Converting a custom date format (string) to a datetime

Question

I have a large set (100+ million) of observations with the date represented as a custom string format. We did not generate the date strings, I just need to convert the date string to a datetime type.

How do I convert a string date (eg, 12 JUN 2010) to a datetime? My thoughts are to parse the string into components, assemble them in the correct order, and pass that string to the constructor of datetime. Is there a way to pass datetime() a custom date format string instead?

Thanks!

Answer 1

And for the custom format strings: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/8kb3ddd4.aspx

Answer 2

Take a look at DateTime.ParseExact, e.g.

var dateTime = DateTime.ParseExact(
    "12 JUN 2010", 
    "dd MMM yyyy", 
    CultureInfo.InvariantCulture);

You can also specify a fourth parameter to set the Kind of date/time, for example if they are UTC date/times then you'd likely want to specify DateTimeStyles.AssumeUniversal.

Answer 3

That DateTime string is valid for DateTime.Parse() (or .TryParse())

As for a truly custom string that .Parse() can't handle, you are probably correct, you'd need to pull your string apart and reassemble it in a useful manner.

Answer 4

You can use DateTime.ParseExact, and pass the format into this method using the custom date and time format strings. This will allow you to parse the date in one pass.