DateTime.ToString 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 value of the current DateTime object to its equivalent string representation.

Overloads

ToString(IFormatProvider)	Converts the value of the current DateTime object to its equivalent string representation using the specified culture-specific format information.
ToString(String)	Converts the value of the current DateTime object to its equivalent string representation using the specified format and the formatting conventions of the current culture.
ToString()	Converts the value of the current DateTime object to its equivalent string representation using the formatting conventions of the current culture.
ToString(String, IFormatProvider)	Converts the value of the current DateTime object to its equivalent string representation using the specified format and culture-specific format information.

ToString(IFormatProvider)

Source:: DateTime.cs

Source:: DateTime.cs

Source:: DateTime.cs

Converts the value of the current DateTime object to its equivalent string representation using the specified culture-specific format information.

public:
 virtual System::String ^ ToString(IFormatProvider ^ provider);

public:
 System::String ^ ToString(IFormatProvider ^ provider);

public string ToString (IFormatProvider provider);

public string ToString (IFormatProvider? provider);

override this.ToString : IFormatProvider -> string

Public Function ToString (provider As IFormatProvider) As String

Parameters

provider: IFormatProvider

An object that supplies culture-specific formatting information.

Returns

String

A string representation of value of the current DateTime object as specified by provider.

Implements

ToString(IFormatProvider)

Exceptions

ArgumentOutOfRangeException

The date and time is outside the range of dates supported by the calendar used by provider.

Examples

The following example displays the string representation of a date and time using CultureInfo objects that represent five different cultures.

using System;
using System.Globalization;

public class ToStringExample3
{
   public static void Main2()
   {
      CultureInfo[] cultures = new CultureInfo[] {CultureInfo.InvariantCulture,
                                                  new CultureInfo("en-us"),
                                                  new CultureInfo("fr-fr"),
                                                  new CultureInfo("de-DE"),
                                                  new CultureInfo("es-ES"),
                                                  new CultureInfo("ja-JP")};

      DateTime thisDate = new DateTime(2009, 5, 1, 9, 0, 0);

      foreach (CultureInfo culture in cultures)
      {
         string cultureName;
         if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(culture.Name))
            cultureName = culture.NativeName;
         else
            cultureName = culture.Name;

         Console.WriteLine("In {0}, {1}",
                           cultureName, thisDate.ToString(culture));
      }
      }
}
// The example produces the following output:
//    In Invariant Language (Invariant Country), 05/01/2009 09:00:00
//    In en-US, 5/1/2009 9:00:00 AM
//    In fr-FR, 01/05/2009 09:00:00
//    In de-DE, 01.05.2009 09:00:00
//    In es-ES, 01/05/2009 9:00:00
//    In ja-JP, 2009/05/01 9:00:00

open System
open System.Globalization

let cultures = 
    [ CultureInfo.InvariantCulture
      CultureInfo "en-us"
      CultureInfo "fr-fr"
      CultureInfo "de-DE"
      CultureInfo "es-ES"
      CultureInfo "ja-JP" ]

let thisDate = DateTime(2009, 5, 1, 9, 0, 0)

for culture in cultures do
    let cultureName =
        if String.IsNullOrEmpty culture.Name then
            culture.NativeName
        else
            culture.Name

    printfn $"In {cultureName}, {thisDate.ToString culture}"


// The example produces the following output:
//    In Invariant Language (Invariant Country), 05/01/2009 09:00:00
//    In en-US, 5/1/2009 9:00:00 AM
//    In fr-FR, 01/05/2009 09:00:00
//    In de-DE, 01.05.2009 09:00:00
//    In es-ES, 01/05/2009 9:00:00
//    In ja-JP, 2009/05/01 9:00:00

Imports System.Globalization

Module Example4
    Public Sub Main4()
        Dim cultures() As CultureInfo = {CultureInfo.InvariantCulture,
                                       New CultureInfo("en-us"),
                                       New CultureInfo("fr-fr"),
                                       New CultureInfo("de-DE"),
                                       New CultureInfo("es-ES"),
                                       New CultureInfo("ja-JP")}

        Dim thisDate As Date = #5/1/2009 9:00AM#

        For Each culture As CultureInfo In cultures
            Dim cultureName As String
            If String.IsNullOrEmpty(culture.Name) Then
                cultureName = culture.NativeName
            Else
                cultureName = culture.Name
            End If

            Console.WriteLine("In {0}, {1}",
                           cultureName, thisDate.ToString(culture))
        Next
    End Sub
End Module
' The example produces the following output:
'    In Invariant Language (Invariant Country), 05/01/2009 09:00:00
'    In en-US, 5/1/2009 9:00:00 AM
'    In fr-FR, 01/05/2009 09:00:00
'    In de-DE, 01.05.2009 09:00:00
'    In es-ES, 01/05/2009 9:00:00
'    In ja-JP, 2009/05/01 9:00:00

Remarks

The value of the current DateTime object is formatted using the general date and time format specifier ('G'), which formats output using the short date pattern and the long time pattern.

The format of the short date and long time pattern is defined by the provider parameter. The provider 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 format of date and time data.
A custom object that implements the IFormatProvider interface. Its GetFormat method returns a DateTimeFormatInfo object that provides formatting information.

If provider is null, the DateTimeFormatInfo object associated with the current culture is used. For more information, see CultureInfo.CurrentCulture.

Notes to Callers

The ToString(IFormatProvider) method returns the string representation of the date and time in the calendar used by the culture represented by the provider parameter. Its calendar is defined by the Calendar property. If the value of the current DateTime instance is earlier than MinSupportedDateTime or later than MaxSupportedDateTime, the method throws an ArgumentOutOfRangeException. The following example provides an illustration. It attempts to format a date that is outside the range of the JapaneseCalendar class.

using System;
using System.Globalization;

public class Example
{
   public static void Main()
   {
      CultureInfo jaJP = new CultureInfo("ja-JP");
      jaJP.DateTimeFormat.Calendar = new JapaneseCalendar();
      DateTime date1 = new DateTime(1867, 1, 1);

      try {
         Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString(jaJP));
      }
      catch (ArgumentOutOfRangeException) {
         Console.WriteLine("{0:d} is earlier than {1:d} or later than {2:d}",
                           date1,
                           jaJP.DateTimeFormat.Calendar.MinSupportedDateTime,
                           jaJP.DateTimeFormat.Calendar.MaxSupportedDateTime);
      }
   }
}
// The example displays the following output:
//    1/1/1867 is earlier than 9/8/1868 or later than 12/31/9999   }

open System
open System.Globalization

let jaJP = CultureInfo "ja-JP"
jaJP.DateTimeFormat.Calendar <- JapaneseCalendar()
let date1 = DateTime(1867, 1, 1)

try
    printfn $"{date1.ToString jaJP}"
with :? ArgumentOutOfRangeException ->
    printfn $"{date1:d} is earlier than {jaJP.DateTimeFormat.Calendar.MinSupportedDateTime:d} or later than {jaJP.DateTimeFormat.Calendar.MaxSupportedDateTime:d}"

// The example displays the following output:
//    1/1/1867 is earlier than 9/8/1868 or later than 12/31/9999   }

Imports System.Globalization

Module Example
   Public Sub Main()
      Dim jaJP As New CultureInfo("ja-JP")
      jaJP.DateTimeFormat.Calendar = New JapaneseCalendar() 
      Dim date1 As Date = #01/01/1867#

      Try
         Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString(jaJP))
      Catch e As ArgumentOutOfRangeException
         Console.WriteLine("{0:d} is earlier than {1:d} or later than {2:d}", _
                           date1, _
                           jaJP.DateTimeFormat.Calendar.MinSupportedDateTime, _ 
                           jaJP.DateTimeFormat.Calendar.MaxSupportedDateTime) 
      End Try
   End Sub
End Module
' The example displays the following output:
'    1/1/1867 is earlier than 9/8/1868 or later than 12/31/9999

Applies to

ToString(String)

Source:: DateTime.cs

Source:: DateTime.cs

Source:: DateTime.cs

Converts the value of the current DateTime object to its equivalent string representation using the specified format and the formatting conventions of the current culture.

public:
 System::String ^ ToString(System::String ^ format);

public string ToString (string format);

public string ToString (string? format);

override this.ToString : string -> string

Public Function ToString (format As String) As String

Parameters

format: String

A standard or custom date and time format string.

