TimeSpan.Parse Method

Reference

Definition

Namespace:: System

Assembly:: System.Runtime.dll

Assembly:: mscorlib.dll

Assembly:: netstandard.dll

Important

Some information relates to prerelease product that may be substantially modified before it’s released. Microsoft makes no warranties, express or implied, with respect to the information provided here.

Converts the string representation of a time interval to its TimeSpan equivalent.

Overloads

Parse(String)	Converts the string representation of a time interval to its TimeSpan equivalent.
Parse(ReadOnlySpan<Char>, IFormatProvider)	Converts the span representation of a time interval to its TimeSpan equivalent by using the specified culture-specific format information.
Parse(String, IFormatProvider)	Converts the string representation of a time interval to its TimeSpan equivalent by using the specified culture-specific format information.

Parse(String)

Converts the string representation of a time interval to its TimeSpan equivalent.

public:
 static TimeSpan Parse(System::String ^ s);

public static TimeSpan Parse (string s);

static member Parse : string -> TimeSpan

Public Shared Function Parse (s As String) As TimeSpan

Parameters

s: String

A string that specifies the time interval to convert.

Returns

TimeSpan

A time interval that corresponds to s.

Exceptions

ArgumentNullException

s is null.

FormatException

s has an invalid format.

OverflowException

s represents a number that is less than TimeSpan.MinValue or greater than TimeSpan.MaxValue.

-or-

At least one of the days, hours, minutes, or seconds components is outside its valid range.

Examples

The following example uses the Parse method to convert each element in a string array to a TimeSpan value. It changes the current system culture to Croatian - Croatia ("hr-HR") and English - United States ("en-US") to illustrate how the current system culture affects the parsing operation.

using System;
using System.Globalization;
using System.Threading;

public class Example
{
   public static void Main()
   {
      string[] values = { "6", "6:12", "6:12:14", "6:12:14:45", 
                          "6.12:14:45", "6:12:14:45.3448", 
                          "6:12:14:45,3448", "6:34:14:45" };
      string[] cultureNames = { "hr-HR", "en-US"};
      
      // Change the current culture.
      foreach (string cultureName in cultureNames)
      {
         Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentCulture = new CultureInfo(cultureName);
         Console.WriteLine("Current Culture: {0}", 
                           Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentCulture.Name);
         foreach (string value in values)
         {
            try {
               TimeSpan ts = TimeSpan.Parse(value);
               Console.WriteLine("{0} --> {1}", value, ts.ToString("c"));
            }
            catch (FormatException) {
               Console.WriteLine("{0}: Bad Format", value);
            }   
            catch (OverflowException) {
               Console.WriteLine("{0}: Overflow", value);
            }
         } 
         Console.WriteLine();                                
      }
   }
}
// The example displays the following output:
//    Current Culture: hr-HR
//    6 --> 6.00:00:00
//    6:12 --> 06:12:00
//    6:12:14 --> 06:12:14
//    6:12:14:45 --> 6.12:14:45
//    6.12:14:45 --> 6.12:14:45
//    6:12:14:45.3448: Bad Format
//    6:12:14:45,3448 --> 6.12:14:45.3448000
//    6:34:14:45: Overflow
//    
//    Current Culture: en-US
//    6 --> 6.00:00:00
//    6:12 --> 06:12:00
//    6:12:14 --> 06:12:14
//    6:12:14:45 --> 6.12:14:45
//    6.12:14:45 --> 6.12:14:45
//    6:12:14:45.3448 --> 6.12:14:45.3448000
//    6:12:14:45,3448: Bad Format
//    6:34:14:45: Overflow

open System
open System.Globalization
open System.Threading

let values = 
    [| "6"; "6:12"; "6:12:14"; "6:12:14:45" 
       "6.12:14:45"; "6:12:14:45.3448" 
       "6:12:14:45,3448"; "6:34:14:45" |]
let cultureNames = [| "hr-HR"; "en-US" |]

