Hi All,
My recent post on datatable [All About Datatable- UiPath] (All about Datatable - UiPath) was received well in forum with great feedbacks and many suggested to provide some tutorial on topics which are discussed often in our forum
In regards to that I would like to share the commonly used expression for DATETIME conversion
Let’s get started one by one
1. Get Current Date in string format
Datetime.Now.ToString()
(Output - string type - “dd/MM/yyyy hh:mm:ss”)
**To get only current datetime as a variable **
Datetime.Now
(Output - Datetime variable)
2. Get different formats of datetime as string type
Get current day alone - numerical terms
Datetime.Now.ToString(“dd”)
** Get current day - full text**
Datetime.Now.ToString(“dddd”)
Get Current month - full name
Datetime.Now.ToString(“MMMM”)
Get current month - first three characters
Datetime.Now.ToString(“MMM”)
Get current month - numerical value
Datetime.Now.ToString(“MM”)
Get current year - full year
Datetime.Now.ToString(“yyyy”)
Get current year - last two characters
Datetime.Now.ToString(“yy”)
Get current time - in 12 hrs format
Datetime.Now.ToString(“hh:mm:ss”)
get current time - in 24 hours format
Datetime.Now.ToString(“HH:mm:ss”)
Get current hour alone - 12 hrs format
Datetime.Now.ToString(“hh”)
Get current hours alone - 24 hours format
Datetime.Now.ToString(“HH”)
Get Current minutes
Datetime.Now.ToString(“mm”)
Get current seconds
Datetime.Now.ToString(“ss”)
3. Get current Datetime as string with TIMEZONE
Datetime.Now.ToString(“dd/MM/yyyy hh:mm:ss K”)
4. Get current Datetime with AM / PM
Datetime.Now.ToString(“dd/MM/yyyy hh:mm:ss tt”)
5. Convert a string to Datetime
If input is Strinput = “12/02/2022”
with Convert.ToDatetime method
var_datetime = Convert.ToDatetime(Strinput.ToString)
with Datetime.Parse method
var_datetime = Datetime.Parse(Strinput.ToString)
with Datetime.ParseExact method
var_datetime = Datetime.ParseExact(Strinput.ToString, “dd/MM/yyyy”, System.Globalization.CultureInfo.InvariantCulture)
In the above last expression dd/MM/yyyy depends on what format the Strinput variable holds
It has to be same as that
So based on what format we find in string input variable mention the same format instead of “dd/MM/yyyy” in last expression
Note : if you want tour above expression as string output type then include .ToString atlast of the expression
Suppose If the input is of full format
Strinput = “23/11/2022 02:20:31 +5:30”
Then to get this as Datetime
var_datetime = Datetime.ParseExact(Strinput.ToString, “dd/MM/yyyy hh:mm:ss K”)
6. Validate whether a Datetime is valid date
type or not
bool_date = DateTime.TryParseExact(strinput.ToString,“MM/dd/yyyy hh:mm:ss”, System.Globalization.CultureInfo.InvariantCulture, System.Globalization.DateTimeStyles.None, Nothing)
This gives Boolean as output type and validate whether the string input matches with the format mention within double quotes (“MM/dd/yyyy hh:mm:ss”)
7. Convert a String of multiple possible date formats to a Datetime variable
Say you have a date string which can be of different formats for each time it is being used like
“dd/MM/yyyy”, “MM/dd/yyyy”, “dd/yy”
Then have all these possible formats in a array variable named arr_formats
Like this
arr_formats = {“dd/MM/yyyy”, “MM/dd/yyyy”, “dd/yy”}
Then to convert that string as Datetime
var_datetime = DateTime.ParseExact(Strinput.ToString, arr_formats, System.Globalization.CultureInfo.InvariantCulture, DateTimeStyles.None)
8. Convert a string to Datetime of specific culture info
Say Strinput = “12-22-2022”
To get it as German time and details
str_datetime = Datetime.ParseExact(Strinput.ToString, “MM-dd-yyyy”, System.Globalization.CultureInfo.InvariantCulture).ToString(“dd/MM/yyyy”, New CultureInfo(“de-DE”))
We can mention any time zone info along CultureInfo arguments like above