Returns

String

A string representation of value of the current DateTime object as specified by format.

Exceptions

FormatException

The length of format is 1, and it is not one of the format specifier characters defined for DateTimeFormatInfo.

-or-

format does not contain a valid custom format pattern.

ArgumentOutOfRangeException

The date and time is outside the range of dates supported by the calendar used by the current culture.

Examples

The following example uses each of the standard date and time format strings and a selection of custom date and time format strings to display the string representation of a DateTime value. The thread current culture for the example is en-US.

using System;

public class DateToStringExample2
{
   public static void Main()
   {
      DateTime dateValue = new DateTime(2008, 6, 15, 21, 15, 07);
      // Create an array of standard format strings.
      string[] standardFmts = {"d", "D", "f", "F", "g", "G", "m", "o",
                               "R", "s", "t", "T", "u", "U", "y"};
      // Output date and time using each standard format string.
      foreach (string standardFmt in standardFmts)
         Console.WriteLine("{0}: {1}", standardFmt,
                           dateValue.ToString(standardFmt));
      Console.WriteLine();

      // Create an array of some custom format strings.
      string[] customFmts = {"h:mm:ss.ff t", "d MMM yyyy", "HH:mm:ss.f",
                             "dd MMM HH:mm:ss", @"\Mon\t\h\: M", "HH:mm:ss.ffffzzz" };
      // Output date and time using each custom format string.
      foreach (string customFmt in customFmts)
         Console.WriteLine("'{0}': {1}", customFmt,
                           dateValue.ToString(customFmt));
   }
}
// This example displays the following output to the console:
//       d: 6/15/2008
//       D: Sunday, June 15, 2008
//       f: Sunday, June 15, 2008 9:15 PM
//       F: Sunday, June 15, 2008 9:15:07 PM
//       g: 6/15/2008 9:15 PM
//       G: 6/15/2008 9:15:07 PM
//       m: June 15
//       o: 2008-06-15T21:15:07.0000000
//       R: Sun, 15 Jun 2008 21:15:07 GMT
//       s: 2008-06-15T21:15:07
//       t: 9:15 PM
//       T: 9:15:07 PM
//       u: 2008-06-15 21:15:07Z
//       U: Monday, June 16, 2008 4:15:07 AM
//       y: June, 2008
//
//       'h:mm:ss.ff t': 9:15:07.00 P
//       'd MMM yyyy': 15 Jun 2008
//       'HH:mm:ss.f': 21:15:07.0
//       'dd MMM HH:mm:ss': 15 Jun 21:15:07
//       '\Mon\t\h\: M': Month: 6
//       'HH:mm:ss.ffffzzz': 21:15:07.0000-07:00

open System

let dateValue = DateTime(2008, 6, 15, 21, 15, 07)
// Create a list of standard format strings.
let standardFmts = 
    [ "d"; "D"; "f"; "F"; "g"; "G"; "m"; "o"
      "R"; "s"; "t"; "T"; "u"; "U"; "y" ]

// Output date and time using each standard format string.
for standardFmt in standardFmts do
    printfn $"{standardFmt}: {dateValue.ToString standardFmt}"
printfn ""

// Create a list of some custom format strings.
let customFmts = 
    [ "h:mm:ss.ff t"; "d MMM yyyy"; "HH:mm:ss.f"; "dd MMM HH:mm:ss"; @"\Mon\t\h\: M"; "HH:mm:ss.ffffzzz" ]

// Output date and time using each custom format string.
for customFmt in customFmts do
    printfn $"'{customFmt}': {dateValue.ToString customFmt}"

// This example displays the following output to the console:
//       d: 6/15/2008
//       D: Sunday, June 15, 2008
//       f: Sunday, June 15, 2008 9:15 PM
//       F: Sunday, June 15, 2008 9:15:07 PM
//       g: 6/15/2008 9:15 PM
//       G: 6/15/2008 9:15:07 PM
//       m: June 15
//       o: 2008-06-15T21:15:07.0000000
//       R: Sun, 15 Jun 2008 21:15:07 GMT
//       s: 2008-06-15T21:15:07
//       t: 9:15 PM
//       T: 9:15:07 PM
//       u: 2008-06-15 21:15:07Z
//       U: Monday, June 16, 2008 4:15:07 AM
//       y: June, 2008
//
//       'h:mm:ss.ff t': 9:15:07.00 P
//       'd MMM yyyy': 15 Jun 2008
//       'HH:mm:ss.f': 21:15:07.0
//       'dd MMM HH:mm:ss': 15 Jun 21:15:07
//       '\Mon\t\h\: M': Month: 6
//       'HH:mm:ss.ffffzzz': 21:15:07.0000-07:00

Module DateToStringExample2
    Public Sub Main2()
        Dim dateValue As Date = #6/15/2008 9:15:07PM#
        ' Create an array of standard format strings.
        Dim standardFmts() As String = {"d", "D", "f", "F", "g", "G",
                                      "m", "o", "R", "s", "t", "T",
                                      "u", "U", "y"}
        ' Output date and time using each standard format string.
        For Each standardFmt As String In standardFmts
            Console.WriteLine("{0}: {1}", standardFmt,
                           dateValue.ToString(standardFmt))
        Next
        Console.WriteLine()

        ' Create an array of some custom format strings.
        Dim customFmts() As String = {"h:mm:ss.ff t", "d MMM yyyy", "HH:mm:ss.f",
                                    "dd MMM HH:mm:ss", "\Mon\t\h\: M", "HH:mm:ss.ffffzzz"}
        ' Output date and time using each custom format string.
        For Each customFmt As String In customFmts
            Console.WriteLine("'{0}': {1}", customFmt,
                           dateValue.ToString(customFmt))
        Next
    End Sub
End Module
' This example displays the following output to the console:
'       d: 6/15/2008
'       D: Sunday, June 15, 2008
'       f: Sunday, June 15, 2008 9:15 PM
'       F: Sunday, June 15, 2008 9:15:07 PM
'       g: 6/15/2008 9:15 PM
'       G: 6/15/2008 9:15:07 PM
'       m: June 15
'       o: 2008-06-15T21:15:07.0000000
'       R: Sun, 15 Jun 2008 21:15:07 GMT
'       s: 2008-06-15T21:15:07
'       t: 9:15 PM
'       T: 9:15:07 PM
'       u: 2008-06-15 21:15:07Z
'       U: Monday, June 16, 2008 4:15:07 AM
'       y: June, 2008
'       
'       'h:mm:ss.ff t': 9:15:07.00 P
'       'd MMM yyyy': 15 Jun 2008
'       'HH:mm:ss.f': 21:15:07.0
'       'dd MMM HH:mm:ss': 15 Jun 21:15:07
'       '\Mon\t\h\: M': Month: 6
'       'HH:mm:ss.ffffzzz': 21:15:07.0000-07:00

Remarks

The ToString(String) method returns the string representation of a date and time value in a specific format that uses the formatting conventions of the current culture; for more information, see CultureInfo.CurrentCulture.

