DateTime vs. DateTimeOffset: When Should I Use Which?

DateTime and DateTimeoffset in .NET: The difference between the instantaneous time and the calendar time

When processing time information in .NET, developers often face the problems of choosing DateTime and DateTimeOffset. Although both represent time value, their purpose and usage are very different.

datetime: indicate the time of the calendar

Datetime means the calendar time, that is, a specific location on the calendar in a specific time zone. By default, its Kind attribute is set to UNSPECIFIED, indicating that the time zone is not clear. However, you can set it to Local or UTC to clearly specify the time zone.

When using Kind's DateTime as Local, be sure to pay attention to the time zone of the local computer. This is particularly important to compare or display DateTime values ​​from different computers or databases.

Datetimeoffset: Means instantaneous time

On the other hand, DateTimeOffset means instantaneous time, also known as the absolute time. It capture a specific moment for everyone, which has nothing to do with time zone, and includes time and offset information. The offset indicates the difference between the time zone where the capture time is located and the zero offset (UTC). How to choose the right type

DateTime and DateTimeOffset depends on the expected use case:

If you need to indicate the time of a specific location or calendar,

use DateTime

. Make sure that Kind (LOCAL or UTC) is clearly specified to avoid confusion.

If you need to indicate that you must be consistent globally and not affected by the time zone change,
• use DateTimeOffset .
• Other precautions

Standardized:

When comparing the doteTimeOffset value, it will be standardized to zero displacement before comparison. conversion:

According to the time zone of the local computer, there is a hidden conversion from DateTime to DateTimeOffset (Kind set to LOCAL). Please use this conversion carefully because it may cause inaccurate.

• Related concept: NODA TIME provides a ZoneDateTime type, which combines instantaneous time and calendar time information.

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