Member Avatar for AngelicOne

I thought by setting up the custom format of date time picker to |MM/dd/yy hh:mm tt" would work, but the selection doesn't change from date picker only! I need an object that I can be able to choose both date and time.

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A quick recap: the built-in picker returns a DateTime but its calendar drop-down is date-focused, so getting both a date and an explicit time usually means combining controls or using a control that exposes a time editor. attempted a custom format, and and highlighted reading the control value and switching to a time-only mode respectively. Below are practical options and a small pattern that works reliably.

Common approaches

  • Use two inputs: one for the date, one for the time, then build a single DateTime from their parts. This keeps UI simple and avoids fighting the built-in calendar UI.
  • Use a third-party datetime picker or build a small custom drop-down that contains a calendar plus hour/minute editors if you need a single compact control.
  • If you accept a spinner-style editor instead of a calendar drop-down, that’s a valid UX choice for time entry.

Combining date and time (example)

DateTime combined = new DateTime(
    datePicker.Value.Year,
    datePicker.Value.Month,
    datePicker.Value.Day,
    timePicker.Value.Hour,
    timePicker.Value.Minute,
    timePicker.Value.Second);

Storage and validation tips

  • Store timestamps as UTC or use DateTimeOffset to preserve absolute moments across time zones.
  • Persist in ISO 8601 (round-trip) format for safety when serializing.
  • Validate ranges (min/max), and choose sensible minute-step increments (5 / 15 minutes) to reduce input error.
  • Test AM/PM vs 24-hour cultures and keyboard-only workflows.

If the spinner solution you found works for your users, confirm it behaves correctly with different regional settings and that you combine and persist the resulting DateTime consistently.

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Member Avatar for Mitja Bonca

..., but the selection doesn't change from date picker only! I need an object that I can be able to choose both date and time.

Can you please elaborate this issue a bit precisly?

and this works:

DateTime date = dateTimePicker1.Value;
string strDate = String.Format("{0:MM/dd/yy hh:mm tt}", date);

thx,
Mitja

Edited by Mitja Bonca because: n/a
Member Avatar for ddanbe

You can use this, but then you can only select time
timePicker.Format = DateTimePickerFormat.Time;

Member Avatar for AngelicOne

I think I've done it. I set showupanddown to true and I can set now the time and date using an up and down scroll.

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