#66 : Formatted Date and Time Output

Mostly, in course of scripting, we need to display date and time in a qualified format. The format depends on the requirement suggested. Such as, your script log will have timestamp in a format like LOG_201505150732.log, but inside log, you timestamp might be set as 2015-05-15 07:32:03. Based on purpose, we use time in different ways.

Powershell does not require much more effort in playing with format. It is more straight forward than anything in Powershell. Simply, remember the table below to set the format :

Specifier	Type	Example	Example Output
dd	Day	{0:dd}	10
ddd	Day name	{0:ddd}	Tue
dddd	Full day name	{0:dddd}	Tuesday
f, ff, …	Second fractions	{0:fff}	932
gg, …	Era	{0:gg}	A.D.
hh	2 digit hour	{0:hh}	10
HH	2 digit hour, 24hr format	{0:HH}	22
mm	Minute 00-59	{0:mm}	38
MM	Month 01-12	{0:MM}	12
MMM	Month abbreviation	{0:MMM}	Dec
MMMM	Full month name	{0:MMMM}	December
ss	Seconds 00-59	{0:ss}	46
tt	AM or PM	{0:tt}	PM
yy	Year, 2 digits	{0:yy}	02
yyyy	Year	{0:yyyy}	2002
zz	Timezone offset, 2 digits	{0:zz}	-05
zzz	Full timezone offset	{0:zzz}	-05:00
:	Separator	{0:hh:mm:ss}	10:43:20
/	Separator	{0:dd/MM/yyyy}	10/12/2002

Using toString() function, you can do all kinds of formatting you want.

For example, if you have to get the timestamp for a log file, use below :
$FILE_NAME="ABC_$($(get-date).toString("yyyyMMddhhmmss")).log"

If you want to output the time in log file, it must be little more readable. Such as below :
$MSG="$($(get-date).toString("yyyy/MM/dd HH:mm:ss" )) : Program Started"

There are lot many experiments possible with it. This is simple, yet effective way to handle time.
Enjoy scripting!!