The format parameter should contain either a single format specifier character (see Standard Date and Time Format Strings) or a custom format pattern (see Custom Date and Time Format Strings) that defines the format of the returned string. If format is null or an empty string, the general format specifier, 'G', is used.

Some uses of this method include:

Getting a string that displays the date and time in the current culture's short date and time format. To do this, you use the "G" format specifier.
Getting a string that contains only the month and year. To do this, you use the "MM/yyyy" format string. The format string uses the current culture's date separator.
Getting a string that contains the date and time in a specific format. For example, the "MM/dd/yyyyHH:mm" format string displays the date and time string in a fixed format such as "19//03//2013 18:06". The format string uses "/" as a fixed date separator regardless of culture-specific settings.
Getting a date in a condensed format that could be used for serializing a date string. For example, the "yyyyMMdd" format string displays a four-digit year followed by a two-digit month and a two-digit day with no date separator.

The following example uses these three format strings to display a date and time value by using the conventions of the en-US and fr-FR cultures.

using System;
using System.Globalization;

public class ToStringExample5
{
    public static void Main3()
    {
        string[] formats = { "G", "MM/yyyy", @"MM\/dd\/yyyy HH:mm", "yyyyMMdd" };
        string[] cultureNames = { "en-US", "fr-FR" };
        DateTime date = new DateTime(2015, 8, 18, 13, 31, 17);
        foreach (var cultureName in cultureNames)
        {
            var culture = new CultureInfo(cultureName);
            CultureInfo.CurrentCulture = culture;
            Console.WriteLine(culture.NativeName);
            foreach (var format in formats)
                Console.WriteLine($"   {format}: {date.ToString(format)}");
            Console.WriteLine();
        }
    }
}
// The example displays the following output:
//       English (United States)
//          G: 8/18/2015 1:31:17 PM
//          MM/yyyy: 08/2015
//          MM\/dd\/yyyy HH:mm: 08/18/2015 13:31
//          yyyyMMdd: 20150818
//
//       français (France)
//          G: 18/08/2015 13:31:17
//          MM/yyyy: 08/2015
//          MM\/dd\/yyyy HH:mm: 08/18/2015 13:31
//          yyyyMMdd: 20150818

open System
open System.Globalization

let formats = [ "G"; "MM/yyyy"; @"MM\/dd\/yyyy HH:mm"; "yyyyMMdd" ]
let cultureNames = [ "en-US"; "fr-FR" ]
let date = DateTime(2015, 8, 18, 13, 31, 17)
for cultureName in cultureNames do
    let culture = CultureInfo cultureName
    CultureInfo.CurrentCulture <- culture

    printfn $"{culture.NativeName}"
    for format in formats do
        printfn $"   {format}: {date.ToString format}"
    printfn ""

// The example displays the following output:
//       English (United States)
//          G: 8/18/2015 1:31:17 PM
//          MM/yyyy: 08/2015
//          MM\/dd\/yyyy HH:mm: 08/18/2015 13:31
//          yyyyMMdd: 20150818
//
//       français (France)
//          G: 18/08/2015 13:31:17
//          MM/yyyy: 08/2015
//          MM\/dd\/yyyy HH:mm: 08/18/2015 13:31
//          yyyyMMdd: 20150818

Imports System.Globalization
Imports System.Threading

Public Module Example5
    Public Sub Main5()
        Dim formats() As String = {"G", "MM/yyyy", "MM\/dd\/yyyy HH:mm",
                                  "yyyyMMdd"}
        Dim cultureNames() As String = {"en-US", "fr-FR"}
        Dim dat As New DateTime(2015, 8, 18, 13, 31, 17)
        For Each cultureName In cultureNames
            Dim culture As New CultureInfo(cultureName)
            CultureInfo.CurrentCulture = culture
            Console.WriteLine(culture.NativeName)
            For Each fmt In formats
                Console.WriteLine("   {0}: {1}", fmt,
                              dat.ToString(fmt))
            Next
            Console.WriteLine()
        Next
    End Sub
End Module
' The example displays the following output:
'       English (United States)
'          G: 8/18/2015 1:31:17 PM
'          MM/yyyy: 08/2015
'          MM\/dd\/yyyy HH:mm: 08/18/2015 13:31
'          yyyyMMdd: 20150818
'
'       français (France)
'          G: 18/08/2015 13:31:17
'          MM/yyyy: 08/2015
'          MM\/dd\/yyyy HH:mm: 08/18/2015 13:31
'          yyyyMMdd: 20150818

Notes to Callers

The ToString(String) method returns the string representation of the date and time in the calendar used by the current culture. If the value of the current DateTime instance is earlier than MinSupportedDateTime or later than MaxSupportedDateTime, the method throws an ArgumentOutOfRangeException. The following example provides an illustration. It attempts to format a date that is outside the range of the HebrewCalendar class when the current culture is Hebrew (Israel).

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

public class Example3
{
    public static void Main()
    {
        DateTime date1 = new DateTime(1550, 7, 21);
        CultureInfo dft;
        CultureInfo heIL = new CultureInfo("he-IL");
        heIL.DateTimeFormat.Calendar = new HebrewCalendar();

        // Change current culture to he-IL.
        dft = Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentCulture;
        Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentCulture = heIL;

        // Display the date using the current culture's calendar.
        try
        {
            Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString("G"));
        }
        catch (ArgumentOutOfRangeException)
        {
            Console.WriteLine("{0} is earlier than {1} or later than {2}",
                              date1.ToString("d", CultureInfo.InvariantCulture),
                              heIL.DateTimeFormat.Calendar.MinSupportedDateTime.ToString("d", CultureInfo.InvariantCulture),
                              heIL.DateTimeFormat.Calendar.MaxSupportedDateTime.ToString("d", CultureInfo.InvariantCulture));
        }

        // Restore the default culture.
        Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentCulture = dft;
    }
}
// The example displays the following output:
//    07/21/1550 is earlier than 01/01/1583 or later than 09/29/2239

open System
open System.Globalization
open System.Threading

let date1 = DateTime(1550, 7, 21)
let heIL = CultureInfo "he-IL"
heIL.DateTimeFormat.Calendar <- HebrewCalendar()

// Change current culture to he-IL.
let dft = Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentCulture
Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentCulture <- heIL

// Display the date using the current culture's calendar.
try
    printfn $"{date1:G}"
with :? ArgumentOutOfRangeException ->
    printfn $"""{date1.ToString("d", CultureInfo.InvariantCulture)} is earlier than {heIL.DateTimeFormat.Calendar.MinSupportedDateTime.ToString("d", CultureInfo.InvariantCulture)} or later than {heIL.DateTimeFormat.Calendar.MaxSupportedDateTime.ToString("d", CultureInfo.InvariantCulture)}"""

// Restore the default culture.
Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentCulture <- dft

// The example displays the following output:
//    07/21/1550 is earlier than 01/01/1583 or later than 09/29/2239

Imports System.Globalization
Imports System.Threading

Module Example
   Public Sub Main()
      Dim date1 As Date = #7/21/1550#
      Dim dft As CultureInfo
      Dim heIL As New CultureInfo("he-IL")
      heIL.DateTimeFormat.Calendar = New HebrewCalendar()
      
      ' Change current culture to he-IL.
      dft = Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentCulture
      Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentCulture = heIL
      
      ' Display the date using the current culture's calendar.            
      Try
         Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString("G"))
      Catch e As ArgumentOutOfRangeException
         Console.WriteLine("{0} is earlier than {1} or later than {2}", _
                           date1.ToString("d", CultureInfo.InvariantCulture), _
                           heIL.DateTimeFormat.Calendar.MinSupportedDateTime.ToString("d", CultureInfo.InvariantCulture), _ 
                           heIL.DateTimeFormat.Calendar.MaxSupportedDateTime.ToString("d", CultureInfo.InvariantCulture)) 
      End Try
      
      ' Restore the default culture.
      Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentCulture = dft
   End Sub
End Module
' The example displays the following output:
'    07/21/1550 is earlier than 01/01/1583 or later than 09/29/2239

Applies to

ToString()

Source:: DateTime.cs

Source:: DateTime.cs

Source:: DateTime.cs

Converts the value of the current DateTime object to its equivalent string representation using the formatting conventions of the current culture.

public:
 override System::String ^ ToString();

public override string ToString ();

override this.ToString : unit -> string

Public Overrides Function ToString () As String

Returns

String

A string representation of the value of the current DateTime object.

