Cookbooks
C#
Chapter 7. Dates and Times
Getting the current date

C#:
Getting the current date

How to:

C# provides a straightforward way to get the current date using the DateTime class which is part of the .NET Framework’s System namespace. The example below demonstrates how to get the current date, and optionally, the time.

using System;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        // Gets the current date only
        DateTime currentDate = DateTime.Today;
        Console.WriteLine(currentDate.ToString("d"));  // Output: MM/dd/yyyy
        
        // Gets the current date and time
        DateTime currentDateTime = DateTime.Now;
        Console.WriteLine(currentDateTime.ToString()); // Output: MM/dd/yyyy HH:mm:ss

        // Gets the current UTC date and time
        DateTime currentUtcDateTime = DateTime.UtcNow;
        Console.WriteLine(currentUtcDateTime.ToString()); // Output: MM/dd/yyyy HH:mm:ss
    }
}

In terms of third-party libraries, NodaTime offers a robust alternative for date and time manipulation, including fetching the current date in different calendars and time zones.

using NodaTime;
using System;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        // Using NodaTime to get the current date in the ISO calendar
        LocalDate currentDate = SystemClock.Instance.GetCurrentInstant().InUtc().Date;
        Console.WriteLine(currentDate.ToString()); // Output: yyyy-MM-dd

        // For timezone-specific dates
        DateTimeZone zone = DateTimeZoneProviders.Tzdb["America/New_York"];
        LocalDate currentZonedDate = SystemClock.Instance.GetCurrentInstant().InZone(zone).Date;
        Console.WriteLine(currentZonedDate.ToString()); // Output: yyyy-MM-dd
    }
}

This showcases the basic usage with the built-in DateTime class and the enhanced capabilities provided by NodaTime, especially useful for applications that require handling of different time zones or calendar systems.

Converting a date into a stringParsing a date from a string