The DateTimePicker control is used to allow the user to select a date and time, and to display that date and time in the specified format. You can limit the dates and times that can be selected by setting the MinDate and MaxDate properties.

You can change the look of the calendar portion of the control by setting the CalendarForeColor, CalendarFont, CalendarTitleBackColor, CalendarTitleForeColor, CalendarTrailingForeColor, and CalendarMonthBackground properties.

The Format property sets the DateTimePickerFormat of the control. The default date Format is DateTimePickerFormat..::.Long. If the Format property is set to DateTimePickerFormat..::.Custom, you can create your own format style by setting the CustomFormat property and building a custom format string. The custom format string can be a combination of custom field characters and other literal characters. For example, you can display the date as "June 01, 2001 - Friday" by setting the CustomFormat property to "MMMM dd, yyyy - dddd". For more information, see Date and Time Format Strings.

To use a spin button control (also known as an up-down control) to adjust the date/time value, set the ShowUpDown property to true. The calendar control will not drop down when the control is selected. The date and time can be adjusted by selecting each element individually and using the up and down buttons to change the value.

You might consider using a DateTimePicker control instead of a MonthCalendar if you need custom date formatting (for example, limiting a selection to just one date). Using the DateTimePicker will limit the need for much data validation of date/time values.

Note:
The DateTimePicker control only supports Gregorian calendars.

Caution:

When a DateTimePicker is data-bound and the backing value is changed to nullNothingnullptra null reference (Nothing in Visual Basic), the value of the DateTimePicker will not be updated and the previous value will be retained. In situations where this behavior is not desirable (for example, when using a set of data-bound controls to page through a recordset) use the Format event of the Binding class to set the DateTimePicker to a value recognizable as a nullNothingnullptra null reference (Nothing in Visual Basic).

The following code example creates an new instance of a DateTimePicker control and initializes it. The control's CustomFormat property is set. Also, the ShowCheckBox property is set so that the control displays a CheckBox, and the ShowUpDown property is set so that the control is displayed as a spin button control (also known as an up-down control). To run this example, paste the following code into a form and call the CreateMyDateTimePicker method in the example form’s constructor or Load event handling method.

Public Sub CreateMyDateTimePicker()
    ' Create a new DateTimePicker control and initialize it.
    Dim dateTimePicker1 As New DateTimePicker()

    ' Set the MinDate and MaxDate.
    dateTimePicker1.MinDate = New DateTime(1985, 6, 20)
    dateTimePicker1.MaxDate = DateTime.Today

    ' Set the CustomFormat string.
    dateTimePicker1.CustomFormat = "MMMM dd, yyyy - dddd"
    dateTimePicker1.Format = DateTimePickerFormat.Custom

    ' Show the CheckBox and display the control as an up-down control.
    dateTimePicker1.ShowCheckBox = True
    dateTimePicker1.ShowUpDown = True
End Sub 'CreateMyDateTimePicker

public void CreateMyDateTimePicker()
{
   // Create a new DateTimePicker control and initialize it.
   DateTimePicker dateTimePicker1 = new DateTimePicker();

   // Set the MinDate and MaxDate.
   dateTimePicker1.MinDate = new DateTime(1985, 6, 20);
   dateTimePicker1.MaxDate = DateTime.Today;

   // Set the CustomFormat string.
   dateTimePicker1.CustomFormat = "MMMM dd, yyyy - dddd";
   dateTimePicker1.Format = DateTimePickerFormat.Custom;

   // Show the CheckBox and display the control as an up-down control.
   dateTimePicker1.ShowCheckBox = true;
   dateTimePicker1.ShowUpDown = true;
}

public:
   void CreateMyDateTimePicker()
   {
      // Create a new DateTimePicker control and initialize it.
      DateTimePicker^ dateTimePicker1 = gcnew DateTimePicker;

      // Set the MinDate and MaxDate.
      dateTimePicker1->MinDate = DateTime(1985,6,20);
      dateTimePicker1->MaxDate = DateTime::Today;

      // Set the CustomFormat string.
      dateTimePicker1->CustomFormat = "MMMM dd, yyyy - dddd";
      dateTimePicker1->Format = DateTimePickerFormat::Custom;

      // Show the CheckBox and display the control as an up-down control.
      dateTimePicker1->ShowCheckBox = true;
      dateTimePicker1->ShowUpDown = true;
   }

Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP SP2, Windows XP Media Center Edition, Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, Windows XP Starter Edition, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2000 SP4, Windows Millennium Edition, Windows 98, Windows CE, Windows Mobile for Smartphone, Windows Mobile for Pocket PC

.NET Framework

.NET Compact Framework

Reference