Code On Time: Custom Date Format Strings

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Monday, June 11, 2012Print Subscribe

A date and time format string defines the text representation of a DateTime value that results from a formatting operation. It can also define the representation of a date and time value that is required in a parsing operation in order to successfully convert the string to a date and time. A custom format string consists of one or more custom date and time format specifiers. Any string that is not a standard date and time format string is interpreted as a custom date and time format string.

Let’s apply a custom format string to the OrderDate field of Orders controller.

Start the Project Designer. In the Project Explorer, double-click on Orders / Fields / OrderDate field node.

Change the Data Format String property:

Property	Value
Data Format String	'The' d 'of' MMMM, yyyy.

Press OK to save the field. On the toolbar, press Browse.

Navigate to the Orders page. The Order Date values will be rendered in the custom date pattern.

Below is a list of supported custom date format strings.

Format specifier	Description	Examples
"d"	The day of the month, from 1 through 31.	6/1/2009 1:45:30 PM –> 1 6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> 15
"dd"	The day of the month, from 01 through 31.	6/1/2009 1:45:30 PM –> 01 6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> 15
"ddd"	The abbreviated name of the day of the week.	6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> Mon (en-US) 6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> Пн (ru-RU) 6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> lun. (fr-FR)
"dddd"	The full name of the day of the week.	6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> Monday (en-US) 6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> понедельник (ru-RU) 6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> lundi (fr-FR)
"f"	The tenths of a second in a date and time value.	6/15/2009 13:45:30.617 –> 6 6/15/2009 13:45:30.050 -> 0
"ff"	The hundredths of a second in a date and time value.	6/15/2009 13:45:30.617 -> 61 6/15/2009 13:45:30.005 -> 00
"fff"	The milliseconds in a date and time value.	6/15/2009 13:45:30.617 –> 617 6/15/2009 13:45:30.0005 -> 000
"ffff"	The ten thousandths of a second in a date and time value.	6/15/2009 13:45:30.6175 –> 6175 6/15/2009 13:45:30.00005 -> 0000
"fffff"	The hundred thousandths of a second in a date and time value.	6/15/2009 13:45:30.61754 –> 61754 6/15/2009 13:45:30.000005 -> 00000
"ffffff"	The millionths of a second in a date and time value.	6/15/2009 13:45:30.617542 –> 617542 6/15/2009 13:45:30.0000005 -> 000000
"fffffff"	The ten millionths of a second in a date and time value.	6/15/2009 13:45:30.6175425 –> 6175425 6/15/2009 13:45:30.0001150 -> 0001150
"g", "gg"	The period or era.	6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> A.D.
"h"	The hour, using a 12-hour clock from 1 to 12.	6/15/2009 1:45:30 AM –> 1 6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> 1
"hh"	The hour, using a 12-hour clock from 01 to 12.	6/15/2009 1:45:30 AM –> 01 6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> 01
"H"	The hour, using a 24-hour clock from 0 to 23.	6/15/2009 1:45:30 AM –> 1 6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> 13
"HH"	The hour, using a 24-hour clock from 00 to 23.	6/15/2009 1:45:30 AM –> 01 6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> 13
"m"	The minute, from 0 through 59.	6/15/2009 1:09:30 AM –> 9 6/15/2009 1:09:30 PM -> 9
"mm"	The minute, from 00 through 59.	6/15/2009 1:09:30 AM –> 09 6/15/2009 1:09:30 PM -> 09
"M"	The month, from 1 through 12.	6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> 6
"MM"	The month, from 01 through 12.	6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> 06
"MMM"	The abbreviated name of the month.	6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> Jun (en-US) 6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> juin (fr-FR) 6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> Jun (zu-ZA)
"MMMM"	The full name of the month.	6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> June (en-US) 6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> juni (da-DK) 6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> uJuni (zu-ZA)
"s"	The second, from 0 through 59.	6/15/2009 1:45:09 PM -> 9
"ss"	The second, from 00 through 59.	6/15/2009 1:45:09 PM -> 09
"t"	The first character of the AM/PM designator.	6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> P (en-US) 6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> 午 (ja-JP) 6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> (fr-FR)
"tt"	The AM/PM designator.	6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> PM (en-US) 6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> 午後 (ja-JP) 6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> (fr-FR)
"y"	The year, from 0 to 99.	1/1/0001 12:00:00 AM –> 1 1/1/0900 12:00:00 AM –> 0 1/1/1900 12:00:00 AM –> 0 6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> 9
"yy"	The year, from 00 to 99.	1/1/0001 12:00:00 AM –> 01 1/1/0900 12:00:00 AM –> 00 1/1/1900 12:00:00 AM –> 00 6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> 09
"yyyy"	The year as a four-digit number.	1/1/0001 12:00:00 AM –> 0001 1/1/0900 12:00:00 AM –> 0900 1/1/1900 12:00:00 AM –> 1900 6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> 2009
"z"	Hours offset from UTC, with no leading zeros.	6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -07:00 -> -7
"zz"	Hours offset from UTC, with a leading zero for a single-digit value.	6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -07:00 -> -07
"zzz"	Hours and minutes offset from UTC.	6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -07:00 -> -07:00
":"	The time separator.	6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> : (en-US) 6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> . (it-IT) 6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> : (ja-JP)
"/"	The date separator.	6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> / (en-US) 6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> - (ar-DZ) 6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> . (tr-TR)
'string'	Literal string delimiter.	6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM ('arr:' h:m t) -> arr: 1:45 P
%	Defines the following character as a custom format specifier.	6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM (%h) -> 1
Any other character	The character is copied to the result string unchanged.	6/15/2009 1:45:30 AM (arr hh:mm t) -> arr 01:45 A

Labels: User Interface, Web Application Generator