// Change the current culture.
for cultureName in cultureNames do
    Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentCulture <- CultureInfo cultureName
    printfn $"Current Culture: {Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentCulture.Name}" 
    for value in values do
        try 
            let ts = TimeSpan.Parse value
            printfn $"{value} --> {ts:c}"
        with 
        | :? FormatException ->
            printfn $"{value}: Bad Format"
        | :? OverflowException ->
            printfn $"{value}: Overflow"
    printfn ""                                
// The example displays the following output:
//    Current Culture: hr-HR
//    6 --> 6.00:00:00
//    6:12 --> 06:12:00
//    6:12:14 --> 06:12:14
//    6:12:14:45 --> 6.12:14:45
//    6.12:14:45 --> 6.12:14:45
//    6:12:14:45.3448: Bad Format
//    6:12:14:45,3448 --> 6.12:14:45.3448000
//    6:34:14:45: Overflow
//    
//    Current Culture: en-US
//    6 --> 6.00:00:00
//    6:12 --> 06:12:00
//    6:12:14 --> 06:12:14
//    6:12:14:45 --> 6.12:14:45
//    6.12:14:45 --> 6.12:14:45
//    6:12:14:45.3448 --> 6.12:14:45.3448000
//    6:12:14:45,3448: Bad Format
//    6:34:14:45: Overflow

Imports System.Globalization
Imports System.Threading

Module Example
   Public Sub Main()
      Dim values() As String = { "6", "6:12", "6:12:14", "6:12:14:45", 
                                 "6.12:14:45", "6:12:14:45.3448", 
                                 "6:12:14:45,3448", "6:34:14:45" }
      Dim cultureNames() As String = { "hr-HR", "en-US"}
      
      ' Change the current culture.
      For Each cultureName As String In cultureNames
         Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentCulture = New CultureInfo(cultureName)
         Console.WriteLine("Current Culture: {0}", 
                           Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentCulture.Name)
         For Each value As String In values
            Try
               Dim ts As TimeSpan = TimeSpan.Parse(value)
               Console.WriteLine("{0} --> {1}", value, ts.ToString("c"))
            Catch e As FormatException
               Console.WriteLine("{0}: Bad Format", value)
            Catch e As OverflowException
               Console.WriteLine("{0}: Overflow", value)
            End Try      
         Next 
         Console.WriteLine()                                
      Next
   End Sub
End Module
' The example displays the following output:
'       Current Culture: hr-HR
'       6 --> 6.00:00:00
'       6:12 --> 06:12:00
'       6:12:14 --> 06:12:14
'       6:12:14:45 --> 6.12:14:45
'       6.12:14:45 --> 6.12:14:45
'       6:12:14:45.3448: Bad Format
'       6:12:14:45,3448 --> 6.12:14:45.3448000
'       6:34:14:45: Overflow
'       
'       Current Culture: en-US
'       6 --> 6.00:00:00
'       6:12 --> 06:12:00
'       6:12:14 --> 06:12:14
'       6:12:14:45 --> 6.12:14:45
'       6.12:14:45 --> 6.12:14:45
'       6:12:14:45.3448 --> 6.12:14:45.3448000
'       6:12:14:45,3448: Bad Format
'       6:34:14:45: Overflow

Remarks

The s parameter contains a time interval specification in the form:

[ws][-]{ d | [d.]hh:mm[:ss[.ff]] }[ws]

Elements in square brackets ([ and ]) are optional. One selection from the list of alternatives enclosed in braces ({ and }) and separated by vertical bars (|) is required. The following table describes each element.

Element	Description
ws	Optional white space.
-	An optional minus sign, which indicates a negative TimeSpan.
d	Days, ranging from 0 to 10675199.
.	A culture-sensitive symbol that separates days from hours. The invariant format uses a period (".") character.
hh	Hours, ranging from 0 to 23.
:	The culture-sensitive time separator symbol. The invariant format uses a colon (":") character.
mm	Minutes, ranging from 0 to 59.
ss	Optional seconds, ranging from 0 to 59.
.	A culture-sensitive symbol that separates seconds from fractions of a second. The invariant format uses a period (".") character.
ff	Optional fractional seconds, consisting of one to seven decimal digits.

