How do I convert "2015-11-06T18:34:07+05:30" string to UTC DateTime object in C#

Question

I need to convert "2015-11-06T18:34:07+05:30" timestamp coming from server to DateTime object in C#.Then I need to convert this DateTime to UTC for comparison during synchronization process.And the time zone in this time stamp can vary.So how do I create a timezone independent functionality to get a UTC DateTime object from this timestamp string.

Answer 1

DateTime dt = DateTime.Parse("2015-11-06T18:34:07+05:30",
               CultureInfo.InvariantCulture,
               DateTimeStyles.AdjustToUniversal);

Or:

DateTime dt = DateTime.ParseExact("2015-11-06T18:34:07+05:30",
                                  "yyyy-MM-dd'T'HH:mm:ssK",
                                  CultureInfo.InvariantCulture,
                                  DateTimeStyles.AdjustToUniversal);

Or:

DateTimeOffset dto = DateTimeOffset.Parse("2015-11-06T18:34:07+05:30",
                                          CultureInfo.InvariantCulture);
DateTime dt = dto.UtcDateTime;

Or:

DateTimeOffset dto = DateTimeOffset.ParseExact("2015-11-06T18:34:07+05:30",
                                               "yyyy-MM-dd'T'HH:mm:sszzz",
                                               CultureInfo.InvariantCulture);
DateTime dt = dto.UtcDateTime;

Of course, there are also the TryParse and TryParseExact variants, if you need validation.

Personally, I'd recommend keeping it as a DateTimeOffset rather than going back to DateTime.

There's also Noda Time:

OffsetDateTimePattern pattern = OffsetDateTimePattern.ExtendedIsoPattern;
OffsetDateTime odt = pattern.Parse("2015-11-06T18:34:07+05:30").Value;
DateTimeOffset dto = odt.ToDateTimeOffset();
DateTime dt = dto.UtcDateTime;