Mask Type: Date-Time Offset

• Nov 15, 2022
• 6 minutes to read

The DateTimeOffset masks work similar to Date-Time masks and allow you to display and edit values of the DateTimeOffset type. In these modes, the editor displays date/time values with the offset between the system’s time zone and UTC.

Note

The DateEdit editor does not support the DateTimeOffset masks. This editor works with the DateTime values only.

Date-Time Offset Mask Modes

The DevExpress WPF Data Editors support the following input modes for DateTimeOffset masks:

• DateTimeOffset - supports only manual navigation between editable mask parts.
• DateTimeOffsetAdvancingCaret - enables automatic navigation between mask parts. If a user completes a part of the value, the caret moves to the next editable part.

Enable Date-Time Offset Masks

To enable a particular DateTimeOffset mask mode, set the TextEdit.MaskType property (or the TextEditSettings.MaskType for in-place editors) to DateTimeOffset or DateTimeOffsetAdvancingCaret. Use the TextEdit.Mask property (or TextEditSettings.Mask for in-place editors) to specify the mask itself.

Mask as a Display Format

DateTimeOffset masks are similar to the display formats described in the Date and Time Format Strings document. You can use the editor’s mask as a display format specifier. If an editor loses input focus, the display text still uses the specified custom format. To enable this functionality, use the TextEdit.MaskUseAsDisplayFormat property (TextEditSettings.MaskUseAsDisplayFormat for in-place editors).

Predefined Masks

Predefined masks allow users to edit DateTimeOffset values according to common patterns. The table below lists the available masks.

Standard Mask	Name	Description	Samples Culture: English (U.S.)
MM/dd/yyyy HH:mm:ss zzz	Date/Time with timezone	The mask matches the 24-hour Date/Time with the timezone offset pattern.
O and o	Round-trip date/time	The mask matches the round-trip date/time pattern.

Custom Masks

Use the following mask specifiers to create custom DateTimeOffset masks:

Mask Specifier	Description	Sample
d	A day of a month.	1 - 31
dd	A day of a month, starts with zero for single-digit values.	01 - 31
ddd	A read-only abbreviated name of the day of the week. The AbbreviatedDayNames property returns abbreviated day names for the current culture.	Sun - Sat
dddd	A read-only name of the day of the week. The DayNames property returns day names for the current culture.	Sunday - Saturday
f or F	Fractions of a second displayed as one digit.	1 - 9
ff or FF	Fractions of a second displayed as two digits.	01 - 99
fff or FFF	Fractions of a second displayed as three digits.	001 - 999
ffff or FFFF	Fractions of a second displayed as four read-only digits.	0001 - 9999
fffff or FFFFF	Fractions of a second displayed as five read-only digits.	00001 - 99999
ffffff or FFFFFF	Fractions of a second displayed as six read-only digits.	000001 - 999999
fffffff or FFFFFFF	Fractions of a second displayed as seven read-only digits.	0000001 - 9999999
g	A read-only era. The Eras property returns era names for the current calendar.	AD, CE
h	Hours in the 12-hours format.	1 - 12
hh	Hours in the 12-hours format, starts with zero for single-digit values.	01 - 12
H	Hours in the 24-hours format.	0 - 23
HH	Hours in the 24-hours format, starts with zero for single-digit values.	00 - 23
m	Minutes.	0 - 59
mm	Minutes, starts with zero for single-digit values.	00 - 59
M	A month number.	1 - 12
MM	A month number, starts with zero for single-digit values.	01-12
MMM	An abbreviated name of the month. The AbbreviatedMonthNames property returns abbreviated month names for the current culture.	Jan - Dec
MMMM	A name of the month. The MonthNames property returns month names for the current culture.	January - December
s	Seconds.	0 - 59
ss	Seconds, starts with zero for single-digit values.	00 - 59
t	The first character of a time designator.	A, P
tt	A time designator.	AM, PM
y	Last two digits of the year.	1 for 2001, 30 for 1930
yy	Last two digits of the year, starts with zero for single-digit values.	01 for 2001, 30 for 1930
yyyy	A four-digit year.	0001-9999
z	The offset between the system’s time zone and UTC in hours.	+11, -5
zz	The offset between the system’s time zone and UTC in hours, starts with zero for single-digit values.	+11, -05
zzz	The offset between the system’s time zone and UTC in hours and minutes.	-12:00 to +13:00
:	A time separator. The TimeSeparator property returns the time separator for the current culture.	: in the en-US culture
/	A date separator. The DateSeparator property returns the date separator for the current culture.	/ in the en-US culture
\	The escape character that allows you to insert a following character as a text.	\H\H is interpreted as a HH text
' or "	A read-only custom string.	‘Current date:’

If you use a mask specifier as a single character, it is interpreted as a predefined mask. To use a custom specifier which matches one of the standard specifiers, precede this specifier with the % character (%d).

User Capabilities

• The Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys increase and decrease the focused part of the date value.
• The mouse wheel increases and decreases the focused part of the date value.
• Users can enter the initial letter of the month or the month’s order number (1-12) to edit the full or abbreviated month name.
• The Space key moves the caret to the next part of the date value.
• The date separator character moves the caret to the next part of the date value.
• The Left Arrow and Right Arrow keys move the caret to the previous or next part of the date value.

• If a mask requires users to enter a four digit year (the yyyy mask), a user can enter the last two (or one) digits of this year. The first two digits are determined based on the current culture.

  Refer to the following help topic for more information: TwoDigitYearMax.

Example

The following code sample binds the TextEdit to a DateTimeOffset field and specifies an input mask:

XAML

<dxe:TextEdit EditValue="{Binding DateTimeOffsetValue}" 
              MaskType="DateTimeOffset" Mask="dd MMMM, hh:mm tt zzz" 
              MaskUseAsDisplayFormat="True"/>

C#

public class ViewModel : ViewModelBase {
    public DateTimeOffset DateTimeOffsetValue { get; set; } = DateTimeOffset.Now;
}

VB.NET

Public Class ViewModel
    Inherits ViewModelBase

    Public Property DateTimeOffsetValue As DateTimeOffset = DateTimeOffset.Now
End Class