9. Convert DateTime variables between UTC and Local or a specific timezone
Refer this wonderful thread on converting a Datetime to specific timezone
10. Difference in days between two dates
If Strinput = “12-Jan-2022”
int_days = DateDiff(DateInterval.Day, DateTime.ParseExact(Strinput.ToString, "dd-MMM-yyyy", System.Globalization.CultureInfo.InvariantCulture),DateTime.now())
11. Difference in months between two dates
If Strinput = “12-Jan-2022”
int_months = DateDiff(DateInterval.Month, DateTime.ParseExact(Strinput.ToString, "dd-MMM-yyyy", System.Globalization.CultureInfo.InvariantCulture),DateTime.now())
Same for years replace Month as Year in above expression
Like this
If Strinput = “12-Jan-2022”
int_years = DateDiff(DateInterval.Year, DateTime.ParseExact(Strinput.ToString, "dd-MMM-yyyy", System.Globalization.CultureInfo.InvariantCulture),DateTime.now())
12. Get first date of the current month
str_firstdate = New DateTime(DateTime.Now.Year, DateTime.Now.Month, 1).ToString
13. Get Last date of the current month
str_lastedate = New DateTime(now.Year, now.Month, DateTime.DaysInMonth(now.Year, now.Month)).ToString
14. Get last date of previous month
str_lastdate = New DateTime(now.Year,now.Month,1).AddDays(-1).ToString
15. Get first date of the year
str_firstdate = New DateTime(now.Year,1,1).ToString
16. Get last date of the year
Str_lastdate = New DateTime(now.Year,12,31).ToString
17. Calculate business days of a year
Refer this custom component
18. Get next - previous business working day
Refer this custom component
19. Filter DATETIME in excel or a Datatable
When I started learning for filtering Datetime in a datatable, I referred this thread with simple method to do Datetime filteration
Have a view on the sample xaml for more details
20. Add hours to current time
str_datetime = Datetime.Now.AddHours(1).ToString()
add 5 Days
str_datetime = Datetime.Now.AddDays(5).ToString()
add 10 years to current date
str_datetime = Datetime.Now.AddYears(10).ToString()
Same for months as well
21. Minus days from current day
str_datetime = Datetime.Now.AddDays(-1).ToString()
Subtract 5 months from current month
str_datetime = Datetime.Now.AddMonths(-5).ToString()
Subtract 10 years from current year
str_datetime = Datetime.Now.AddYears(-10).ToString()
22. Convert a OADate in excel to a Datetime or string Datetime
Suppose Actual value being entered: ‘43800’ but the required value is “1-Dev-2022” in format “dd-MMM-yyyy”
Then use this in assign activity
str_datetime = DateTime.FromOADate(Convert.ToDouble(Strinput.ToString)).ToString(“dd-MMM-yyyy”)
23. Difference string formats from a Datetime
While converting a Datetime to string apart from user defined string formats there are other string formats obtained from these below methods instead of ToString in Datetime.ParseExact(……).ToString()
.ToOADate()
.ToLongDateString()
.ToShortDateString()
.ToLongTimeString()
.ToShortTimeString()
.ToString()
.ToUniversalTime()
.ToFileTime()
.ToLocalTime()
24. Create a TimeSpan variable with default value initialised in variable panel
TimeSpan var_interval = new TimeSpan(2, 14, 18)
The default value attributed to a TimeSpan variable uses the day.hh:mm:ss format.
25. Convert a string to TimeSpan
If Strinput = “12:20:45”
var_timespan = TimeSpan.Parse(Strinput.ToString)
26. Convert different time values to TimeSpan
If we have time values in milliseconds, hours, days, and in order to convert that to TimeSpan
var_TimeSpan = TimeSpan.FromMilliseconds(1000)
var_TimeSpan = TimeSpan.FromDays(1)
var_TimeSpan = TimeSpan.FromHours(2)
var_TimeSpan = TimeSpan.FromMinutes(30)
var_TimeSpan = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(20)
var_TimeSpan = TimeSpan.FromTicks(10000)
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Hope this will be helpful 
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