DateTime.ToFileTime Method (System)

A Windows file time is a 64-bit value that represents the number of 100-nanosecond intervals that have elapsed since 12:00 midnight, January 1, 1601 A.D. (C.E.) Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). Windows uses a file time to record when an application creates, accesses, or writes to a file.

Previous versions of the ToFileTime method assume the current DateTime object is a local time. Starting with the.NET Framework version 2.0, the ToFileTime method uses the Kind property to determine whether the current DateTime object is a local time, a UTC time, or an unspecified kind of time which is treated as a local time.

Ordinarily, the FromFileTime method restores a DateTime value that was saved by the ToFileTime method. However, the two values may differ under the following conditions:

• If the serialization and deserialization of the DateTime value occur in different time zones. For example, if a DateTime value with a time of 12:30 P.M. in the U.S. Eastern Time zone is serialized, and then deserialized in the U.S. Pacific Time zone, the original value of 12:30 P.M. is adjusted to 9:30 A.M. to reflect the difference between the two time zones.

• If the DateTime value that is serialized represents an invalid time in the local time zone. In this case, the ToFileTime method adjusts the restored DateTime value so that it represents a valid time in the local time zone.

  For example, the transition from standard time to daylight saving time occurs in the U.S. Pacific Time zone on March 14, 2010, at 2:00 A.M., when the time advances by one hour, to 3:00 A.M. This hour interval is an invalid time, that is, a time interval that does not exist in this time zone. The following example shows that when a time that falls within this range is converted to a long integer value by the ToFileTime method and is then restored by the FromFileTime method, the original value is adjusted to become a valid time. You can determine whether a particular date and time value may be subject to modification by passing it to the TimeZoneInfo.IsInvalidTime method, as the example illustrates.

  Visual Basic

  
  Module Example
     Public Sub Main()
        Dim date1 As New DateTime(2010, 3, 14, 2, 30, 00)
        Console.WriteLine("Invalid Time: {0}", TimeZoneInfo.Local.IsInvalidTime(date1))
        Dim ft As Long = date1.ToFileTime()
        Dim date2 As DateTime = DateTime.FromFileTime(ft)
        Console.WriteLine("{0} -> {1}", date1, date2) 
     End Sub
  End Module
  ' The example displays the following output:
  '       Invalid Time: True
  '       3/14/2010 2:30:00 AM -> 3/14/2010 3:30:00 AM
  
  
  

  C#

  
  using System;
  
  public class Example
  {
     public static void Main()
     {
        DateTime date1 = new DateTime(2010, 3, 14, 2, 30, 00);
        Console.WriteLine("Invalid Time: {0}", 
                          TimeZoneInfo.Local.IsInvalidTime(date1));
        long ft = date1.ToFileTime();
        DateTime date2 = DateTime.FromFileTime(ft);
        Console.WriteLine("{0} -> {1}", date1, date2); 
     }
  }
  // The example displays the following output:
  //       Invalid Time: True
  //       3/14/2010 2:30:00 AM -> 3/14/2010 3:30:00 AM
  
  
  

The following example demonstrates the ToFileTime method.

Public Shared Sub Main()

   System.Console.WriteLine("Enter the file path:")
   Dim filePath As String
   filePath = System.Console.ReadLine()

   If System.IO.File.Exists(filePath) Then
      Dim fileCreationDateTime As System.DateTime
      fileCreationDateTime = System.IO.File.GetCreationTime(filePath)

      Dim fileCreationFileTime As Long
      fileCreationFileTime = fileCreationDateTime.ToFileTime()

      System.Console.WriteLine("{0} in file time is {1}.", _
                               fileCreationDateTime, _
                               fileCreationFileTime)
   Else
      System.Console.WriteLine("{0} is an invalid file", filePath)
   End If
End Sub

		static void Main(string[] args)
		{
			System.Console.WriteLine("Enter the file path:");
			string filePath = System.Console.ReadLine();

			if (System.IO.File.Exists(filePath)) {
				System.DateTime fileCreationDateTime = 
					System.IO.File.GetCreationTime(filePath);

				long fileCreationFileTime = fileCreationDateTime.ToFileTime();

				System.Console.WriteLine("{0} in file time is {1}.",
										 fileCreationDateTime,
										 fileCreationFileTime);
			} 
			else {
				System.Console.WriteLine("{0} is an invalid file", filePath);
			}
		}

int main()
{
   System::Console::WriteLine( "Enter the file path:" );
   String^ filePath = System::Console::ReadLine();
   if ( System::IO::File::Exists( filePath ) )
   {
      System::DateTime fileCreationDateTime = System::IO::File::GetCreationTime( filePath );
      __int64 fileCreationFileTime = fileCreationDateTime.ToFileTime();
      System::Console::WriteLine( "{0} in file time is {1}.", fileCreationDateTime, fileCreationFileTime );
   }
   else
   {
      System::Console::WriteLine( "{0} is an invalid file", filePath );
   }
}

.NET Framework

.NET Framework Client Profile

Windows 7, Windows Vista SP1 or later, Windows XP SP3, Windows XP SP2 x64 Edition, Windows Server 2008 (Server Core not supported), Windows Server 2008 R2 (Server Core supported with SP1 or later), Windows Server 2003 SP2

Reference