Getting Started with Windows Forms DateTimePicker (SfDateTimeEdit)

22 Jul 20267 minutes to read

This section briefly describes how to create a new Windows Forms project in Visual Studio and add the SfDateTimeEdit control with its basic functionalities.

Assembly deployment

Refer to the Control Dependencies section to get the list of assemblies or details of NuGet package that needs to be added as reference to use the control in any application.

Refer to this documentation to find more details about installing NuGet packages in a Windows Forms application.

Adding the SfDateTimeEdit control via designer

The following steps describe how to create an SfDateTimeEdit control via designer.

  1. Create a new Windows Forms application in Visual Studio.

  2. Add the SfDateTimeEdit control to an application by dragging it from the toolbox to design view. The following dependent assemblies will be added automatically:

    • Syncfusion.Core.WinForms
    • Syncfusion.SfInput.WinForms
    • Syncfusion.Shared.Base

Drag and drop the SfDateTimeEdit control to form

Adding SfDateTimeEdit control via code

The following steps describe how to create an SfDateTimeEdit control programmatically:

  1. Create a C# or VB application via Visual Studio.

  2. Add the following assembly references to the project:

    • Syncfusion.Core.WinForms
    • Syncfusion.SfInput.WinForms
    • Syncfusion.Shared.Base

  3. Include the required namespace.

​

using Syncfusion.WinForms.Input;
   
   using Syncfusion.WinForms.Input;
Imports Syncfusion.WinForms.Input
  1. Create an instance of the SfDateTimeEdit control, and then add it to the form.

​

using Syncfusion.WinForms.Input;
   
   SfDateTimeEdit sfDateTimeEdit = new SfDateTimeEdit();
   
   this.Controls.Add(sfDateTimeEdit);
Imports Syncfusion.WinForms.Input
   
   Dim sfDateTimeEdit As New SfDateTimeEdit()
   
   Me.Controls.Add(sfDateTimeEdit)

Date range

In a real-time appointment scenario, the appointment is open only for a limited number of days. You have to select a date and time within given range using the MinDateTime and MaxDateTime properties, which enable specified date range in the SfDateTimeEdit control.

using Syncfusion.WinForms.Input;

Syncfusion.WinForms.Input.SfDateTimeEdit dateTimeEdit = new Syncfusion.WinForms.Input.SfDateTimeEdit();

this.Controls.Add(dateTimeEdit);

dateTimeEdit.Value = new DateTime(2018, 2, 16);

dateTimeEdit.MinDateTime = new DateTime(2018, 2, 3);

dateTimeEdit.MaxDateTime = new DateTime(2018, 2, 27);
Imports Syncfusion.WinForms.Input

Dim dateTimeEdit As New Syncfusion.WinForms.Input.SfDateTimeEdit()

Me.Controls.Add(dateTimeEdit)

dateTimeEdit.Value = New DateTime(2018, 2, 16)

dateTimeEdit.MinDateTime = New DateTime(2018, 2, 3)

dateTimeEdit.MaxDateTime = New DateTime(2018, 2, 27)

SfDateTimeEdit control

Editing mode

The date-time value in the DateTimeEdit can be edited in two ways as follows.

  • Default Editing
  • Mask Editing

Editing modes can be changed using the DateTimeEditingMode property of SfDateTimeEdit. The following code example demonstrates how to change the date-time editing mode.

using Syncfusion.WinForms.Input;

dateTimeEdit.DateTimeEditingMode = DateTimeEditingMode.Mask;
Imports Syncfusion.WinForms.Input

dateTimeEdit.DateTimeEditingMode = DateTimeEditingMode.Mask

Editing mode

Allow null value

The SfDateTimeEdit allows you to set Value to null in the mask mode of DateTimeEditing when AllowNull is set to true.

using Syncfusion.WinForms.Input;

dateTimeEdit.DateTimeEditingMode = DateTimeEditingMode.Mask;

dateTimeEdit.AllowNull = true;

dateTimeEdit.Watermark = "Choose a date";
Imports Syncfusion.WinForms.Input

dateTimeEdit.DateTimeEditingMode = DateTimeEditingMode.Mask

dateTimeEdit.AllowNull = true

dateTimeEdit.Watermark = "Choose a date"

SfDateTimeEdit allows null value

Custom format

The custom pattern can be displayed in the SfDateTimeEdit control using the Format property when DateTimePattern is set to custom.

using Syncfusion.WinForms.Input;

dateTimeEdit.Value = new DateTime(2018, 2, 5);

dateTimeEdit.DateTimePattern = DateTimePattern.Custom;

//Setting Custom Pattern

dateTimeEdit.Format = "MM/dd/yy hh:mm:ss";
Imports Syncfusion.WinForms.Input

dateTimeEdit.Value = New DateTime(2018, 2, 5)

dateTimeEdit.DateTimePattern = DateTimePattern.Custom

'Setting Custom Pattern

dateTimeEdit.Format = "MM/dd/yy hh:mm:ss"

Custom format

Configure up-down

You can edit the value of DateTimeEdit using the up-down button by setting the ShowUpDown property to true. The up-down button appears only when DateTimeEditingMode is set to mask.

using Syncfusion.WinForms.Input;

//Enable the UpDown Button

this.dateTimeEdit.ShowUpDown = true;
Imports Syncfusion.WinForms.Input

'Enable the UpDown Button

Me.dateTimeEdit.ShowUpDown = true

Up down DateTimeEdit

Configure the calculation of week number based on culture

You can get the current week number in SfDateTimeEdit control by changing the CalendarWeekRule property value of date time format in CultureInfo. The default value of CalendarWeekRule property is FirstDay.

using Syncfusion.WinForms.Input;

SfDateTimeEdit sfdateTimeEdit1 = new SfDateTimeEdit();
CultureInfo info = new CultureInfo("en-EN");
info.DateTimeFormat.CalendarWeekRule = CalendarWeekRule.FirstFullWeek;
sfdateTimeEdit1.Culture = info;
Imports Syncfusion.WinForms.Input

Dim sfdateTimeEdit1 As SfDateTimeEdit = New SfDateTimeEdit()
Dim info As CultureInfo = New CultureInfo("en-EN")
info.DateTimeFormat.CalendarWeekRule = CalendarWeekRule.FirstFullWeek
sfdateTimeEdit1.Culture = info