If the s argument is not a day value only, it must include an hours and a minutes component; other components are optional. If they are present, the values of each time component must fall within a specified range. For example, the value of hh, the hours component, must be between 0 and 23. Because of this, passing "23:00:00" to the Parse method returns a time interval of 23 hours. On the other hand, passing "24:00:00" returns a time interval of 24 days. Because "24" is outside the range of the hours component, it is interpreted as the days component.

The components of s must collectively specify a time interval that is greater than or equal to TimeSpan.MinValue and less than or equal to TimeSpan.MaxValue.

The Parse(String) method tries to parse s by using each of the culture-specific formats for the current culture.

Notes to callers

When a time interval component in the string to be parsed contains more than seven digits, parsing operations in the .NET Framework 3.5 and earlier versions may behave differently from parsing operations in the .NET Framework 4 and later versions. In some cases, parsing operations that succeed in the .NET Framework 3.5 and earlier versions may fail and throw an OverflowException in the .NET Framework 4 and later. In other cases, parsing operations that throw a FormatException in the .NET Framework 3.5 and earlier versions may fail and throw an OverflowException in the .NET Framework 4 and later. The following example illustrates both scenarios.

string[] values = { "000000006", "12.12:12:12.12345678" };
foreach (string value in values)
{
   try {
      TimeSpan interval = TimeSpan.Parse(value);
      Console.WriteLine("{0} --> {1}", value, interval);
   }   
   catch (FormatException) {
      Console.WriteLine("{0}: Bad Format", value);
   }   
   catch (OverflowException) {
      Console.WriteLine("{0}: Overflow", value);
   }
}

// Output from .NET Framework 3.5 and earlier versions:
//       000000006 --> 6.00:00:00
//       12.12:12:12.12345678: Bad Format      
// Output from .NET Framework 4 and later versions or .NET Core:
//       000000006: Overflow
//       12.12:12:12.12345678: Overflow

open System

let values = [| "000000006"; "12.12:12:12.12345678" |]
for value in values do
    try
        let interval = TimeSpan.Parse value
        printfn $"{value} --> {interval}"   
    with
    | :? FormatException ->
        printfn $"{value}: Bad Format"
    | :? OverflowException ->
        printfn $"{value}: Overflow"

// Output from .NET Framework 3.5 and earlier versions:
//       000000006 --> 6.00:00:00
//       12.12:12:12.12345678: Bad Format      
// Output from .NET Framework 4 and later versions or .NET Core:
//       000000006: Overflow
//       12.12:12:12.12345678: Overflow

Dim values() As String = { "000000006", "12.12:12:12.12345678" }
For Each value As String In values
   Try
      Dim interval As TimeSpan = TimeSpan.Parse(value)
      Console.WriteLine("{0} --> {1}", value, interval)
   Catch e As FormatException
      Console.WriteLine("{0}: Bad Format", value)
   Catch e As OverflowException
      Console.WriteLine("{0}: Overflow", value)
   End Try         
Next
' Output from .NET Framework 3.5 and earlier versions:
'       000000006 --> 6.00:00:00
'       12.12:12:12.12345678: Bad Format      
' Output from .NET Framework 4:
'       000000006: Overflow
'       12.12:12:12.12345678: Overflow

Applies to

Parse(ReadOnlySpan<Char>, IFormatProvider)

Converts the span representation of a time interval to its TimeSpan equivalent by using the specified culture-specific format information.

public static TimeSpan Parse (ReadOnlySpan<char> input, IFormatProvider? formatProvider = default);

public static TimeSpan Parse (ReadOnlySpan<char> input, IFormatProvider formatProvider = default);

static member Parse : ReadOnlySpan<char> * IFormatProvider -> TimeSpan

Public Shared Function Parse (input As ReadOnlySpan(Of Char), Optional formatProvider As IFormatProvider = Nothing) As TimeSpan

Parameters

input: ReadOnlySpan<Char>

A span containing the characters that represent the time interval to convert.

formatProvider: IFormatProvider

An object that supplies culture-specific formatting information.

Returns

TimeSpan

A time interval that corresponds to input, as specified by formatProvider.

