")); )); // Displays 10 Console.WriteLine(date2.ToString("yyy" Console.WriteLine(date2.ToString( "yyy")); )); // Displays 2010 Console.WriteLine(date2.ToString("yyyy" Console.WriteLine(date2.ToString( "yyyy")); )); // Displays 2010 Console.WriteLine(date2.ToString("yyyyy" Console.WriteLine(date2.ToString( "yyyyy")); )); // Displays 02010 Back to table The "yyyyy" Custom Format Specifier

The "yyyyy" custom format specifier (plus any number of additional "y" specifiers) represents the year with a minimum of five digits. If the year has more than five significant digits, they are included in the result string. If the year has fewer than five digits, the number is padded with leading zeros to produce five digits. If there are additional "y" specifiers, the number is padded with as many leading zeros as necessary to produce the number of "y" specifiers. The following example includes the "yyyyy" custom format specifier in a custom format string. VB C#

C++ F# JScript



























The "z" Custom Format Specifier

With DateTime values, the "z" custom format specifier represents the signed offset of the local operating system's time zone from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), measured in hours. It does not reflect the value of an instance's DateTime.Kind property. property. For this reason, the "z" format specifier is not recommended for use with DateTime values. With DateTimeOffset values, this format specifier represents the DateTimeOffset value's offset from UTC in hours. The offset is always displayed with a leading sign. A plus sign (+) indicates hours ahead of UTC, and a minus sign (-) indicates hours behind UTC. A single-digit offset is formatted without a leading zero. If the "z" format specifier is used without other custom format specifiers, it is interpreted as a standard date and time format specifier and throws a FormatException FormatException.. For more information about using a single format specifier, see Using Single Custom Format Specifiers later in this topic. The following example includes the "z" custom format specifier in a custom format string. VB C#

C++ F# JScript Copy DateTime date1 = DateTime.UtcNow; Console.WriteLine(String.Format( "{0:%z}, {0:zz}, {0:zzz}", {0:zzz}" , date1)); // Displays -7, -07, -07:00 DateTimeOffset date2 = new DateTimeOffset(2008, 8, 1, 0, 0, 0,



























VB C#

C++ F# JScript Copy DateTime date1 = DateTime.UtcNow; Console.WriteLine(String.Format( "{0:%z}, {0:zz}, {0:zzz}", {0:zzz}" , date1)); // Displays -7, -07, -07:00 DateTimeOffset date2 = new DateTimeOffset(2008, 8, 1, 0, 0, 0, new TimeSpan(6, 0, 0)); Console.WriteLine(String.Format( "{0:%z}, {0:zz}, {0:zzz}", {0:zzz}" , date2)); // Displays +6, +06, +06:00 Back to table

C# DateTime Examples You want to use the DateTime t ype in the C# programming language, and also need



























Constructor For the DateTime type in the C# programming language and .NET Framework, you can use the instance constructor with the 'new' operator to instantiate a new DateTime instance. Please note that the arguments to the constructor must match to a real date that occurred. This example also shows how you can write a DateTime to the console, and also to how you can compare a DateTime DateTime against ag ainst the Today value. --- Program that uses DateTime constructor [C#] ---

using System;

class Program





























} }

--- Output of the program --The second line depends on the local date on your computer.

1/18/2010 12:00:00 AM True

Finding yesterday Here we see how to subtract one day



























Console.WriteLine("Yesterday: {0}", y); }

///
/// Gets the previous day to the current day day.. ///
static DateTime GetYesterday() { // Add -1 to now



























output will naturally vary depending on the day you run it. DateTime.Today is always set to the machine's local time. See DateTime Subtract Method.

Finding tomorrow Here we see how you can add one using the DateTime Add method to figure out tomorrow. This is useful for using date queries in databases, as you usually have to select a range of dates. --- Program that uses AddDays [C#] ---



























/// static DateTime GetTomorrow() GetTomorrow() { return DateTime.Today.AddDays(1); } }

--- Output of the program ---

Today: 11/30/2008 12:00:00 AM



























method with a parameter. parameter. The DateTime parameter of the second DateTime method above can be any time in the required year. It could be a better design to simply pass it the year as an int. --- Program that uses new DateTime [C#] ---

using System;

class Program {





























static DateTime FirstDayOfYear() { return FirstDayOfYear(DateTime.Today); }



























This method is ideal for when you want to count days, as for a database range query for a certain year. --- Program that uses new DateTime [C#] ---



























{ return LastDayOfYear(DateTime.Today); }

///



























calling conventions more natural and easier to remember. Recall that overloaded methods are inferred at compile time, not runtime. It is much better to use the new DateTime constructor, constructor, rather than DateTime.Parse to create new DateTimes. This is both for performance and for simplicity of



























DateTime.AddDays Receives a positive or negative double integer, which adds or subtracts days. We see examples in this document. DateTime.AddHours DateTime.AddMilliseconds





























tell you how many days are in a month. I haven't



























mats This provides functionality



























DateTime.TryParse DateTime.TryParseExact



























property on the DateTime instance, which allows you to determine if a



























These return a component of the time. Note that this



























C# DateTime Format

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