DateTimePicker Control Overview (Windows Forms)

The Windows Forms DateTimePicker control allows the user to select a single item from a list of dates or times. When used to represent a date, it appears in two parts: a drop-down list with a date represented in text, and a grid that appears when you click on the down-arrow next to the list. The grid looks like the MonthCalendar control, which can be used for selecting multiple dates. For more information on the MonthCalendar control, see MonthCalendar Control Overview (Windows Forms).

Key Properties

If you wish the DateTimePicker to appear as a control for picking or editing times instead of dates, set the ShowUpDown property to true and the Format property to Time. For more information see How to: Display Time with the DateTimePicker Control.

When the ShowCheckBox property is set to true, a check box is displayed next to the selected date in the control. When the check box is checked, the selected date-time value can be updated. When the check box is empty, the value appears unavailable.

The control's MaxDate and MinDate properties determine the range of dates and times. The Value property contains the current date and time the control is set to. For details, see How to: Set and Return Dates with the Windows Forms DateTimePicker Control. The values can be displayed in four formats, which are set by the Format property: Long, Short, Time, or Custom. If a custom format is selected, you must set the CustomFormat property to an appropriate string. For details, see How to: Display a Date in a Custom Format with the Windows Forms DateTimePicker Control.

See Also

Tasks

How to: Display a Date in a Custom Format with the Windows Forms DateTimePicker Control
How to: Set and Return Dates with the Windows Forms DateTimePicker Control