DateTime.ToShortDateString Method

Reference

Definition

Namespace:: System

Assembly:: System.Runtime.dll

Assembly:: mscorlib.dll

Assembly:: netstandard.dll

Source:: DateTime.cs

Source:: DateTime.cs

Source:: DateTime.cs

Important

Some information relates to prerelease product that may be substantially modified before it’s released. Microsoft makes no warranties, express or implied, with respect to the information provided here.

Converts the value of the current DateTime object to its equivalent short date string representation.

public:
 System::String ^ ToShortDateString();

public string ToShortDateString ();

member this.ToShortDateString : unit -> string

Public Function ToShortDateString () As String

Returns

String

A string that contains the short date string representation of the current DateTime object.

Examples

The following example demonstrates the ToShortDateString method. It also shows that the result of calling the ToShortDateString method is identical to calling the DateTime.ToString(String) method with "d" as the format parameter.

using System;
using System.Globalization;
using System.Threading;

public class Example
{
   public static void Main()
   {
      DateTime dateToDisplay = new DateTime(2009, 6, 1, 8, 42, 50);
      CultureInfo originalCulture = Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentCulture;
      // Change culture to en-US.
      Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentCulture = new CultureInfo("en-US");
      Console.WriteLine("Displaying short date for {0} culture:",
                        Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentCulture.Name);
      Console.WriteLine("   {0} (Short Date String)",
                        dateToDisplay.ToShortDateString());
      // Display using 'd' standard format specifier to illustrate it is
      // identical to the string returned by ToShortDateString.
      Console.WriteLine("   {0} ('d' standard format specifier)",
                        dateToDisplay.ToString("d"));
      Console.WriteLine();

      // Change culture to fr-FR.
      Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentCulture = new CultureInfo("fr-FR");
      Console.WriteLine("Displaying short date for {0} culture:",
                        Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentCulture.Name);
      Console.WriteLine("   {0}", dateToDisplay.ToShortDateString());
      Console.WriteLine();

      // Change culture to nl-NL.
      Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentCulture = new CultureInfo("nl-NL");
      Console.WriteLine("Displaying short date for {0} culture:",
                        Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentCulture.Name);
      Console.WriteLine("   {0}", dateToDisplay.ToShortDateString());

      // Restore original culture.
      Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentCulture = originalCulture;
   }
}
// The example displays the following output:
//       Displaying short date for en-US culture:
//          6/1/2009 (Short Date String)
//          6/1/2009 ('d' standard format specifier)
//
//       Displaying short date for fr-FR culture:
//          01/06/2009
//
//       Displaying short date for nl-NL culture:
//          1-6-2009

open System
open System.Globalization
open System.Threading

let dateToDisplay = DateTime(2009, 6, 1, 8, 42, 50)
let originalCulture = Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentCulture
// Change culture to en-US.
Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentCulture <- CultureInfo "en-US"
printfn "Displaying short date for {Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentCulture.Name} culture:"
printfn $"   {dateToDisplay.ToShortDateString()} (Short Date String)"

// Display using 'd' standard format specifier to illustrate it is
// identical to the string returned by ToShortDateString.
printfn $"   {dateToDisplay:d} ('d' standard format specifier)\n"

// Change culture to fr-FR.
Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentCulture <- CultureInfo "fr-FR"
printfn $"Displaying short date for {Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentCulture.Name} culture:"
printfn $"   {dateToDisplay.ToShortDateString()}\n"

// Change culture to nl-NL.
Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentCulture <- CultureInfo "nl-NL"
printfn $"Displaying short date for {Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentCulture.Name} culture:"
printfn $"   {dateToDisplay.ToShortDateString()}"

// Restore original culture.
Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentCulture <- originalCulture


// The example displays the following output:
//       Displaying short date for en-US culture:
//          6/1/2009 (Short Date String)
//          6/1/2009 ('d' standard format specifier)
//
//       Displaying short date for fr-FR culture:
//          01/06/2009
//
//       Displaying short date for nl-NL culture:
//          1-6-2009

Imports System.Globalization
Imports System.Threading

Module Example
   Public Sub Main()
      Dim dateToDisplay As Date = #06/01/2009 8:42:50#
      Dim originalCulture As CultureInfo = Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentCulture
      ' Change culture to en-US.
      Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentCulture = New CultureInfo("en-US")
      Console.WriteLine("Displaying short date for {0} culture:", _
                        Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentCulture.Name)
      Console.WriteLine("   {0} (Short Date String)", _
                        dateToDisplay.ToShortDateString())
      ' Display using 'd' standard format specifier to illustrate it is
      ' identical to the string returned by ToShortDateString.
      Console.WriteLine("   {0} ('d' standard format specifier)", _
                        dateToDisplay.ToString("d"))
      Console.WriteLine()
      
      ' Change culture to fr-FR.
      Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentCulture = New CultureInfo("fr-FR")
      Console.WriteLine("Displaying short date for {0} culture:", _
                        Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentCulture.Name)
      Console.WriteLine("   {0}", dateToDisplay.ToShortDateString())
      Console.WriteLine()
  
      ' Change culture to nl-NL.    
      Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentCulture = New CultureInfo("nl-NL")
      Console.WriteLine("Displaying short date for {0} culture:", _
                        Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentCulture.Name)
      Console.WriteLine("   {0}", dateToDisplay.ToShortDateString())
      
      ' Restore original culture.
      Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentCulture = originalCulture
   End Sub
End Module
' The example displays the following output:
'       Displaying short date for en-US culture:
'          6/1/2009 (Short Date String)
'          6/1/2009 ('d' standard format specifier)
'       
'       Displaying short date for fr-FR culture:
'          01/06/2009
'       
'       Displaying short date for nl-NL culture:
'          1-6-2009

Remarks

The value of the current DateTime object is formatted using the pattern defined by the DateTimeFormatInfo.ShortDatePattern property associated with the current culture. The return value is identical to the value returned by specifying the "d" standard DateTime format string with the ToString(String) method.

Note

The string returned by the ToShortDateString method is culture-sensitive. It reflects the pattern defined by the current culture's DateTimeFormatInfo.ShortDatePattern property. For example, for the en-US culture, the standard short date pattern is "M/d/yyyy"; for the de-DE culture, it is "dd.MM.yyyy"; for the ja-JP culture, it is "yyyy/MM/dd". Note that its value can vary depending on the .NET implementation and its version, the operating system and its version, and user customization.

For more information about the current thread culture, see the CultureInfo.CurrentCulture and Thread.CurrentCulture properties. For more information about format characters, format patterns, and the output they produce, see Standard date and time format strings and Custom date and time format strings. For more information about changing the format pattern associated with a format character, see the DateTimeFormatInfo class.

Applies to

Jaa