Exceptions

ArgumentOutOfRangeException

The date and time is outside the range of dates supported by the calendar used by the current culture.

Examples

The following example illustrates how the string representation of a DateTime value returned by the ToString() method depends on the thread current culture. It changes the current culture to en-US, fr-FR, and ja-JP, and in each case calls the ToString() method to return the string representation of a date and time value using that culture.

using System;
using System.Globalization;

public class ToStringExample1
{
    public static void Main()
    {
        CultureInfo currentCulture = CultureInfo.CurrentCulture;
        DateTime exampleDate = new DateTime(2021, 5, 1, 18, 32, 6);

        // Change the current culture to en-US and display the date.
        CultureInfo.CurrentCulture = CultureInfo.GetCultureInfo("en-US");
        Console.WriteLine(exampleDate.ToString());

        // Change the current culture to fr-FR and display the date.
        CultureInfo.CurrentCulture = CultureInfo.GetCultureInfo("fr-FR");
        Console.WriteLine(exampleDate.ToString());

        // Change the current culture to ja-JP and display the date.
        CultureInfo.CurrentCulture = CultureInfo.GetCultureInfo("ja-JP");
        Console.WriteLine(exampleDate.ToString());

        // Restore the original culture
        CultureInfo.CurrentCulture = currentCulture;
    }
}

// The example displays the following output to the console:
//       5/1/2021 6:32:06 PM
//       01/05/2021 18:32:06
//       2021/05/01 18:32:06

open System
open System.Globalization

let currentCulture = CultureInfo.CurrentCulture
let exampleDate = DateTime(2021, 5, 1, 18, 32, 6)

// Change the current culture to en-US and display the date.
CultureInfo.CurrentCulture <- CultureInfo.GetCultureInfo "en-US"
printfn $"{exampleDate.ToString()}"

// Change the current culture to fr-FR and display the date.
CultureInfo.CurrentCulture <- CultureInfo.GetCultureInfo "fr-FR"
printfn $"{exampleDate.ToString()}"

// Change the current culture to ja-JP and display the date.
CultureInfo.CurrentCulture <- CultureInfo.GetCultureInfo "ja-JP"
printfn $"{exampleDate.ToString()}"

// Restore the original culture
CultureInfo.CurrentCulture <- currentCulture

// The example displays the following output to the console:
//       5/1/2021 6:32:06 PM
//       01/05/2021 18:32:06
//       2021/05/01 18:32:06

Imports System.Globalization

Module DateToStringExample
    Public Sub Main()
        Dim currentCulture As CultureInfo = CultureInfo.CurrentCulture
        Dim exampleDate As Date = #05/01/2021 6:32:06PM#

        ' Change the current culture to en-US and display the date.
        CultureInfo.CurrentCulture = CultureInfo.GetCultureInfo("en-US")
        Console.WriteLine(exampleDate.ToString())

        ' Change the current culture to fr-FR and display the date.
        CultureInfo.CurrentCulture = CultureInfo.GetCultureInfo("fr-FR")
        Console.WriteLine(exampleDate.ToString())

        ' Change the current culture to ja-JP and display the date.
        CultureInfo.CurrentCulture = CultureInfo.GetCultureInfo("ja-JP")
        Console.WriteLine(exampleDate.ToString())

        ' Restore the original culture
        CultureInfo.CurrentCulture = currentCulture
    End Sub
End Module

' The example displays the following output to the console:
'       5/1/2021 6:32:06 PM
'       01/05/2021 18:32:06
'       2021/05/01 18:32:06

Remarks

The value of the current DateTime object is formatted using the general date and time format specifier ('G'). To format it using a specific date and time format specifier, call the ToString(String) method. To format it using the general date and time format specifier ('G') for a specific culture, call the ToString(IFormatProvider) method. To format it using a specific date and time format specifier and the conventions of a specific culture, call the ToString(String, IFormatProvider) method.

This method uses formatting information derived from the current culture. In particular, it combines the custom format strings returned by the ShortDatePattern and LongTimePattern properties of the DateTimeFormatInfo object returned by the Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentCulture.DateTimeFormat property. For more information, see CultureInfo.CurrentCulture. Other overloads of the ToString method enable you to specify the culture whose formatting to use and to define the output pattern of the DateTime value.

Notes to Callers

The ToString() method returns the string representation of the date and time in the calendar used by the current culture. If the value of the current DateTime instance is earlier than MinSupportedDateTime or later than MaxSupportedDateTime, the method throws an ArgumentOutOfRangeException. The following example provides an illustration. It attempts to format a date that is outside the range of the HijriCalendar class when the current culture is Arabic (Syria).

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

public class Example2
{
    public static void Main()
    {
        DateTime date1 = new DateTime(550, 1, 1);
        CultureInfo dft;
        CultureInfo arSY = new CultureInfo("ar-SY");
        arSY.DateTimeFormat.Calendar = new HijriCalendar();

        // Change current culture to ar-SY.
        dft = Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentCulture;
        Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentCulture = arSY;

        // Display the date using the current culture's calendar.
        try
        {
            Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString());
        }
        catch (ArgumentOutOfRangeException)
        {
            Console.WriteLine("{0} is earlier than {1} or later than {2}",
                              date1.ToString("d", CultureInfo.InvariantCulture),
                              arSY.DateTimeFormat.Calendar.MinSupportedDateTime.ToString("d", CultureInfo.InvariantCulture),
                              arSY.DateTimeFormat.Calendar.MaxSupportedDateTime.ToString("d", CultureInfo.InvariantCulture));
        }

        // Restore the default culture.
        Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentCulture = dft;
    }
}
// The example displays the following output:
//    01/01/0550 is earlier than 07/18/0622 or later than 12/31/9999

open System
open System.Globalization
open System.Threading

let date1 = DateTime(550, 1, 1)
let arSY = CultureInfo "ar-SY"
arSY.DateTimeFormat.Calendar <- HijriCalendar()

// Change current culture to ar-SY.
let dft = Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentCulture
Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentCulture <- arSY

// Display the date using the current culture's calendar.
try
    printfn $"{date1}"
with :? ArgumentOutOfRangeException ->
    printfn $"""{date1.ToString("d", CultureInfo.InvariantCulture)} is earlier than {arSY.DateTimeFormat.Calendar.MinSupportedDateTime.ToString("d", CultureInfo.InvariantCulture)} or later than {arSY.DateTimeFormat.Calendar.MaxSupportedDateTime.ToString("d", CultureInfo.InvariantCulture)}"""

// Restore the default culture.
Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentCulture <- dft

// The example displays the following output:
//    01/01/0550 is earlier than 07/18/0622 or later than 12/31/9999

