DateTime Default Value

Question

Hello,

I have a class with a property of type DateTime.

What is the default value for the DateTime type?

Can I check if a value was assigned to it without making it nullable?

Thanks,

Miguel

Answer 1

the default value of the DateTime is DateTime.MinValue  (01/01/0001)

 

DateTime date; 

//validate if the parameter has an assigned value or not

if (date != DateTime.MinValue)

{

}

Answer 2

To add to Suha's answer, you cannot know if a DateTime field has been assigned DateTime.MinValue or simply holds the default value.  Programmatically you can assume the field is not assigned.  Usually DateTime.MinValue is not a valid date to enter in a user interface, in which case you can assume if the value is MinValue the user has not yet assigned a value.  MinValue is often used to indicate unassigned dates.  However, a nullable DateTime might be a better option.

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Happy Coding!
Morten Wennevik [C# MVP]