FormatDateTime()

About this article

FormatDateTime() is a function that formats dates and time according to a date format and language.

Prerequisites

Syntax

There are two different syntaxes for FormatDateTime(), one taking 3 parameters and the second taking 5 parameters. The first syntax is if your date is already a Date object such as one that has been converted using DateValue() or coming from a date form field. The second syntax takes text values and converts them to a date object in the background and then formats the date. This is typically used for external systems such as Salesforce.

Syntax 1

The syntax if you already have your date as a date object. The Language is designated using a BCP 47 language tag and will determine the language used for expressing days and months. The Format follows the .NET standard referenced in the article on date formats.

Example 1

Use a date form field to insert text in a text binding that formats according to dddd d MMMM yyyy for the en-US language. The language setting is expressed in the output being Thursday and November.

Example 2

Use today's date that formats according to dddd d MMMM yyyy for the nl-NL language. 

Syntax 2

The syntax if you need to convert text to a date object automatically in the background. ResultFormat and SourceFormat follow the .NET standard. ResultLanguage and SourceLanguage are designated by BCP 47 language tags and determine the input and output of days and months.

Example 1

Converting a date from a text form field with a source format of MMM d'th,' yyyy with language en-US to a result format of dddd d MMMM yyyy with language nl-NL(Dutch)

Example 2

You can also use FormatDateTime() in combination with a HostSystem binding, which is used for e.g. Salesforce, SharePoint or Document Creation Services 1.1. Depending on the type of date used in the host system (e.g. yyyy-MM-ddTHH:mm:ss or yyyyMMdd), you have to use the appropriate binding.

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