Imports System.Globalization
Imports System.Threading

Module Example
   Public Sub Main()
      Dim date1 As Date = #1/1/550#
      Dim dft As CultureInfo
      Dim arSY As New CultureInfo("ar-SY")
      arSY.DateTimeFormat.Calendar = New HijriCalendar()
      
      ' Change current culture to ar-SY.
      dft = Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentCulture
      Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentCulture = arSY
      
      ' Display the date using the current culture's calendar.            
      Try
         Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString())
      Catch e As ArgumentOutOfRangeException
         Console.WriteLine("{0} is earlier than {1} or later than {2}", _
                           date1.ToString("d", CultureInfo.InvariantCulture), _
                           arSY.DateTimeFormat.Calendar.MinSupportedDateTime.ToString("d", CultureInfo.InvariantCulture), _ 
                           arSY.DateTimeFormat.Calendar.MaxSupportedDateTime.ToString("d", CultureInfo.InvariantCulture)) 
      End Try
      
      ' Restore the default culture.
      Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentCulture = dft
   End Sub
End Module
' The example displays the following output:
'    01/01/0550 is earlier than 07/18/0622 or later than 12/31/9999

Applies to

ToString(String, IFormatProvider)

Source:: DateTime.cs

Source:: DateTime.cs

Source:: DateTime.cs

Converts the value of the current DateTime object to its equivalent string representation using the specified format and culture-specific format information.

public:
 virtual System::String ^ ToString(System::String ^ format, IFormatProvider ^ provider);

public string ToString (string format, IFormatProvider provider);

public string ToString (string? format, IFormatProvider? provider);

override this.ToString : string * IFormatProvider -> string

Public Function ToString (format As String, provider As IFormatProvider) As String

Parameters

format: String

A standard or custom date and time format string.

provider: IFormatProvider

An object that supplies culture-specific formatting information.

Returns

String

A string representation of value of the current DateTime object as specified by format and provider.

Implements

ToString(String, IFormatProvider)

Exceptions

FormatException

The length of format is 1, and it is not one of the format specifier characters defined for DateTimeFormatInfo.

-or-

format does not contain a valid custom format pattern.

ArgumentOutOfRangeException

The date and time is outside the range of dates supported by the calendar used by provider.

Examples

The following example uses each of the standard date time format strings to display the string representation of a date and time for four different cultures.

using System;
using System.Globalization;

public class ToStringExample4
{
   public static void Main1()
   {
      // Create an array of all supported standard date and time format specifiers.
      string[] formats = {"d", "D", "f", "F", "g", "G", "m", "o", "r",
                          "s", "t", "T", "u", "U", "Y"};
      // Create an array of four cultures.
      CultureInfo[] cultures = {CultureInfo.GetCultureInfo("de-DE"),
                                CultureInfo.GetCultureInfo("en-US"),
                                CultureInfo.GetCultureInfo("es-ES"),
                                CultureInfo.GetCultureInfo("fr-FR")};
       // Define date to be displayed.
      DateTime dateToDisplay = new DateTime(2008, 10, 31, 17, 4, 32);

      // Iterate each standard format specifier.
      foreach (string formatSpecifier in formats)
      {
         foreach (CultureInfo culture in cultures)
            Console.WriteLine("{0} Format Specifier {1, 10} Culture {2, 40}",
                              formatSpecifier, culture.Name,
                              dateToDisplay.ToString(formatSpecifier, culture));
         Console.WriteLine();
      }
   }
}

// The example displays the following output:
//    d Format Specifier      de-DE Culture                               31.10.2008
//    d Format Specifier      en-US Culture                               10/31/2008
//    d Format Specifier      es-ES Culture                               31/10/2008
//    d Format Specifier      fr-FR Culture                               31/10/2008
//    
//    D Format Specifier      de-DE Culture                Freitag, 31. Oktober 2008
//    D Format Specifier      en-US Culture                 Friday, October 31, 2008
//    D Format Specifier      es-ES Culture           viernes, 31 de octubre de 2008
//    D Format Specifier      fr-FR Culture                 vendredi 31 octobre 2008
//    
//    f Format Specifier      de-DE Culture          Freitag, 31. Oktober 2008 17:04
//    f Format Specifier      en-US Culture         Friday, October 31, 2008 5:04 PM
//    f Format Specifier      es-ES Culture     viernes, 31 de octubre de 2008 17:04
//    f Format Specifier      fr-FR Culture           vendredi 31 octobre 2008 17:04
//    
//    F Format Specifier      de-DE Culture       Freitag, 31. Oktober 2008 17:04:32
//    F Format Specifier      en-US Culture      Friday, October 31, 2008 5:04:32 PM
//    F Format Specifier      es-ES Culture  viernes, 31 de octubre de 2008 17:04:32
//    F Format Specifier      fr-FR Culture        vendredi 31 octobre 2008 17:04:32
//    
//    g Format Specifier      de-DE Culture                         31.10.2008 17:04
//    g Format Specifier      en-US Culture                       10/31/2008 5:04 PM
//    g Format Specifier      es-ES Culture                         31/10/2008 17:04
//    g Format Specifier      fr-FR Culture                         31/10/2008 17:04
//    
//    G Format Specifier      de-DE Culture                      31.10.2008 17:04:32
//    G Format Specifier      en-US Culture                    10/31/2008 5:04:32 PM
//    G Format Specifier      es-ES Culture                      31/10/2008 17:04:32
//    G Format Specifier      fr-FR Culture                      31/10/2008 17:04:32
//    
//    m Format Specifier      de-DE Culture                              31. Oktober
//    m Format Specifier      en-US Culture                               October 31
//    m Format Specifier      es-ES Culture                            31 de octubre
//    m Format Specifier      fr-FR Culture                               31 octobre
//    
//    o Format Specifier      de-DE Culture              2008-10-31T17:04:32.0000000
//    o Format Specifier      en-US Culture              2008-10-31T17:04:32.0000000
//    o Format Specifier      es-ES Culture              2008-10-31T17:04:32.0000000
//    o Format Specifier      fr-FR Culture              2008-10-31T17:04:32.0000000
//    
//    r Format Specifier      de-DE Culture            Fri, 31 Oct 2008 17:04:32 GMT
//    r Format Specifier      en-US Culture            Fri, 31 Oct 2008 17:04:32 GMT
//    r Format Specifier      es-ES Culture            Fri, 31 Oct 2008 17:04:32 GMT
//    r Format Specifier      fr-FR Culture            Fri, 31 Oct 2008 17:04:32 GMT
//    
//    s Format Specifier      de-DE Culture                      2008-10-31T17:04:32
//    s Format Specifier      en-US Culture                      2008-10-31T17:04:32
//    s Format Specifier      es-ES Culture                      2008-10-31T17:04:32
//    s Format Specifier      fr-FR Culture                      2008-10-31T17:04:32
//    
//    t Format Specifier      de-DE Culture                                    17:04
//    t Format Specifier      en-US Culture                                  5:04 PM
//    t Format Specifier      es-ES Culture                                    17:04
//    t Format Specifier      fr-FR Culture                                    17:04
//    
//    T Format Specifier      de-DE Culture                                 17:04:32
//    T Format Specifier      en-US Culture                               5:04:32 PM
//    T Format Specifier      es-ES Culture                                 17:04:32
//    T Format Specifier      fr-FR Culture                                 17:04:32
//    
//    u Format Specifier      de-DE Culture                     2008-10-31 17:04:32Z
//    u Format Specifier      en-US Culture                     2008-10-31 17:04:32Z
//    u Format Specifier      es-ES Culture                     2008-10-31 17:04:32Z
//    u Format Specifier      fr-FR Culture                     2008-10-31 17:04:32Z
//    
//    U Format Specifier      de-DE Culture       Freitag, 31. Oktober 2008 09:04:32
//    U Format Specifier      en-US Culture      Friday, October 31, 2008 9:04:32 AM
//    U Format Specifier      es-ES Culture   viernes, 31 de octubre de 2008 9:04:32
//    U Format Specifier      fr-FR Culture        vendredi 31 octobre 2008 09:04:32
//    
//    Y Format Specifier      de-DE Culture                             Oktober 2008
//    Y Format Specifier      en-US Culture                             October 2008
//    Y Format Specifier      es-ES Culture                          octubre de 2008
//    Y Format Specifier      fr-FR Culture                             octobre 2008

open System
open System.Globalization

// Create a list of all supported standard date and time format specifiers.
let formats = 
    [ "d"; "D"; "f"; "F"; "g"; "G"; "m"; "o" 
      "r"; "s"; "t"; "T"; "u"; "U"; "Y" ]

