DateTime.ToString Method (IFormatProvider)
[ This article is for Windows Phone 8 developers. If you’re developing for Windows 10, see the latest documentation. ]
Converts the value of the current DateTime object to its equivalent string representation using the specified culture-specific format information.
Assembly: mscorlib (in mscorlib.dll)
Parameters
- provider
- Type: System.IFormatProvider
An object that supplies culture-specific formatting information.
Return Value
Type: System.StringA string representation of value of the current DateTime object, as specified by the provider parameter.
Implements
IConvertible.ToString(IFormatProvider)| Exception | Condition |
|---|---|
| ArgumentOutOfRangeException | The date and time is outside the range of dates supported by the calendar used by provider. |
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 Nothing, the DateTimeFormatInfo object associated with the current culture is used. For more information, see CultureInfo.CurrentCulture.
Version Notes
Windows Phone
Windows Phone does not return the correct string for Russian dates. For example, 15.Июнь.2000 is returned instead of 15.июня.2000.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 Calendar.MinSupportedDateTime or later than Calendar.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.
Imports System.Globalization Module Example Public Sub Demo(ByVal outputBlock As System.Windows.Controls.TextBlock) Dim jaJP As New CultureInfo("ja-JP") jaJP.DateTimeFormat.Calendar = New JapaneseCalendar() Dim date1 As Date = #1/1/1867# Try outputBlock.Text &= date1.ToString(jaJP) & vbCrLf Catch e As ArgumentOutOfRangeException outputBlock.Text += String.Format("{0:d} is earlier than {1:d} or later than {2:d}", _ date1, _ jaJP.DateTimeFormat.Calendar.MinSupportedDateTime, _ jaJP.DateTimeFormat.Calendar.MaxSupportedDateTime) & vbCrLf 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
The following example displays the string representation of a date and time using CultureInfo objects that represent five different cultures.
Imports System.Globalization Module Example Public Sub Demo(ByVal outputBlock As System.Windows.Controls.TextBlock) 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 9:00:00 AM# 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 outputBlock.Text += String.Format("In {0}, {1}", _ cultureName, thisDate.ToString(culture)) & vbCrLf 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