How to Get an ISO 8601 String from a .NET DateTime Object?

Generating ISO 8601 Strings from .NET DateTime Objects

.NET developers often need to convert DateTime objects into ISO 8601 strings for data exchange with external systems. This article explores efficient methods for achieving this.

Custom Formatting: A Less Reliable Approach

While custom date formatting is possible, it's less reliable for generating consistent ISO 8601 strings:

<code class="language-csharp">// Less reliable approach
DateTime.UtcNow.ToString("yyyy-MM-ddTHH\:mm\:ss.fffffffzzz", CultureInfo.InvariantCulture);</code>

This might produce a string like:

<code>2008-09-22T13:57:31.2311892-04:00</code>

The "Round-Trip" Format: A Preferred Method

The "round-trip" format ("o" standard format specifier) provides a more robust solution, ensuring compatibility with ISO 8601:

<code class="language-csharp">// Preferred method
DateTime.UtcNow.ToString("o", CultureInfo.InvariantCulture);</code>

This generates a string in the format:

<code>2008-09-22T14:01:54.9571247Z</code>

Meeting Specific Formatting Needs

If a precise format like yyyy-MM-ddTHH:mm:ssZ is required, use this code:

<code class="language-csharp">DateTime.UtcNow.ToString("yyyy-MM-ddTHH:mm:ssZ", CultureInfo.InvariantCulture);</code>

This results in a string similar to:

<code>2008-09-22T14:02:16Z</code>

Choosing the appropriate method ensures accurate and reliable ISO 8601 string generation from your .NET DateTime objects.

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