How to convert string into DateTime

[Segvoia]

I want to convert a string such as "YYYYMMDD" or "DDMMYYYY" in DateTime object.

According to MSDN, the method Parse (string) can do this changes but I can not make it work.

Here is my code:

  using System; 
  using System. Collections. Generic; 
  using System. Text; 
  using System. Globalization; 

  namespace ConsoleApplication1 
  {
      class Program 
      {
          static void Main (string [] args) 
          {
              string date = "041110"; 
              DateTime datetest = new DateTime () ;
              datetest = Parse (date); 
          }
      }
  }

[switchblade327]

Try it with ParseExact.

datetest = DateTime.ParseExact (date, "YYYYMMDD", null)

[Segvoia]

Its still not working. I get the below error message:

Error 1 The name 'ParseExact' does not exist in the current context D:\EFB\DEV\test\ConsoleApplication1\ConsoleApplication1\Program.cs 14 24 ConsoleApplication1

[fellah]

Certainly the format of your date is not recognized as valid by your current system. You just test this

  string [] info = DateTimeFormatInfo. CurrentInfo. GetAllDateTimePatterns 
  foreach (string s in info) 
   { Console. WriteLine (s) ; }

And you will have the opportunity to see that your format is not.

[switchblade327]

The problem is that for DateTimeFormatInfo the mask of a recognized format comprises a separator not empty:

  "MM-dd-yyyy": recognized 
  "dd45 *** 6MM45 *** 6yyyy": recognized (DateSeparator = "45 *** 6") 
  "DDMMYYYY": not recognized (even by defining DateSeparator = String.Empty)

[MementoMori76]

The problem is that for DateTimeFormatInfo the mask of a recognized format comprises a separator not empty:

  "MM-dd-yyyy": recognized 
  "dd45 *** 6MM45 *** 6yyyy": recognized (DateSeparator = "45 *** 6") 
  "DDMMYYYY": not recognized (even by defining DateSeparator = String.Empty)

Or ... you could use the correct formatting: "ddMMyyyy"
which will compile

[cyber-noob]

Hello,
Have a look at the following code, this may help you.

string myDateString = "some text here";
DateTimeFormatInfo dtfr = new DateTimeFormatInfo();
dtfr.ShortDatePattern = "ddMMyyyy";
DateTime d = DateTime.Parse(myDateString, dtfr);

Hope the above part of the code will work for you.

[MementoMori76]

It wasn't really a question merely stating that in the code

"DDMMYYYY": not recognized (even by defining DateSeparator = String.Empty)

the problem wasn't the DateSeparator but the use of an incorrect dateformat.

my solution was:

string myDate = "20100303";
string format = "yyyyMMdd";
DateTime date = DateTime.ParseExact(myDate, format, null);

which will parse the date (if it is a date in this format)