How to Use the Convert Function for the Date Format

The convert function is a part of Visual Basic.

The .NET Visual Basic programming language provides developers with an internal "Convert()" function that changes the format of a string to a date. Data types are part of any development environment, so using the convert function allows you to implement date-specific functions on the string. Programmers can implement the Visual Basic convert function on any string that contains a day, month and year.

Instructions

1. Create the Visual Basic (VB) variables used to contain the string and converted date. The following code creates your VB variable:
   Dim strDate As String
   Dim dtDate As DateTime

2. Enter a value for the string variable. The value in the string must be a date or the convert function returns an error. In this example, a "short date" is created in the string variable. The code below is used to assign a value to the string:
   strDate = "3/1/2010"

3. Implement the convert function and assign it to the appropriate date variable. A converted date must be assigned to a variable with the date data type. This is why the extra date variable was defined in Step 1. The following code uses the convert function for the date:
   dtDate = Convert.ToDateTime(strDate)
   This code transfers and converts the string variable to the date variable. Now that the string is converted, you can use date-specific functions on it. For instance, the code below adds a day to the current date:
   dtDate = dtDate.AddDays(1)

References

• Top54u: ASP.Net Convert String to DateTime Using VB

Resources

• Microsoft: DateTime Methods