// Create a list of four cultures.
let cultures = 
    [ CultureInfo.GetCultureInfo "de-DE"
      CultureInfo.GetCultureInfo "en-US"
      CultureInfo.GetCultureInfo "es-ES"
      CultureInfo.GetCultureInfo "fr-FR" ]

// Define date to be displayed.
let dateToDisplay = DateTime(2008, 10, 31, 17, 4, 32)

// Iterate each standard format specifier.
for formatSpecifier in formats do
    for culture in cultures do
        printfn $"{formatSpecifier} Format Specifier {culture.Name, 10} Culture {dateToDisplay.ToString(formatSpecifier, culture), 40}"
    printfn ""

// The example displays the following output:
//    d Format Specifier      de-DE Culture                               31.10.2008
//    d Format Specifier      en-US Culture                               10/31/2008
//    d Format Specifier      es-ES Culture                               31/10/2008
//    d Format Specifier      fr-FR Culture                               31/10/2008
//    
//    D Format Specifier      de-DE Culture                Freitag, 31. Oktober 2008
//    D Format Specifier      en-US Culture                 Friday, October 31, 2008
//    D Format Specifier      es-ES Culture           viernes, 31 de octubre de 2008
//    D Format Specifier      fr-FR Culture                 vendredi 31 octobre 2008
//    
//    f Format Specifier      de-DE Culture          Freitag, 31. Oktober 2008 17:04
//    f Format Specifier      en-US Culture         Friday, October 31, 2008 5:04 PM
//    f Format Specifier      es-ES Culture     viernes, 31 de octubre de 2008 17:04
//    f Format Specifier      fr-FR Culture           vendredi 31 octobre 2008 17:04
//    
//    F Format Specifier      de-DE Culture       Freitag, 31. Oktober 2008 17:04:32
//    F Format Specifier      en-US Culture      Friday, October 31, 2008 5:04:32 PM
//    F Format Specifier      es-ES Culture  viernes, 31 de octubre de 2008 17:04:32
//    F Format Specifier      fr-FR Culture        vendredi 31 octobre 2008 17:04:32
//    
//    g Format Specifier      de-DE Culture                         31.10.2008 17:04
//    g Format Specifier      en-US Culture                       10/31/2008 5:04 PM
//    g Format Specifier      es-ES Culture                         31/10/2008 17:04
//    g Format Specifier      fr-FR Culture                         31/10/2008 17:04
//    
//    G Format Specifier      de-DE Culture                      31.10.2008 17:04:32
//    G Format Specifier      en-US Culture                    10/31/2008 5:04:32 PM
//    G Format Specifier      es-ES Culture                      31/10/2008 17:04:32
//    G Format Specifier      fr-FR Culture                      31/10/2008 17:04:32
//    
//    m Format Specifier      de-DE Culture                              31. Oktober
//    m Format Specifier      en-US Culture                               October 31
//    m Format Specifier      es-ES Culture                            31 de octubre
//    m Format Specifier      fr-FR Culture                               31 octobre
//    
//    o Format Specifier      de-DE Culture              2008-10-31T17:04:32.0000000
//    o Format Specifier      en-US Culture              2008-10-31T17:04:32.0000000
//    o Format Specifier      es-ES Culture              2008-10-31T17:04:32.0000000
//    o Format Specifier      fr-FR Culture              2008-10-31T17:04:32.0000000
//    
//    r Format Specifier      de-DE Culture            Fri, 31 Oct 2008 17:04:32 GMT
//    r Format Specifier      en-US Culture            Fri, 31 Oct 2008 17:04:32 GMT
//    r Format Specifier      es-ES Culture            Fri, 31 Oct 2008 17:04:32 GMT
//    r Format Specifier      fr-FR Culture            Fri, 31 Oct 2008 17:04:32 GMT
//    
//    s Format Specifier      de-DE Culture                      2008-10-31T17:04:32
//    s Format Specifier      en-US Culture                      2008-10-31T17:04:32
//    s Format Specifier      es-ES Culture                      2008-10-31T17:04:32
//    s Format Specifier      fr-FR Culture                      2008-10-31T17:04:32
//    
//    t Format Specifier      de-DE Culture                                    17:04
//    t Format Specifier      en-US Culture                                  5:04 PM
//    t Format Specifier      es-ES Culture                                    17:04
//    t Format Specifier      fr-FR Culture                                    17:04
//    
//    T Format Specifier      de-DE Culture                                 17:04:32
//    T Format Specifier      en-US Culture                               5:04:32 PM
//    T Format Specifier      es-ES Culture                                 17:04:32
//    T Format Specifier      fr-FR Culture                                 17:04:32
//    
//    u Format Specifier      de-DE Culture                     2008-10-31 17:04:32Z
//    u Format Specifier      en-US Culture                     2008-10-31 17:04:32Z
//    u Format Specifier      es-ES Culture                     2008-10-31 17:04:32Z
//    u Format Specifier      fr-FR Culture                     2008-10-31 17:04:32Z
//    
//    U Format Specifier      de-DE Culture       Freitag, 31. Oktober 2008 09:04:32
//    U Format Specifier      en-US Culture      Friday, October 31, 2008 9:04:32 AM
//    U Format Specifier      es-ES Culture   viernes, 31 de octubre de 2008 9:04:32
//    U Format Specifier      fr-FR Culture        vendredi 31 octobre 2008 09:04:32
//    
//    Y Format Specifier      de-DE Culture                             Oktober 2008
//    Y Format Specifier      en-US Culture                             October 2008
//    Y Format Specifier      es-ES Culture                          octubre de 2008
//    Y Format Specifier      fr-FR Culture                             octobre 2008

Imports System.Globalization

Module Example
    Public Sub Main4()
        ' Create an array of all supported standard date and time format specifiers.
        Dim formats() As String = {"d", "D", "f", "F", "g", "G", "m", "o", "r",
                                 "s", "t", "T", "u", "U", "Y"}
        ' Create an array of four cultures.                                 
        Dim cultures() As CultureInfo = {CultureInfo.GetCultureInfo("de-DE"),
                                       CultureInfo.GetCultureInfo("en-US"),
                                       CultureInfo.GetCultureInfo("es-ES"),
                                       CultureInfo.GetCultureInfo("fr-FR")}
        ' Define date to be displayed.
        Dim dateToDisplay As Date = #10/1/2008 17:04:32#

        ' Iterate each standard format specifier.
        For Each formatSpecifier As String In formats
            For Each culture As CultureInfo In cultures
                Console.WriteLine("{0} Format Specifier {1, 10} Culture {2, 40}",
                              formatSpecifier, culture.Name,
                              dateToDisplay.ToString(formatSpecifier, culture))
            Next
            Console.WriteLine()
        Next
    End Sub
End Module

