C# - DateTimePicker Class

In Windows Forms, the DateTimePicker control is used to select and display the date or time in a specific format. Defined in System.Windows.Forms namespace. The DateTimePicker class in C# is used to represent the Windows DateTimePicker control and also provides different types of properties, methods, and events.

Why Use DateTimePicker?

When we type data manually, there are chances of errors, but when we use DateTimePicker, it makes sure that the users select valid dates in a proper and correct format. This will reduce the errors and also improve the user experience.

Ways to Create a DateTimePicker In Windows Forms

There are primarily two ways to create a DateTimePicker in Windows Forms, which are mentioned below.

• Drag and drop (Design-Time)
• Custom DateTimePicker (Run-Time)

1. Drag and drop (Design-Time)

This is the easiest way to create a DateTimePicker in Windows Forms using Visual Studio. We just have to open the toolbox and drag and drop the DateTimePicker on the form in the designer, and further, we can change the appearance of the DateTimePicker using the properties. Follow these steps to create a DateTimePicker.

Step 1: Locate your Windows Forms project (e.g., Form1). We are using the default name Form1 in this example and it will open a form in the editor that we can further modify.

In the image, we have two files that are open one Design and there is Form1.cs these two play a major role. We use the Form1.cs file for the custom logic.

Step 2: Now open a Toolbox go to the view > Toolbox or ctrl + alt + x.

Step 3. Now open the common controls and drag and drop the DateTimePicker on the form where we want it to be placed.

Step 4. Now open the properties right-click on the DateTimePicker and it will open the Properties window where you can configure its settings.

Output:

2. Custom DateTimePicker (Run Time)

In this method, we are going to modify the Form1.cs file and add custom code modification in C# with the help of the DateTimePicker class. The following steps show how to create a DateTimePicker dynamically:

Step 1: Create a DateTimePicker using the DateTimePicker() constructor of the DateTimePicker class.

// Creating a DateTimePicker

DateTimePicker d = new DateTimePicker();

Step 2: After creating a DateTimePicker, set the properties of the DateTimePicker provided by the DateTimePicker class.

// Setting the location of the DateTimePicker

d.Location = new Point(360, 162);

// Setting the size of the DateTimePicker

d.Size = new Size(292, 26);

// Setting the maximum date of the DateTimePicker

d.MaxDate = new DateTime(2500, 12, 20);

// Setting the minimum date of the DateTimePicker

d.MinDate = new DateTime(1753, 1, 1);

// Setting the format of the DateTimePicker

d.Format = DateTimePickerFormat.Long;

// Setting the name of the DateTimePicker

d.Name = "MyPicker";

// Setting the font of the DateTimePicker

d.Font = new Font("Comic Sans MS", 12);

// Setting the visibility of the DateTimePicker

d.Visible = true;

// Setting the value of the DateTimePicker

d.Value = DateTime.Today;

Step 3: Add the DateTimePicker and other controls on the DateTimePicker using the following statements:

// Adding this control

// to the form

this.Controls.Add(d);

Step 4: Now double-click on the form in Design and it will open the Form1.cs file where code is written in C#. Here, the program file is Form 1.cs Now write this code in Form1.cs file

Form1.cs file:

namespace WinFormsApp1
{
    public partial class Form1 : Form
    {
        public Form1()
        {
            InitializeComponent();
        }

        private void Form1_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            // Creating and setting the 
            // properties of the Label 
            Label l = new Label();
            l.Location = new Point(183, 162);
            l.Size = new Size(172, 20);
            l.Text = "Select Date and Time";
            l.Font = new Font("Comic Sans MS", 12);

            // Adding this control 
            // to the form 
            this.Controls.Add(l);

            // Creating and setting the 
            // properties of the DateTimePicker 
            DateTimePicker d = new DateTimePicker();
            d.Location = new Point(360, 162);
            d.Size = new Size(292, 26);
            d.MaxDate = new DateTime(2500, 12, 20);
            d.MinDate = new DateTime(1753, 1, 1);
            d.Format = DateTimePickerFormat.Long;
            d.Name = "MyPicker";
            d.Font = new Font("Comic Sans MS", 12);
            d.Visible = true;
            d.Value = DateTime.Today;

            // Adding this control 
            // to the form 
            this.Controls.Add(d);


        }

    }
}

Output:

Constructor

DateTimePicker(): This constructor is used to initialise a new instance of the DateTimePicker class.

Fields

Properties

Real-World Use Cases of DateTimePicker

Now, let's discuss some real world use cases where we can use DataTimePicker.

• Users can easily pick dates and times for meetings without to worry about how to type them.
• It also makes sure that the users enter correct dates like birthdays, joining dates, or deadlines etc.
• It also lets user pick start and end dates to narrow down the data they want to see in reports.

Handling Common Issues and Errors

With the help of DataTimePicker we can reduce mistakes, but it's still good to check:

• The date users pick to make sure it’s not in the past or outside allowed limits.
• Make sure there are no empty or missing dates when saving to the database. As we know DateTimePicker does not support empty dates by default.
• Watch out for problems when saving or loading dates in different formats.

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Article Tags :

• C#
• CSharp-Windows-Forms-Namespace