Implements

Parse(ReadOnlySpan<Char>, IFormatProvider)

Applies to

Parse(String, IFormatProvider)

Converts the string representation of a time interval to its TimeSpan equivalent by using the specified culture-specific format information.

public:
 static TimeSpan Parse(System::String ^ input, IFormatProvider ^ formatProvider);

public:
 static TimeSpan Parse(System::String ^ input, IFormatProvider ^ formatProvider) = IParsable<TimeSpan>::Parse;

public static TimeSpan Parse (string input, IFormatProvider formatProvider);

public static TimeSpan Parse (string input, IFormatProvider? formatProvider);

static member Parse : string * IFormatProvider -> TimeSpan

Public Shared Function Parse (input As String, formatProvider As IFormatProvider) As TimeSpan

Parameters

input: String

A string that specifies the time interval to convert.

formatProvider: IFormatProvider

An object that supplies culture-specific formatting information.

Returns

TimeSpan

A time interval that corresponds to input, as specified by formatProvider.

Implements

Parse(String, IFormatProvider)

Exceptions

ArgumentNullException

input is null.

FormatException

input has an invalid format.

OverflowException

input represents a number that is less than TimeSpan.MinValue or greater than TimeSpan.MaxValue.

-or-

At least one of the days, hours, minutes, or seconds components in input is outside its valid range.

Examples

The following example defines an array of CultureInfo objects, and uses each object in calls to the Parse(String, IFormatProvider) method to parse the elements in a string array. The example illustrates how the conventions of a specific culture influence the formatting operation.

using System;
using System.Globalization;
using System.Text.RegularExpressions;

public class Example
{
   public static void Main()
   {
      string[] values = { "6", "6:12", "6:12:14", "6:12:14:45", 
                          "6.12:14:45", "6:12:14:45.3448", 
                          "6:12:14:45,3448", "6:34:14:45" };
      CultureInfo[] cultures = { new CultureInfo("en-US"), 
                                 new CultureInfo("ru-RU"),
                                 CultureInfo.InvariantCulture };
      
      string header = String.Format("{0,-17}", "String");
      foreach (CultureInfo culture in cultures)
         header += culture.Equals(CultureInfo.InvariantCulture) ? 
                      String.Format("{0,20}", "Invariant") :
                      String.Format("{0,20}", culture.Name);
      Console.WriteLine(header);
      Console.WriteLine();
      
      foreach (string value in values)
      {
         Console.Write("{0,-17}", value);
         foreach (CultureInfo culture in cultures)
         {
            try {
               TimeSpan ts = TimeSpan.Parse(value, culture);
               Console.Write("{0,20}", ts.ToString("c"));
            }
            catch (FormatException) {
               Console.Write("{0,20}", "Bad Format");
            }   
            catch (OverflowException) {
               Console.Write("{0,20}", "Overflow");
            }      
         }
         Console.WriteLine();                                
      }
   }
}
// The example displays the following output:
//    String                          en-US               ru-RU           Invariant
//    
//    6                          6.00:00:00          6.00:00:00          6.00:00:00
//    6:12                         06:12:00            06:12:00            06:12:00
//    6:12:14                      06:12:14            06:12:14            06:12:14
//    6:12:14:45                 6.12:14:45          6.12:14:45          6.12:14:45
//    6.12:14:45                 6.12:14:45          6.12:14:45          6.12:14:45
//    6:12:14:45.3448    6.12:14:45.3448000          Bad Format  6.12:14:45.3448000
//    6:12:14:45,3448            Bad Format  6.12:14:45.3448000          Bad Format
//    6:34:14:45                   Overflow            Overflow            Overflow

open System
open System.Globalization
open System.Text.RegularExpressions

let values = 
    [| "6"; "6:12"; "6:12:14"; "6:12:14:45" 
       "6.12:14:45"; "6:12:14:45.3448"
       "6:12:14:45,3448"; "6:34:14:45" |]
let cultures = 
    [| CultureInfo "en-US" 
       CultureInfo "ru-RU"
       CultureInfo.InvariantCulture |]