' The example displays the following output:
'    d Format Specifier      de-DE Culture                               01.10.2008
'    d Format Specifier      en-US Culture                                10/1/2008
'    d Format Specifier      es-ES Culture                               01/10/2008
'    d Format Specifier      fr-FR Culture                               01/10/2008
'    
'    D Format Specifier      de-DE Culture                Mittwoch, 1. Oktober 2008
'    D Format Specifier      en-US Culture              Wednesday, October 01, 2008
'    D Format Specifier      es-ES Culture         miércoles, 01 de octubre de 2008
'    D Format Specifier      fr-FR Culture                  mercredi 1 octobre 2008
'    
'    f Format Specifier      de-DE Culture          Mittwoch, 1. Oktober 2008 17:04
'    f Format Specifier      en-US Culture      Wednesday, October 01, 2008 5:04 PM
'    f Format Specifier      es-ES Culture   miércoles, 01 de octubre de 2008 17:04
'    f Format Specifier      fr-FR Culture            mercredi 1 octobre 2008 17:04
'    
'    F Format Specifier      de-DE Culture       Mittwoch, 1. Oktober 2008 17:04:32
'    F Format Specifier      en-US Culture   Wednesday, October 01, 2008 5:04:32 PM
'    F Format Specifier      es-ES Culture miércoles, 01 de octubre de 2008 17:04:3
'    F Format Specifier      fr-FR Culture         mercredi 1 octobre 2008 17:04:32
'    
'    g Format Specifier      de-DE Culture                         01.10.2008 17:04
'    g Format Specifier      en-US Culture                        10/1/2008 5:04 PM
'    g Format Specifier      es-ES Culture                         01/10/2008 17:04
'    g Format Specifier      fr-FR Culture                         01/10/2008 17:04
'    
'    G Format Specifier      de-DE Culture                      01.10.2008 17:04:32
'    G Format Specifier      en-US Culture                     10/1/2008 5:04:32 PM
'    G Format Specifier      es-ES Culture                      01/10/2008 17:04:32
'    G Format Specifier      fr-FR Culture                      01/10/2008 17:04:32
'    
'    m Format Specifier      de-DE Culture                               01 Oktober
'    m Format Specifier      en-US Culture                               October 01
'    m Format Specifier      es-ES Culture                               01 octubre
'    m Format Specifier      fr-FR Culture                                1 octobre
'    
'    o Format Specifier      de-DE Culture              2008-10-01T17:04:32.0000000
'    o Format Specifier      en-US Culture              2008-10-01T17:04:32.0000000
'    o Format Specifier      es-ES Culture              2008-10-01T17:04:32.0000000
'    o Format Specifier      fr-FR Culture              2008-10-01T17:04:32.0000000
'    
'    r Format Specifier      de-DE Culture            Wed, 01 Oct 2008 17:04:32 GMT
'    r Format Specifier      en-US Culture            Wed, 01 Oct 2008 17:04:32 GMT
'    r Format Specifier      es-ES Culture            Wed, 01 Oct 2008 17:04:32 GMT
'    r Format Specifier      fr-FR Culture            Wed, 01 Oct 2008 17:04:32 GMT
'    
'    s Format Specifier      de-DE Culture                      2008-10-01T17:04:32
'    s Format Specifier      en-US Culture                      2008-10-01T17:04:32
'    s Format Specifier      es-ES Culture                      2008-10-01T17:04:32
'    s Format Specifier      fr-FR Culture                      2008-10-01T17:04:32
'    
'    t Format Specifier      de-DE Culture                                    17:04
'    t Format Specifier      en-US Culture                                  5:04 PM
'    t Format Specifier      es-ES Culture                                    17:04
'    t Format Specifier      fr-FR Culture                                    17:04
'    
'    T Format Specifier      de-DE Culture                                 17:04:32
'    T Format Specifier      en-US Culture                               5:04:32 PM
'    T Format Specifier      es-ES Culture                                 17:04:32
'    T Format Specifier      fr-FR Culture                                 17:04:32
'    
'    u Format Specifier      de-DE Culture                     2008-10-01 17:04:32Z
'    u Format Specifier      en-US Culture                     2008-10-01 17:04:32Z
'    u Format Specifier      es-ES Culture                     2008-10-01 17:04:32Z
'    u Format Specifier      fr-FR Culture                     2008-10-01 17:04:32Z
'    
'    U Format Specifier      de-DE Culture     Donnerstag, 2. Oktober 2008 00:04:32
'    U Format Specifier      en-US Culture   Thursday, October 02, 2008 12:04:32 AM
'    U Format Specifier      es-ES Culture    jueves, 02 de octubre de 2008 0:04:32
'    U Format Specifier      fr-FR Culture            jeudi 2 octobre 2008 00:04:32
'    
'    Y Format Specifier      de-DE Culture                             Oktober 2008
'    Y Format Specifier      en-US Culture                            October, 2008
'    Y Format Specifier      es-ES Culture                          octubre de 2008
'    Y Format Specifier      fr-FR Culture                             octobre 2008

The following example demonstrates different ways of formatting a DateTime value using the invariant DateTimeFormatInfo.

using namespace System;
using namespace System::Globalization;
void main()
{
   DateTime dt = DateTime::Now;
   array<String^>^format = {L"d",L"D",L"f",L"F",L"g",L"G",L"m",L"r",L"s",L"t",L"T",L"u",L"U",L"y",L"dddd, MMMM dd yyyy",L"ddd, MMM d \"'\"yy",L"dddd, MMMM dd",L"M/yy",L"dd-MM-yy"};
   String^ date;
   for ( int i = 0; i < format->Length; i++ )
   {
      date = dt.ToString( format[ i ], DateTimeFormatInfo::InvariantInfo );
      Console::WriteLine( String::Concat( format[ i ], L" :", date ) );

   }
   
   /** Output.
       *
       * d :08/17/2000
       * D :Thursday, August 17, 2000
       * f :Thursday, August 17, 2000 16:32
       * F :Thursday, August 17, 2000 16:32:32
       * g :08/17/2000 16:32
       * G :08/17/2000 16:32:32
       * m :August 17
       * r :Thu, 17 Aug 2000 23:32:32 GMT
       * s :2000-08-17T16:32:32
       * t :16:32
       * T :16:32:32
       * u :2000-08-17 23:32:32Z
       * U :Thursday, August 17, 2000 23:32:32
       * y :August, 2000
       * dddd, MMMM dd yyyy :Thursday, August 17 2000
       * ddd, MMM d "'"yy :Thu, Aug 17 '00
       * dddd, MMMM dd :Thursday, August 17
       * M/yy :8/00
       * dd-MM-yy :17-08-00
       */
}

open System
open System.Globalization

let dt = DateTime.Now
let formats =
    [ "d"; "D"
      "f"; "F"
      "g"; "G"
      "m"
      "r"
      "s"
      "t"; "T"
      "u"; "U"
      "y"
      "dddd, MMMM dd yyyy"
      "ddd, MMM d \"'\"yy"
      "dddd, MMMM dd"
      "M/yy"
      "dd-MM-yy" ]

for format in formats do
    let date = dt.ToString(format, DateTimeFormatInfo.InvariantInfo)
    printfn $"{format}: {date}"

