asked on

How to force a time format regardless of regional settings.

Hi, I'm trying to write a program that reads timeframes from an ini file and after a change by the user, it saves back the information to the ini file. The thing is that I want to keep a constant format so that it will always read the right information. This is how I want the ini file :

[Time]
Dim=02:20:00 AM-08:00:00 PM
Lun=02:20:00 AM-09:00:00 PM
Mar=03:20:00 AM-10:00:00 PM
Mer=04:20:00 AM-11:00:00 PM
Jeu=05:20:00 AM-01:00:00 PM
Ven=06:20:00 AM-02:00:00 PM
Sam=07:20:00 AM-03:00:00 PM

so that when I read the file I can set the dateTimePicker properly using this :

Case currentline.Contains("Dim=")

timeSunBegin.Text = currentline.Substring(4, 11)
timeSunEnd.Text = currentline.Substring(16, 11)

The problem is that if my regional settings is set to h:mm:ss tt it won't show me the first digit if it's a zero. So when I write back to the ini file, it misses one digit.... I would like to force a format so that I keep the first digit regardless of what is set in the regional settings of the computer.

Any ideas?? Thanks

PatrickJacques

ASKER

By the way, I already tried to use String.Format(timeSunBegin.Text, "hh:mm:ss tt") when I write back to the file, but it doesn't do the trick, it still shows me 2:20:40 AM instead of 02:00:40 AM

Thanks

PockyMaster

You can set the local settings for your app environment by using the globalization namespaces.

PatrickJacques

ASKER

Can you clarify? I never used this function before..

Thanks for your help.

g_johnson

date.now.tostring("HHMMss")

PockyMaster

'your current settings
MessageBox.Show(CultureInfo.CurrentCulture.DateTimeFormat.ShortTimePattern)
'your time with your current settings
MessageBox.Show(Now.ToShortTimeString())
'clone your culture
Dim ci As CultureInfo = Application.CurrentCulture.Clone
'modify it
ci.DateTimeFormat.ShortTimePattern = "hh:MM:ss"
Application.CurrentCulture = ci

'did it work?
MessageBox.Show(Now.ToShortTimeString())

PockyMaster

You also can override different properties that way, and your application will keep on using it, as long as you stay in the same thread

PatrickJacques

ASKER

Thanks PockyMaster, I think we're getting close to it, but still does not work. Here's what I have :

Dim ci As CultureInfo = Application.CurrentCulture.Clone
ci.DateTimeFormat.ShortTimePattern = "hh:MM:ss tt"
Application.CurrentCulture = ci

'Update TimeFrame
CompleteText = CompleteText.Replace(CompleteText.Substring(72, 23), timeSunBegin.Text + "-" + timeSunEnd.Text)
MsgBox(timeSunBegin.Text)
MsgBox(CompleteText)

and the first msgbox shows me 2:20:40 AM instead of 02:20:40.

Thanks

PatrickJacques

ASKER

I guess I have to format my DateTimePicker too.. but I don't know how.. it does not show the first digit. Is there a way to force it ? I saw the customFormat property but does not do anything.

Thanks

PockyMaster

Let me try it for you..wait a mom

PatrickJacques

ASKER

God dawm it.. I think I just found out...newbie issue, sorry for the disturbance.

PatrickJacques

ASKER

I simply had to select Custom in the Format of the DateTimePicker instead of Time....

PockyMaster

There you go :D

Also use the Value instead of Text (that will provide you with a DateTime obj, instead of String)

PatrickJacques

ASKER