Format MVC default Date (01/01/0001) to be empty

Question

my Razor form code

<div class="form-group">
    @Html.LabelFor(model => model.achPayDate, htmlAttributes: new { @class = "control-label col-md-7" })
    @Html.DisplayFor(model => model.achPayDate, new {@class="date"})
</div>

my cs code

[DisplayFormat(DataFormatString = "{0:MM/dd/yyyy}", ApplyFormatInEditMode = true)]
public DateTime? achPayDate { get; set; }

01/01/0001 is displayed when the achPayDate=0001-01-01T00:00:00 , I want to suppress the date to be blank. How can I do that??

score 5 · Accepted Answer · answered Sep 19 '16 at 21:50

5

You can do the following

In your MVC Project => Views => Shared , create new folder DisplayTemplates
Create new view under DisplayTemplates folder and call it Date.cshtml

the code of Date.cshtml

@model DateTime?
@if(Model!=null && Model!=DateTime.MinValue)
{
   @string.Format("{0:MM/dd/yyyy}",Model)
}

the code of your Model

[DataType(DataType.Date)]
public DateTime? achPayDate { get; set; }

this way will make all DateTime with data annotation [DataType(DataType.Date)] to follow same behavior, and also you can do the same for the EditorTemplates

you can get more information about EditorTemplates and DisplayTemplates here

Hope this will help you

answered Sep 19 '16 at 21:50

Monah

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`[DataType(DataType.Date)]` has nothing to do with the template (its for generating `type="date"` when using `@Html.EditorFor(m => m.achPayDate )` – Sep 19 '16 at 22:37
in my answer I focused on the `DisplayTemplate` and I mentioned that he can apply the `EditorTemplate` also, `DataType.Date` will automatically use the `DisplayTemplate` "date.cshtml" if it was exists in the `DisplayTemplates` folder , as long as the user didn't assign the `UIHint("...")` – Monah Sep 19 '16 at 22:39
`DataType.Date` will **not** _automatically use a template_. It has nothing to do with templates. Templates are selected because either the name of the template matches the model (e.g. `DateTime.cshtml`) or because of the `[UIHint]` attribute. The sole purpose of `[DataType(DataType.Date)]` is to render `type="date"` when using `EditorFor()` with the standard inbuilt template – Sep 19 '16 at 22:43
if you defined 2 display templates ( date.cshtml and datetime.cshtml) and you used `DataType.Date` , what will happen on the view for the code `@Html.DisplayFor(m=>m.achPayDate)` ? – Monah Sep 19 '16 at 22:49
`DataType.Date` has nothing to do with it. Must admit I have not tested what would happen if you have 2 display templates in the same folder with the same `@model` - will test it later :) – Sep 19 '16 at 22:55
Let us [continue this discussion in chat](http://chat.stackoverflow.com/rooms/123740/discussion-between-stephen-muecke-and-hadi-hassan). – Sep 19 '16 at 23:01

Husni Salax · Answer 2 · 2016-09-19T21:53:22.537

3

For normal DateTimes, if you don't initialize them at all then they will match DateTime.MinValue, because it is a value type rather than a reference type.

You can also use a nullable DateTime, like this:

DateTime? MyNullableDate;

Or the longer form:

Nullable<DateTime> MyNullableDate;

or use that:

private DateTime? _achPayDate = null;
public DateTime? achPayDate { get {return _achPayDate ; } set{_achPayDate = value;} }

edited Sep 19 '16 at 21:53

answered Sep 19 '16 at 21:37

Husni Salax

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OP's property is already nullable :) (and you cannot bind fields - they need to be properties) – Sep 19 '16 at 21:48
I have the Web service return the DateTime.MinValue and I just wanted to suppress the 01/01/0001 date to be blank. Can I add code on the Razor? Thanks! Your method return the Date too 1/1/0001--FYI. – user6815384 Sep 19 '16 at 21:56
@user6815384, Just check the value in the controller and set it to `null` if its equal to `DateTime.MinValue` – Sep 19 '16 at 22:48

score 1 · Answer 3 · edited Sep 08 '21 at 12:07

I had 1900-01-01 as "Null" date and suppressed it this way: Date.cshtml (in DisplayTemplates):

@model DateTime?
@if (Model != null && Model == DateTime.Parse("1900-01-01 00:00:00"))
{
    Html.Raw("&nbsp;");
}
@if (Model != null && Model != DateTime.Parse("1900-01-01 00:00:00"))
{
    @string.Format("{0:yyyy-MM-dd hh:mm:ss}",Model)
}

I used it in a view by its template name "Date":

@Html.DisplayFor(modelItem => item.m.CarrierArrival,"Date")

score -1 · Answer 4 · answered Apr 16 '21 at 20:50

-1

I added like below in web grid column

grid.Column("Note Date",
style: "width:159px",
format: @<text>
@if (item.NoteDate == DateTime.MinValue)
{
                    
}
else
{
  @string.Format("{0:MM/dd/yyyy}", item.NoteDate)
}
</text>)

answered Apr 16 '21 at 20:50

Mr doubt

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Format MVC default Date (01/01/0001) to be empty

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