Need parse dd.MM.yyyy to DateTime using TryParse

Question

I need to parse string to DateTime. The string is always in the following format

\"10.10.2010\" That means dd.MM.yyyy, separated with dots.

I want to use Dat

Answer 1

TryParse doesn't let you specify the format - but you can use TryParseExact:

DateTime date;
if (DateTime.TryParseExact(text, "dd'.'MM'.'yyyy",
                           CultureInfo.InvariantCulture,
                           DateTimeStyles.None,
                           out date))
{
   // Success
}
else
{
   // Parse failed
}

Note that the dot doesn't strictly need to be escaped with the quotes, but personally I like to put any literal text in quotes just to make sure that it won't be changed. It's a personal preference thing though - you could certainly just use "dd.MM.yyyy" if you wanted.

Likewise I've specified the invariant culture which is what I normally do for a fixed custom style - but you could make it use the current culture or a specific other culture if you wanted. When you're using a custom style (rather than a standard style such as "long date") it's less likely to make any difference, admittedly.