How can I convert the nullable DateTime dt2 to a formatted string?
DateTime dt = DateTime.Now;
Console.WriteLine(dt.ToString("yyyy-MM-dd hh:mm:ss")); //works
DateTime? dt2 = DateTime.Now;
Console.WriteLine(dt2.ToString("yyyy-MM-dd hh:mm:ss")); //gives following error:
no overload to method ToString takes one argument
Console.WriteLine(dt2 != null ? dt2.Value.ToString("yyyy-MM-dd hh:mm:ss") : "n/a");
EDIT: As stated in other comments, check that there is a non-null value.
Update: as recommended in the comments, extension method:
public static string ToString(this DateTime? dt, string format)
=> dt == null ? "n/a" : ((DateTime)dt).ToString(format);
And starting in C# 6, you can use the null-conditional operator to simplify the code even more. The expression below will return null if the DateTime?
is null.
dt2?.ToString("yyyy-MM-dd hh:mm:ss")