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How to set timezone based timestamp to get current date and time in C#? [duplicate]

This code has been working for a long time now but has broken now when I try to pass DateTime.Now as the outageEndDate parameter:
public Outage(DateTime outageStartDate, DateTime outageEndDate, Dictionary<string, string> weeklyHours, string province, string localProvince)
{
this.outageStartDate = outageStartDate;
this.outageEndDate = outageEndDate;
this.weeklyHours = weeklyHours;
this.province = province;
localTime = TimeZoneInfo.FindSystemTimeZoneById(timeZones[localProvince]);
if (outageStartDate < outageEndDate)
{
TimeZoneInfo remoteTime = TimeZoneInfo.FindSystemTimeZoneById(timeZones[province]);
outageStartDate = TimeZoneInfo.ConvertTime(outageStartDate, localTime, remoteTime);
outageEndDate = TimeZoneInfo.ConvertTime(outageEndDate, localTime, remoteTime);
The error message I am getting on the last line is that the Kind property is not set correctly on the DateTime parameter (outageEndDate). I've Googled and checked SO for examples but I don't really understand the error message.
Any advice is appreciated.
Regards.
EDIT - The exact error message is:
The conversion could not be completed because the supplied DateTime did not have the Kind
property set correctly. For example, when the Kind property is DateTimeKind.Local, the source
time zone must be TimeZoneInfo.Local. Parameter name: sourceTimeZone
EDIT: outageEndDate.Kind = Utc

Thanks for clarifying your question.
If the DateTime instance Kind is Local, then TimeZoneInfo.ConvertTime will expect the second parameter to be the local timezone of your computer.
If DateTime instance Kind is Utc, then TimeZoneInfo.ConvertTime will expect the second parameter to be the Utc timezone.
You need to convert outageEndDate to the right timezone first, just in case the localProvice timezone doesn't match the timezone on your computer.
outageEndDate = TimeZoneInfo.ConvertTime(outageEndDate, localTime);

here is an example of something that you could try
It depends on what you mean by "a GMT + 1 timezone". Do you mean permanently UTC+1, or do you mean UTC+1 or UTC+2 depending on DST?
If you're using .NET 3.5, use TimeZoneInfo to get an appropriate time zone, then use:
// Store this statically somewhere
TimeZoneInfo maltaTimeZone = TimeZoneInfo.FindSystemTimeZoneById("...");
DateTime utc = DateTime.UtcNow;
DateTime malta = TimeZoneInfo.ConvertTimeFromUtc(utc, maltaTimeZone );
You'll need to work out the system ID for the Malta time zone, but you can do that easily by running this code locally:
Console.WriteLine(TimeZoneInfo.Local.Id);
If you're not using .NET 3.5, you'll need to work out the daylight savings yourself. To be honest, the easiest way to do that is going to be a simple lookup table. Work out the DST changes for the next few years, then write a simple method to return the offset at a particular UTC time with that list hardcoded. You might just want a sorted List<DateTime> with the known changes in, and alternate between 1 and 2 hours until your date is after the last change:
// Be very careful when building this list, and make sure they're UTC times!
private static readonly IEnumerable<DateTime> DstChanges = ...;
static DateTime ConvertToLocalTime(DateTime utc)
{
int hours = 1; // Or 2, depending on the first entry in your list
foreach (DateTime dstChange in DstChanges)
{
if (utc < dstChange)
{
return DateTime.SpecifyKind(utc.AddHours(hours), DateTimeKind.Local);
}
hours = 3 - hours; // Alternate between 1 and 2
}
throw new ArgumentOutOfRangeException("I don't have enough DST data!");
}

Using NodaTime how do I compare the local time now to a fixed time?

I want to be able to compare the current local time in C# using NodaTime to a fixed local time during the day. I do not need to worry about time zones or daylight savings, I just need to do the comparison with the local system time. So far I have this code...
IClock clock = SystemClock.Instance;
Instant instant = clock.Now;
var timeZone = DateTimeZoneProviders.Tzdb["Europe/London"];
var zonedDateTime = instant.InZone(timeZone);
var timeNow = zonedDateTime.ToString("HH:mm", System.Globalization.CultureInfo.InvariantCulture);
int tst = timeNow.CompareTo(new LocalTime(11, 00));
if (tst < 0)
{
eventLog1.WriteEntry("Time is before 11am.");
}
I get an error but as I am relatively new to C# and NodTime would appreciate some pointers where I am going wrong.

