validate DateTime for years

[EvilLinux]

How would you create a validate statement that shows a message to the user if they enter a value that is 5 years or older than the current date, I have the checking of format for the date if its entered correctly.

Currently I have this to valid the format that the user inputs the two dates:

private void CalBtn_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {



            // Definate the DateTime var for the formula below.

            try
            {
                DateTime arrival;
                DateTime departure;
                // show how many days between the Departure day and the current day. (On Calculate Btn Click)
                arrival = Convert.ToDateTime(arrivalTxb.Text);  //Convert arrival date to text.
                departure = Convert.ToDateTime(departTxb.Text);  //Convert departure date to text.
                TimeSpan nighttotal = departure - arrival; // departure minus arrival = number of days
                int nights = nighttotal.Days;
                nnightTxb.Text = nights.ToString(); // show on Number of Nights text box.

                // Calculate price of total days requests.  Price is a static $115
                int subtotal = nights * 115;  // Total = nights (number of days staying above) times 115 (price per night).
                totalTxb.Text = subtotal.ToString("c"); // show total in Total Price textbox formatted.

            }
            catch (FormatException)
            {
                MessageBox.Show("Invalid format.  Please try again!", "Entry Error");
            }
        }

Thanks for any help or hints.

[jatin24]

simply use the 'Value Changed' event of the DateTimePicker control.

if (dateTimePicker1.Value > DateTime.Now.AddYears(5))
        MessageBox.Show("Date should be within the next 5 years");

[DdoubleD]

simply use the 'Value Changed' event of the DateTimePicker control.

if (dateTimePicker1.Value > DateTime.Now.AddYears(5))
        MessageBox.Show("Date should be within the next 5 years");

I think it was meant to say < -5 given you want to see if the date is 5 years older than current:

if (dateTimePicker1.Value < DateTime.Now.AddYears(-5))

[jatin24]

Well..yeah.. wasent sure if he ment 5 years ahead of today or 5 years before today! I assumed its checking the date to be withing 5 years ahead of today.

[DdoubleD]

Well..yeah.. wasent sure if he ment 5 years ahead of today or 5 years before today! I assumed its checking the date to be withing 5 years ahead of today.

Second set of eyes never hurts--LOL. I went to back to see if I had the comparison operator correct--I was going to blame it on Michelob Brewing Co if not. ;)

Cheers!

[EvilLinux]

I think it was meant to say < -5 given you want to see if the date is 5 years older than current:

if (dateTimePicker1.Value < DateTime.Now.AddYears(-5))

Yeah if the user input is lets say 2015 that would make it invalid.
I'm still slightly confused on the if (dateTimePicker1.Value) line, what would I use to valid the dateTimePicker is I don't have the DateTimePicker and its just user Inputted format. I.E. I don't have that awesome little calendar that would come up (if I'm thinking correctly). I can add that, but its really need needed.

Thanks

[jatin24]

In that case you will have to parse the input using the following:

DateTime input = DateTime.Parse(textBox.text);
// you can now use the variable input to check..

You will have to make sure that the input is in correct format. Put this in a try catch to avoid application to crash.

[DdoubleD]

I'm confused a little. I understand if you cannot use the date picker control... Can you explain with a briefer section of code that shows exactly what you are trying to but cannot achieve?

[EvilLinux]

I'm confused a little. I understand if you cannot use the date picker control... Can you explain with a briefer section of code that shows exactly what you are trying to but cannot achieve?

private void CalBtn_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {



            // Definate the DateTime var for the formula below.

            try
            {
                DateTime arrival;
                DateTime departure;
                // show how many days between the Departure day and the current day. (On Calculate Btn Click)
                arrival = Convert.ToDateTime(arrivalTxb.Text);  //Convert arrival date to text.
                departure = Convert.ToDateTime(departTxb.Text);  //Convert departure date to text.
                TimeSpan nighttotal = departure - arrival; // departure minus arrival = number of days
                int nights = nighttotal.Days;
                nnightTxb.Text = nights.ToString(); // show on Number of Nights text box.

                // Calculate price of total days requests.  Price is a static $115
                int subtotal = nights * 115;  // Total = nights (number of days staying above) times 115 (price per night).
                totalTxb.Text = subtotal.ToString("c"); // show total in Total Price textbox formatted.

            }
            catch (FormatException)
            {
                MessageBox.Show("Invalid format.  Please try again!", "Entry Error");
            }
        }

Thats the whole code here the part that needs to be validated so that the year doesn't explain beyond 5 years:

arrival = Convert.ToDateTime(arrivalTxb.Text);  //Convert arrival date to text.
                departure = Convert.ToDateTime(departTxb.Text);

The Arrival and departure. I need to make it so that if the user enters 5yr and 1 day past today's date it show a msg that say: "You can't not enter that, blah blah blah"

Hope that helps a bit maybe? Again I might be taking this in the wrong direction lol.

[jatin24]

Put the code for Converting to datetime and validating in the 'Leave' event handler for the textbox.

[EvilLinux]

Put the code for Converting to datetime and validating in the 'Leave' event handler for the textbox.

Sorry you really lost me here. I think I know what your talking about, so I apologize in advance if I sound stupid, but I'm not sure what you mean. Do you mean move the converting to datetime and time to the outter part of {}?

I think I'll check back in the morning I'll have a cleaning head for this :S. Sorry if I sound dumb at the moment.

[DdoubleD]

I trust you will know what to do with this:

DateTime arrival = new DateTime();
            DateTime departure = new DateTime();
            TimeSpan ts = arrival - departure;
            if (ts.Days > 5 * 365)
                MessageBox.Show("Houston, we have a problem....");

[EvilLinux]

I trust you will know what to do with this:

DateTime arrival = new DateTime();
            DateTime departure = new DateTime();
            TimeSpan ts = arrival - departure;
            if (ts.Days > 5 * 365)
                MessageBox.Show("Houston, we have a problem....");

Yeah, thank you for the calcification on this. I definitely hit my limit on programming\drinking tonight :S. I'll work with this in the morning more thank you for the help.

[ddanbe]

Is there a reason why you don't use DateTimePickers on your form?
They are as easy to use as a textbox and will save you the trouble of validating a date input format in a textbox.

[EvilLinux]

Is there a reason why you don't use DateTimePickers on your form?
They are as easy to use as a textbox and will save you the trouble of validating a date input format in a textbox.

We need to use user input, per directions. Although we can use a date time picker, I rather use user input text because I have other purposes for this after I'm finished the basic core of this.

But don't get me wrong, I'll all for the easy way to do things with DateTimePickers, but I have some ideas to use this in other places later on that I rather not have to go back and edit my stuff.

Thanks again for the help.

[EvilLinux]

I got all excited and then forgot I still got to valid to make sure that the arrival date can't be entered past the current date and that the departure date is after the arrival date ~_~, ugh I hate validations lol.

[ddanbe]

As I said, if you use DataTimePickers, you can set a MaxDate property!
No more validation! You can not select a date past this MaxDate, so you don't have to do any checking and you won't annoy your users with (in this case) horrible messageboxes.

[EvilLinux]

As I said, if you use DataTimePickers, you can set a MaxDate property!
No more validation! You can not select a date past this MaxDate, so you don't have to do any checking and you won't annoy your users with (in this case) horrible messageboxes.

Yeah I agree and just went with a date time picker and changed it a bit to suit my needs.

Again sometimes MessageBox are more useless than having the user click 1000times only to know that it won't work ;).