How to display DateTime with an abbreviated Time Zone?

Question

I am aware of the System.TimeZone class as well as the many uses of the DateTime.ToString() method. What I haven\'t been able to find is a way to convert a DateTime to a st

Answer 1

If pulling the abbreviation from the DaylightName/StandardName, you're going to be better off building the string using a StringBuilder, for strings are immutable.

    public static string ToCurrentTimeZoneString(this DateTime date)
    {
        string name = TimeZone.CurrentTimeZone.IsDaylightSavingTime(date) ?
            TimeZone.CurrentTimeZone.DaylightName :
            TimeZone.CurrentTimeZone.StandardName;
        return name;
    }

    public static string ToCurrentTimeZoneShortString(this DateTime date)
    {
        StringBuilder result = new StringBuilder();

        foreach (string value in date.ToCurrentTimeZoneString().Split(' '))
        {
            if (value.IsNotNullOrEmptyWithTrim())
            {
                result.Append(char.ToUpper(value[0]));
            }
        }

        return result.ToString();
    }

Of course, an array containing KeyValuePair's is probably best for a multinational company. If you want to shave a few minutes off of a tight deadline, and you are at a US company, this works.

Answer 2

Ok, It's been 4 years (and almost a week), it's time we brought LINQ into the discussion...

Putting together Criag's and Bob's ideas...

public static String TimeZoneName2(DateTime dt)
{
    var return ToCurrentTimeZoneShortString(dt)
                 .Split(new char[]{' '}, StringSplitOptions.RemoveEmptyEntries);
    return sSplit.Aggregate("", (st,w)=> st +=w[0]);
}

Unless you can trust TimeZone to never return a string with two consecutive spaces:

public static String TimeZoneName3(DateTime dt)
{
    return ToCurrentTimeZoneShortString(dt).Split(' ')
                 .Aggregate("", (st,w)=> st +=w[0]);
}