To get the local system time, you do need to worry about the time zone. You can use:
var clock = SystemClock.Instance; // Or inject it, preferrably
// Note that this *could* throw an exception. You could use
// DateTimeZoneProviders.Bcl.GetSystemDefault() to use the Windows
// time zone database.
var zone = DateTimeZoneProviders.Tzdb.GetSystemDefault();
var now = clock.Now.InZone(zone);
if (now.TimeOfDay < new LocalTime(11, 0))
{
...
}
In Noda Time 2.0, this is made somewhat simpler using ZonedClock:
var zonedClock = SystemClock.Instance.InTzdbSystemDefaultZone();
if (zonedClock.GetCurrentTimeOfDay() < new LocalTime(11, 0))
{
...
}
For "earlier than 11 o'clock" you could always use if (time.Hour < 11) of course, but using a LocalTime is more general.

How to get country wise / timezone wise date & time from internet server

i have to show date & time to user as per the user timezone id. i can not rely on user pc date time and setting. i was searching Google for the way and got a below code. code seems will query many external server for date & time but one thing not clear to me what kind of date & time i can expect from the below code.
some time i need india time. some time i need london time and some time i need other country local time. few county has many timezone that is why i want to send timezone id/name and want to get datetime based on timezone id/name.
so just guide me how to customize the below code where i can send user's side timezone id and routine will return right local time based on timezone id even if user pc datetime setting is wrong. looking for good help. thanks
public static DateTime GetFastestNISTDate()
{
var result = DateTime.MinValue;
// Initialize the list of NIST time servers
// http://tf.nist.gov/tf-cgi/servers.cgi
string[] servers = new string[] {
"nist1-ny.ustiming.org",
"nist1-nj.ustiming.org",
"nist1-pa.ustiming.org",
"time-a.nist.gov",
"time-b.nist.gov",
"nist1.aol-va.symmetricom.com",
"nist1.columbiacountyga.gov",
"nist1-chi.ustiming.org",
"nist.expertsmi.com",
"nist.netservicesgroup.com"
};
// Try 5 servers in random order to spread the load
Random rnd = new Random();
foreach (string server in servers.OrderBy(s => rnd.NextDouble()).Take(5))
{
try
{
// Connect to the server (at port 13) and get the response
string serverResponse = string.Empty;
using (var reader = new StreamReader(new System.Net.Sockets.TcpClient(server, 13).GetStream()))
{
serverResponse = reader.ReadToEnd();
}
// If a response was received
if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(serverResponse))
{
// Split the response string ("55596 11-02-14 13:54:11 00 0 0 478.1 UTC(NIST) *")
string[] tokens = serverResponse.Split(' ');
// Check the number of tokens
if (tokens.Length >= 6)
{
// Check the health status
string health = tokens[5];
if (health == "0")
{
// Get date and time parts from the server response
string[] dateParts = tokens[1].Split('-');
string[] timeParts = tokens[2].Split(':');
// Create a DateTime instance
DateTime utcDateTime = new DateTime(
Convert.ToInt32(dateParts[0]) + 2000,
Convert.ToInt32(dateParts[1]), Convert.ToInt32(dateParts[2]),
Convert.ToInt32(timeParts[0]), Convert.ToInt32(timeParts[1]),
Convert.ToInt32(timeParts[2]));
// Convert received (UTC) DateTime value to the local timezone
result = utcDateTime.ToLocalTime();
return result;
// Response successfully received; exit the loop
}
}
}
}
catch
{
// Ignore exception and try the next server
}
}
return result;
}
EDIT
var wc = GetFastestNISTDate();
var pattern = InstantPattern.CreateWithInvariantCulture("dd/MM/yyyy HH:mm:ss");
var parseResult = pattern.Parse(wc.ToString("dd/MM/yyyy HH:mm:ss", CultureInfo.InvariantCulture));
if (!parseResult.Success)
throw new InvalidDataException("...whatever...");
var instant = parseResult.Value;
var timeZone = DateTimeZoneProviders.Tzdb["Europe/London"];
var zonedDateTime = instant.InZone(timeZone);
var bclDateTime = zonedDateTime.ToDateTimeUnspecified();
timezone translation is not working. i got the right date from this function GetFastestNISTDate(); and next i try to get local date and time of different timezone based on my first utc time but code return wrong time for London. i guess i am making mistake the code. can anyone see & help. thanks

DateTime tzDateTime = TimeZoneInfo.ConvertTimeFromUtc(utcDateTime, TimeZone);
Hope this helps.