let mutable header = $"""{"String",-17}"""
for culture in cultures do
    header <- header +
        if culture.Equals CultureInfo.InvariantCulture then 
            $"""{"Invariant",20}"""
        else
            $"{culture.Name,20}"
printfn $"{header}\m"

for value in values do
    printf $"{value,-17}"
    for culture in cultures do
        try
            let ts = TimeSpan.Parse(value, culture)
            printf $"{ts,20:c}"
        with
        | :? FormatException ->
            printf $"""{"Bad Format",20}"""
        | :? OverflowException ->
            printf $"""{"Overflow",20}"""
    printfn ""                      
// The example displays the following output:
//    String                          en-US               ru-RU           Invariant
//    
//    6                          6.00:00:00          6.00:00:00          6.00:00:00
//    6:12                         06:12:00            06:12:00            06:12:00
//    6:12:14                      06:12:14            06:12:14            06:12:14
//    6:12:14:45                 6.12:14:45          6.12:14:45          6.12:14:45
//    6.12:14:45                 6.12:14:45          6.12:14:45          6.12:14:45
//    6:12:14:45.3448    6.12:14:45.3448000          Bad Format  6.12:14:45.3448000
//    6:12:14:45,3448            Bad Format  6.12:14:45.3448000          Bad Format
//    6:34:14:45                   Overflow            Overflow            Overflow

Imports System.Globalization
Imports System.Threading

Module Example
   Public Sub Main()
      Dim values() As String = { "6", "6:12", "6:12:14", "6:12:14:45", 
                                 "6.12:14:45", "6:12:14:45.3448", 
                                 "6:12:14:45,3448", "6:34:14:45" }
      Dim cultures() As CultureInfo = { New CultureInfo("en-US"), 
                                        New CultureInfo("ru-RU"),
                                        CultureInfo.InvariantCulture }
      
      Dim header As String = String.Format("{0,-17}", "String")
      For Each culture As CultureInfo In cultures
         header += If(culture.Equals(CultureInfo.InvariantCulture), 
                      String.Format("{0,20}", "Invariant"),
                      String.Format("{0,20}", culture.Name))
      Next
      Console.WriteLine(header)
      Console.WriteLine()
      
      For Each value As String In values
         Console.Write("{0,-17}", value)
         For Each culture As CultureInfo In cultures
            Try
               Dim ts As TimeSpan = TimeSpan.Parse(value, culture)
               Console.Write("{0,20}", ts.ToString("c"))
            Catch e As FormatException
               Console.Write("{0,20}", "Bad Format")
            Catch e As OverflowException
               Console.Write("{0,20}", "Overflow")
            End Try      
         Next
         Console.WriteLine()                                
      Next
   End Sub
End Module
' The example displays the following output:
'    String                          en-US               ru-RU           Invariant
'    
'    6                          6.00:00:00          6.00:00:00          6.00:00:00
'    6:12                         06:12:00            06:12:00            06:12:00
'    6:12:14                      06:12:14            06:12:14            06:12:14
'    6:12:14:45                 6.12:14:45          6.12:14:45          6.12:14:45
'    6.12:14:45                 6.12:14:45          6.12:14:45          6.12:14:45
'    6:12:14:45.3448    6.12:14:45.3448000          Bad Format  6.12:14:45.3448000
'    6:12:14:45,3448            Bad Format  6.12:14:45.3448000          Bad Format
'    6:34:14:45                   Overflow            Overflow            Overflow

Remarks

The input parameter contains a time interval specification in the form:

[ws][-]{ d | [d.]hh:mm[:ss[.ff]] }[ws]

Elements in square brackets ([ and ]) are optional; one selection from the list of alternatives enclosed in braces ({ and }) and separated by vertical bars (|) is required. The following table describes each element.

Element	Description
ws	Optional white space.
-	An optional minus sign, which indicates a negative TimeSpan.
d	Days, ranging from 0 to 10675199.
.	A culture-sensitive symbol that separates days from hours. The default value is a period (".") character.
hh	Hours, ranging from 0 to 23.
:	The culture-sensitive time separator symbol.
mm	Minutes, ranging from 0 to 59.
ss	Optional seconds, ranging from 0 to 59.
.	A culture-sensitive symbol that separates seconds from fractions of a second. The default value is a period (".") character.
ff	Optional fractional seconds, consisting of one to seven decimal digits.

