CODEWITHSUNDEEP
c#sqlsql-serverdatetime
JamesP
JamesP

Reputation: 195

DateTime accepts null value

In the web app I'm working on, the web app should be able to accept null DateTimevalues, because customers might be hesitant to give information about their Date of Birth. Of course, this won't be an easy task, because in C#, DateTime is not nullable. 

DateTime rawBirthDate = Convert.ToDateTime(txtDOB.Text);
fxTxn.BirthDate = rawBirthDate;

with that, I had to change my code to accept a null value:

DateTime? rawBirthDate = string.IsNullOrEmpty(txtBirthDate) ? (DateTime?)null : DateTime.Parse(txtBirthDate);
fxTxn.BirthDate = Convert.ToDateTime(rawBirthDate);

this code, in turn, returns 1/1/0001 12:00:00.000 AM. However, MSSQL throws a DateOutOfRangeException, saying the date must be between 1/1/1753 and 12/31/9999.

I'm completely stuck in here. On my SQL table, I allowed the BirthDate column to accept null values. Question now is, how do I make C# consider null DateTime values? The end result would be that, if the Customer did not provide Date of Birth information, the system should still be able to save the record but the BirthDate column in the customer's record would still be NULL.

Upvotes: 0

Views: 1332

Answers (4)

nestedloop
nestedloop

Reputation: 2656

What you need to do is this: your column table should accept null for BirthDate (that's correct). In C#, make the variable rawBirthDate nullable.

Now, the condition you need to check is:

rawBirthDate.HasValue

If it's true, then insert the date in db.

If false, do not insert anything in the db (that's what 'allow null' means in SQL).

Upvotes: 3

Upendra Chaudhari
Upendra Chaudhari

Reputation: 6543

Why are you converting null value in datetime, if you define nullable variable then it can store null vaue. Actually you need to define BirthDate property also nullable and store null value if user have not entered date like

fxTxn.BirthDate = string.IsNullOrEmpty(txtBirthDate) ? null : DateTime.Parse(txtBirthDate);

In db you need to make that column to allow null value and check value of BirthDate like

if (fxTxn.BirthDate.HasValue)
{
   // pass value in db otherwise not
}

Upvotes: 2

Yurii
Yurii

Reputation: 4911

I think the problem might be in the code that actually inserts the value into database: 

...
var valueToInsert = rawBirthDate ?? DBNull.Value;
...

Upvotes: 2

TyCobb
TyCobb

Reputation: 9089

how do I make C# consider null DateTime values

Your value was null. The problem is that you converted it to a standard DateTime which is giving you the DateTime.MinValue (1/1/0001)

Upvotes: 2

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