The timeservers will report UTC time (that's why the variable is named utcDateTime).
The result = utcDateTime.ToLocalTime(); line converts that UTC time from the timeserver to the local time according to the timezone your computer is in. If you want a different timezone, you need to change that line.
As amit mentioned, you can use TimeZoneInfo.ConvertTimeFromUtc to convert to some specified timezone. See the example on that page.
TimeZoneInfo cstZone = TimeZoneInfo.FindSystemTimeZoneById("Central Standard Time");
DateTime cstTime = TimeZoneInfo.ConvertTimeFromUtc(timeUtc, cstZone);

Getting invalid result when using Noda Time c#

Assume Instant variable contains "4/8/2014 11:09:24 AM" when i pass this value to this method it gives me an output "4/8/2014 12:09:24 PM" i checked in some time zone calcluator plus in oracle i should be getting "4/8/2014 04:09:24 PM" or "4/8/2014 16:09:24 PM" depending on hour format. why is it not converting into proper time format?
public static string ConvertDateTimeToUserTimeZone()
{
DateTime dt = DateTime.Parse("4/8/2014 11:09:24 AM");
Instant now = Instant.FromDateTimeUtc(DateTime.SpecifyKind(dt,DateTimeKind.Utc));
DateTimeZone dtZone = DateTimeZoneProviders.Tzdb["Europe/London"];
ZonedDateTime zdt = now.InZone(dtZone);
return zdt.ToDateTimeOffset().ToString("G");
}

Reading through your comments, it would appear that you'd like to do the following:
Parse the input string
Assign it to the the US Eastern time zone ("America/New_York")
Convert it to the time zone for the UK ("Europe/London")
Format it as a string in the general format
I will show using Noda Time for all of these steps, rather than mixing in non-Noda mechanisms.
var generalPattern = LocalDateTimePattern.CreateWithCurrentCulture("G");
string inputString = "4/8/2014 11:09:24 AM";
string sourceTimeZone = "America/New_York";
string targetTimeZone = "Europe/London";
LocalDateTime ldt1 = generalPattern.Parse(inputString).Value;
DateTimeZone tz1 = DateTimeZoneProviders.Tzdb[sourceTimeZone];
ZonedDateTime zdt1 = ldt1.InZoneLeniently(tz1);
DateTimeZone tz2 = DateTimeZoneProviders.Tzdb[targetTimeZone];
ZonedDateTime zdt2 = zdt1.WithZone(tz2);
LocalDateTime ldt2 = zdt2.LocalDateTime;
string output = generalPattern.Format(ldt2);
Notice that I used CreateWithCurrentCulture when setting up the pattern. This assumes you mean to use whatever the current culture is for the machine the code is running on. If that's not the case, then you should set a specific culture instead. This is important when you realize that users in the US will use M/D/Y formatting, while users in the UK will use D/M/Y formatting. This applies to both dates regardless of time zone. (In other words, 4/8/2014 could be April 8th, or August 4th).
Also notice that I used InZoneLeniently when applying the source time zone. This has lenient behavior when it comes to ambiguous and invalid input values due to DST transitions. If you want different behavior, then you might instead use InZoneStrictly, or use InZone and provide your own algorithm.
And finally, it should be noted that I inferred from your comments that you were sourcing these from the US Eastern time zone, which would be either EDT or EST depending on what time of year it is. If you actually meant that the values were always EDT, even when EST is the norm, then you would do the following:
DateTimeZone tz1 = DateTimeZone.ForOffset(Offset.FromHours(-4));

The value you got back from the method is in fact correct.
Let's break it down using LINQPad:
void Main()
{
var t = new DateTime(2014, 8, 4, 11, 09, 24, DateTimeKind.Utc);
var i = Instant.FromDateTimeUtc(t);
var s = ConvertDateTimeToUserTimeZone(i);
s.Dump("User time zone value");
}
public static string ConvertDateTimeToUserTimeZone(Instant now)
{
DateTimeZone dtZone = DateTimeZoneProviders.Tzdb["Europe/London"];
dtZone.GetUtcOffset(now).Dump("TZ at instant");
ZonedDateTime zdt = now.InZone(dtZone);
return zdt.ToDateTimeOffset().ToString("G");
}
Output:
TZ at instant
+01
User time zone value
04.08.2014 12:09:24
The time zone at the point of that instant is thus UTC+1, which means that the value you gave the code gives you the correct value back, 12:09.
To get 16:09, you would need UTC+5, and Europe/London has never been that value.
So 12:09:24 is correct, your assumptions that it should be 16:09:24 is wrong.
You need to go back to the code and/or sites you used to get the "correct" value, the source of your confusion is there, not in this code.