If the input argument is not a day value only, it must include an hours and a minutes component; other components are optional. If they are present, the values of each time component must fall within a specified range. For example, the value of hh, the hours component, must be between 0 and 23. Because of this, passing "23:00:00" to the Parse method returns a time interval of 23 hours. On the other hand, passing "24:00:00" returns a time interval of 24 days. Because "24" is outside the range of the hours component, it is interpreted as the days component.

The components of input must collectively specify a time interval that is greater than or equal to TimeSpan.MinValue and less than or equal to TimeSpan.MaxValue.

The Parse(String) method tries to parse input by using each of the culture-specific formats for the culture specified by formatProvider.

The formatProvider parameter is an IFormatProvider implementation that provides culture-specific information about the format of the returned string. The formatProvider parameter can be any of the following:

A CultureInfo object that represents the culture whose formatting conventions are to be reflected in the returned string. The DateTimeFormatInfo object returned by the CultureInfo.DateTimeFormat property defines the formatting of the returned string.
A DateTimeFormatInfo object that defines the formatting of the returned string.
A custom object that implements the IFormatProvider interface. Its IFormatProvider.GetFormat method returns a DateTimeFormatInfo object that provides formatting information.

If formatProvider is null, the DateTimeFormatInfo object that is associated with the current culture is used.

Notes to callers

string[] values = { "000000006", "12.12:12:12.12345678" };
foreach (string value in values)
{
   try {
      TimeSpan interval = TimeSpan.Parse(value);
      Console.WriteLine("{0} --> {1}", value, interval);
   }   
   catch (FormatException) {
      Console.WriteLine("{0}: Bad Format", value);
   }   
   catch (OverflowException) {
      Console.WriteLine("{0}: Overflow", value);
   }
}

// Output from .NET Framework 3.5 and earlier versions:
//       000000006 --> 6.00:00:00
//       12.12:12:12.12345678: Bad Format      
// Output from .NET Framework 4 and later versions or .NET Core:
//       000000006: Overflow
//       12.12:12:12.12345678: Overflow

open System

let values = [| "000000006"; "12.12:12:12.12345678" |]
for value in values do
    try
        let interval = TimeSpan.Parse value
        printfn $"{value} --> {interval}"   
    with
    | :? FormatException ->
        printfn $"{value}: Bad Format"
    | :? OverflowException ->
        printfn $"{value}: Overflow"

// Output from .NET Framework 3.5 and earlier versions:
//       000000006 --> 6.00:00:00
//       12.12:12:12.12345678: Bad Format      
// Output from .NET Framework 4 and later versions or .NET Core:
//       000000006: Overflow
//       12.12:12:12.12345678: Overflow

Dim values() As String = { "000000006", "12.12:12:12.12345678" }
For Each value As String In values
   Try
      Dim interval As TimeSpan = TimeSpan.Parse(value)
      Console.WriteLine("{0} --> {1}", value, interval)
   Catch e As FormatException
      Console.WriteLine("{0}: Bad Format", value)
   Catch e As OverflowException
      Console.WriteLine("{0}: Overflow", value)
   End Try         
Next
' Output from .NET Framework 3.5 and earlier versions:
'       000000006 --> 6.00:00:00
'       12.12:12:12.12345678: Bad Format      
' Output from .NET Framework 4:
'       000000006: Overflow
'       12.12:12:12.12345678: Overflow

Applies to

TimeSpan.Parse Method

Definition

Overloads

Parse(String)

Parameters

Returns

Exceptions

Examples

Remarks

Notes to callers

Applies to

Parse(ReadOnlySpan<Char>, IFormatProvider)

Parameters

Returns

Implements

Applies to

Parse(String, IFormatProvider)

Parameters

Returns

Implements

Exceptions

Examples

Remarks

Notes to callers

Applies to

Additional resources