// Output.
//    d: 08/17/2000
//    D: Thursday, August 17, 2000
//    f: Thursday, August 17, 2000 16:32
//    F: Thursday, August 17, 2000 16:32:32
//    g: 08/17/2000 16:32
//    G: 08/17/2000 16:32:32
//    m: August 17
//    r: Thu, 17 Aug 2000 23:32:32 GMT
//    s: 2000-08-17T16:32:32
//    t: 16:32
//    T: 16:32:32
//    u: 2000-08-17 23:32:32Z
//    U: Thursday, August 17, 2000 23:32:32
//    y: August, 2000
//    dddd, MMMM dd yyyy: Thursday, August 17 2000
//    ddd, MMM d "'"yy: Thu, Aug 17 '00
//    dddd, MMMM dd: Thursday, August 17
//    M/yy: 8/00
//    dd-MM-yy: 17-08-00

using System;
using System.Globalization;

public class MainClass
{
    public static void Main(string[] args)
    {
        DateTime dt = DateTime.Now;
        String[] format = {
            "d", "D",
            "f", "F",
            "g", "G",
            "m",
            "r",
            "s",
            "t", "T",
            "u", "U",
            "y",
            "dddd, MMMM dd yyyy",
            "ddd, MMM d \"'\"yy",
            "dddd, MMMM dd",
            "M/yy",
            "dd-MM-yy",
        };
        string date;
        for (int i = 0; i < format.Length; i++)
        {
            date = dt.ToString(format[i], DateTimeFormatInfo.InvariantInfo);
            Console.WriteLine(string.Concat(format[i], " :", date));
        }

        /** Output.
         *
         * d :08/17/2000
         * D :Thursday, August 17, 2000
         * f :Thursday, August 17, 2000 16:32
         * F :Thursday, August 17, 2000 16:32:32
         * g :08/17/2000 16:32
         * G :08/17/2000 16:32:32
         * m :August 17
         * r :Thu, 17 Aug 2000 23:32:32 GMT
         * s :2000-08-17T16:32:32
         * t :16:32
         * T :16:32:32
         * u :2000-08-17 23:32:32Z
         * U :Thursday, August 17, 2000 23:32:32
         * y :August, 2000
         * dddd, MMMM dd yyyy :Thursday, August 17 2000
         * ddd, MMM d "'"yy :Thu, Aug 17 '00
         * dddd, MMMM dd :Thursday, August 17
         * M/yy :8/00
         * dd-MM-yy :17-08-00
         */
    }
}

Option Explicit
Option Strict

Imports System.Globalization

Public Class MainClass
    
    Public Shared Sub Main()
        Dim dt As DateTime = DateTime.Now
        Dim myformat() As String =  {"d", "D", _
                                    "f", "F", _
                                    "g", "G", _
                                    "m", _
                                    "r", _
                                    "s", _
                                    "t", "T", _
                                    "u", "U", _
                                    "y", _
                                    "dddd, MMMM dd yyyy", _
                                    "ddd, MMM d ""'""yy", _
                                    "dddd, MMMM dd", _
                                    "M/yy", _
                                    "dd-MM-yy"}
        Dim mydate As String
        Dim i As Integer
        For i = 0 To myformat.Length - 1
            mydate = dt.ToString(myformat(i), DateTimeFormatInfo.InvariantInfo)
            Console.WriteLine(String.Concat(myformat(i), " :", mydate))
        Next i

    ' Output.
    '
    ' d :08/17/2000
    ' D :Thursday, August 17, 2000
    ' f :Thursday, August 17, 2000 16:32
    ' F :Thursday, August 17, 2000 16:32:32
    ' g :08/17/2000 16:32
    ' G :08/17/2000 16:32:32
    ' m :August 17
    ' r :Thu, 17 Aug 2000 23:32:32 GMT
    ' s :2000-08-17T16:32:32
    ' t :16:32
    ' T :16:32:32
    ' u :2000-08-17 23:32:32Z
    ' U :Thursday, August 17, 2000 23:32:32
    ' y :August, 2000
    ' dddd, MMMM dd yyyy :Thursday, August 17 2000
    ' ddd, MMM d "'"yy :Thu, Aug 17 '00
    ' dddd, MMMM dd :Thursday, August 17
    ' M/yy :8/00
    ' dd-MM-yy :17-08-00
    End Sub
End Class

Remarks

The format parameter can contain either a single format specifier character (see Standard Date and Time Format Strings) or a custom format pattern (see Custom Date and Time Format Strings). If format is null or an empty string (""), the standard format specifier, "G", is used.

The provider parameter defines the pattern that corresponds to the standard format specifiers, as well as the symbols and names of date and time components. The provider 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 format of date and time data.
A custom object that implements the IFormatProvider interface. Its GetFormat method returns a DateTimeFormatInfo object that provides formatting information.

If provider is null, the DateTimeFormatInfo associated with the current culture is used. For more information, see CultureInfo.CurrentCulture.

Notes to Callers

The ToString(String, IFormatProvider) method returns the string representation of the date and time in the calendar used by the provider parameter. Its calendar is defined by the Calendar property. If the value of the current DateTime instance is earlier than MinSupportedDateTime or later than MaxSupportedDateTime, the method throws an ArgumentOutOfRangeException. The following example provides an illustration. It attempts to format a date that is outside the range of the UmAlQuraCalendar class.

using System;
using System.Globalization;

public class Example4
{
    public static void Main()
    {
        CultureInfo arSA = new CultureInfo("ar-SA");
        arSA.DateTimeFormat.Calendar = new UmAlQuraCalendar();
        DateTime date1 = new DateTime(1890, 9, 10);

        try
        {
            Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString("d", arSA));
        }
        catch (ArgumentOutOfRangeException)
        {
            Console.WriteLine("{0:d} is earlier than {1:d} or later than {2:d}",
                              date1,
                              arSA.DateTimeFormat.Calendar.MinSupportedDateTime,
                              arSA.DateTimeFormat.Calendar.MaxSupportedDateTime);
        }
    }
}
// The example displays the following output:
//    9/10/1890 is earlier than 4/30/1900 or later than 5/13/2029

open System
open System.Globalization

let arSA = CultureInfo "ar-SA"
arSA.DateTimeFormat.Calendar <- UmAlQuraCalendar()
let date1 = DateTime(1890, 9, 10)

try
    date1.ToString("d", arSA)
    |> printfn "%s"
with :? ArgumentOutOfRangeException ->
    printfn $"{date1:d} is earlier than {arSA.DateTimeFormat.Calendar.MinSupportedDateTime:d} or later than {arSA.DateTimeFormat.Calendar.MaxSupportedDateTime:d}"
                     
// The example displays the following output:
//    9/10/1890 is earlier than 4/30/1900 or later than 5/13/2029

Imports System.Globalization

Module Example
   Public Sub Main()
      Dim arSA As New CultureInfo("ar-SA")
      arSA.DateTimeFormat.Calendar = New UmAlQuraCalendar() 
      Dim date1 As Date = #09/10/1890#

      Try
         Console.WriteLine(date1.ToString("d", arSA))
      Catch e As ArgumentOutOfRangeException
         Console.WriteLine("{0:d} is earlier than {1:d} or later than {2:d}", _
                           date1, _
                           arSA.DateTimeFormat.Calendar.MinSupportedDateTime, _ 
                           arSA.DateTimeFormat.Calendar.MaxSupportedDateTime) 
      End Try
   End Sub
End Module
' The example displays the following output:
'    9/10/1890 is earlier than 4/30/1900 or later than 5/13/2029

Applies to

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DateTime.ToString Method

Definition

Overloads

ToString(IFormatProvider)

Parameters

Returns

Implements

Exceptions

Examples

Remarks

Notes to Callers

See also

Applies to

ToString(String)

Parameters

Returns

Exceptions

Examples

Remarks

Notes to Callers

See also

Applies to

ToString()

Returns

Exceptions

Examples

Remarks

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See also

Applies to

ToString(String, IFormatProvider)

Parameters

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Implements

Exceptions

Examples

Remarks

Notes to Callers

See also

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