.net client server with different timezones

I have a very strange behavior on an application. The server is in New York(-5 GMT timezone) and the client - me, in Romania(+2 GMT timezone) so there is a 7 hour discrepancy. The problem I'm facing is when I try to save a date, let's say 12:00(day doesn't matter), the client is sending a request with the date 12:00, the 12:00 reaches the database but when it returns the severs returns the hour 19:00. I tried to debug on local to see who messes up the date but since I have the same date on server and on client there is no discrepancy.
This is the parameter sent to server &startDate=07/25/2012%2012:00:00
And this is the result: 1343232000000 - the seconds from the epoch(if you use a converter - http://www.epochconverter.com/ - you will see that the date is in fact Wed Jul 25 2012 19:00:00
here are some code snippets :
public static void GetProfessionalsHours(List<long> ids, out List<SalonProfessional> professionals)
{
professionals = new List<SalonProfessional>();
using (SqlConnection conn = new SqlConnection(DbConfig.ConnectionString))
{
using (
SqlCommand command = new SqlCommand("GetProfessionalsHours", conn) { CommandType = CommandType.StoredProcedure })
{
conn.Open();
command.Parameters.AddWithValue("professionalIDs", ids.CommaSeparated());
using (IDataReader reader = command.ExecuteReader())
{
//get normal schedule
while (reader.Read())
{
professionals.Add(SalonProfessional.GetSalonProfessional(reader));
}
reader.NextResult();
while (reader.Read())
{
professionals.Find(p => p.ID == reader.GetInt64(1)).Hours.Add(ProfessionalHours.GetProfessionalHour(reader));
}
//get overriden hours
reader.NextResult();
while (reader.Read())
{
professionals.Find(p => p.ID == reader.GetInt64(1)).OverriddenHours.Add(ProfessionalOverriddenHour.GetProfessionalOverriddenHour(reader));
}
}
}
}
}
public static ProfessionalOverriddenHour GetProfessionalOverriddenHour(IDataReader reader)
{
return new ProfessionalOverriddenHour()
{
ID = reader.GetInt64(0),
ProfessionalId = reader.GetInt64(1),
StartDate = reader.GetDateTime(2),
EndDate = reader.GetDateTime(3),
};
}
public JsonResult CalendarData(List<long> professionalIDs, CalendarData calendarData)
{
AjaxResponse response = new AjaxResponse();
response.Success = true;
CalendarDataResponseObject responseData = new CalendarDataResponseObject();
response.Content = responseData;
try
{
List<SalonProfessional> professionals = null;
CalendarOperations.GetProfessionalsHours(professionalIDs, out professionals);
responseData.Professionals = professionals;
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
response.Success = true;
response.ErrorMessage = "Could not retrieve calendar data";
ExceptionsOperations.LogException(ex, "Could not retrieve calendar data");
}
return Json(response, JsonRequestBehavior.AllowGet);
}
The problem is on StartDate and EndDate from the ProfessionalOverriddenHour object.

You could send the offset (z) or agree on UTC
Console.WriteLine(DateTime.Now.ToString("hh mm ss z"));
Console.WriteLine(DateTime.Now.ToUniversalTime().ToString());

Try storing and retrieving date string after converting with reference to UTC first.
Here is a excerpt from Scott Hanselman blog post
Phrased differently, don't use DateTime.Now for ANY date calculations
or to store anything. Use DateTime.UTCNow and be aware that some
methods will freak out if you send them future dates, as they should.
Avoid doing ANYTHING in local time until that last second when you
show the DateTime to the user.
Also check out Daylight saving time and time zone best practices

Like already suggested, always use UTC when storing dates (in databases, files, etc.), and let the client itself decide on what timezone should be used when displaying that date (and only then!)
You can of course get it working by just including the timezone data in the date string, but it makes everything more complex (imho), stick to the simple case where dates are always UTC, unless you're displaying it to the users.

Thanks a lot for help guys!
The problem was that both the server and the client were converting the date to their local time. So the solution was to get the hours difference on server and add them to the date and on javascript to work with utc time. Basically when you don't need time zones, work with UTC everywhere.