TimeZoneInfo.ToSerializedString Method

Definition

Converts the current TimeZoneInfo object to a serialized string.

C#
public string ToSerializedString();

Returns

A string that represents the current TimeZoneInfo object.

Examples

The following example tries to retrieve the Antarctica/South Pole time zone from the local system. If it fails, the code tries to retrieve information about the time zone from a text file in the application directory. If this attempt fails, the code creates the time zone and writes information about it to the text file.

C#
private TimeZoneInfo InitializeTimeZone()
{
   TimeZoneInfo southPole = null;
   // Determine if South Pole time zone is defined in system
   try
   {
      southPole = TimeZoneInfo.FindSystemTimeZoneById("Antarctica/South Pole Standard Time");
   }
   // Time zone does not exist; create it, store it in a text file, and return it
   catch
   {
      const string filename = @".\TimeZoneInfo.txt";
      bool found = false;
      
      if (File.Exists(filename))
      {
         StreamReader reader = new StreamReader(filename);
         string timeZoneInfo;
         while (reader.Peek() >= 0)
         {
            timeZoneInfo = reader.ReadLine();
            if (timeZoneInfo.Contains("Antarctica/South Pole"))
            {
               southPole = TimeZoneInfo.FromSerializedString(timeZoneInfo);
               reader.Close();
               found = true;
               break;
            }   
         }
      }
      if (!found)
      {               
         // Define transition times to/from DST
         TimeZoneInfo.TransitionTime startTransition = TimeZoneInfo.TransitionTime.CreateFloatingDateRule(new DateTime(1, 1, 1, 2, 0, 0), 10, 1, DayOfWeek.Sunday); 
         TimeZoneInfo.TransitionTime endTransition = TimeZoneInfo.TransitionTime.CreateFloatingDateRule(new DateTime(1, 1, 1, 2, 0, 0), 3, 3, DayOfWeek.Sunday);
         // Define adjustment rule
         TimeSpan delta = new TimeSpan(1, 0, 0);
         TimeZoneInfo.AdjustmentRule adjustment = TimeZoneInfo.AdjustmentRule.CreateAdjustmentRule(new DateTime(1989, 10, 1), DateTime.MaxValue.Date, delta, startTransition, endTransition);
         // Create array for adjustment rules
         TimeZoneInfo.AdjustmentRule[] adjustments = {adjustment};
         // Define other custom time zone arguments
         string displayName = "(GMT+12:00) Antarctica/South Pole";
         string standardName = "Antarctica/South Pole Standard Time";
         string daylightName = "Antarctica/South Pole Daylight Time";
         TimeSpan offset = new TimeSpan(12, 0, 0);
         southPole = TimeZoneInfo.CreateCustomTimeZone(standardName, offset, displayName, standardName, daylightName, adjustments);
         // Write time zone to the file
         StreamWriter writer = new StreamWriter(filename, true);
         writer.WriteLine(southPole.ToSerializedString());
         writer.Close();
      }
   }
   return southPole;
}

Remarks

Applications that rely on time zones that are not typically defined in the registry of Windows systems or the ICU Library on Linux and macOScan can use the CreateCustomTimeZone method to instantiate the necessary time zones as TimeZoneInfo objects. The application can then call the ToSerializedString method to convert the time zone object to a string.

The TimeZoneInfo object should also be stored in a location where the application can retrieve it when needed. Possible locations include:

  • The registry on Windows systems.

  • An application resource file.

  • An external file, such as a text file.

Applies to

Product Versions
.NET Core 2.0, Core 2.1, Core 2.2, Core 3.0, Core 3.1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
.NET Framework 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 4.5.1, 4.5.2, 4.6, 4.6.1, 4.6.2, 4.7, 4.7.1, 4.7.2, 4.8, 4.8.1
.NET Standard 2.0, 2.1

See also